Opening night at Latitude 39 and Drake’s

A huge amount of confidence was on display on 82nd St. Thursday evening with the simultaneous openings of Latitude 39 and Drake's.

The latter is more modest–at least in comparison to the former. Drake's, a Lexington, KY-headquartered eatery, features a comfortable let-down-your-hair atmosphere, darts boards and a shuffle table, the requisite few-dozen flat screen TVs, and a menu that mixes burgers and bar food with fresh-made sushi and a dash of Mexican. Deejayed dance nights are on the schedule and, soon, trivia competitions. Opening night benefitted Dayspring Center, a good start to good neighborness.  

Latitude 39, just around the parking lot in the former AMC movie theaters spot, transforms that multiplex into what's been misidentified as a Disney-esque indoor playground. It's actually more like a South Beach version of Chuck E. Cheese's, with an army of servers offering alley-side delivery of food and drinks, an arcade that boasts the latest games (that means, instead of Whac-A-Mole you get four-sides air hockey), and bubble walls that pulse to the beat of the ubiquitous music.

Oh, kids can still play, but the focus is on bars, giant screens, and style that wouldn't be out of place in an "Iron Man 4" action sequence.. Not interested in bowling to the beat or watching the (very) big game on 14 X 15 ft. screens? You still may want to visit to see a comedy show or private function in Latitude's 400-seat theater (perfect for a company awards ceremony). Or, beginning in February, you might take over a comfy chair in the CineGrille, which will offer dine-while-you-watch movies with no minimum food or drink purchase. And, I'm told, popcorn, that won't be priced at movie theater levels.

IBJ plans on revisiting both once they are up to speed.

 For now, your thoughts?