Meet to Eat

Sexy spots in New York and Vegas to dine on different dates

By Lena Katz

You know what they say about setting the mood. Picking the right spot for a date is just as crucial as how you act or what you wear. With that in mind, we assembled these choice places in dating hot spots New York and Las Vegas to assure the environment matches the moment.

First Date:
Bar Pitti
268 Sixth Ave.
Tables are jammed unnervingly close together; the boisterous wait staff is known for occasional bad manners; and your AMEX Platinum is no good here; but this West Village trattoria is perennially popular just the same. It draws a crowd of in-the-know locals, their model-looking dates and the occasional celeb, all lusting after simple, inexpensive, well-executed Tuscan cuisine.

Meet your date out front and see how she compares to the rest of the hotsy-totsy crowd, then put your name down for a table and peruse the mainly Italian, slightly-pricey wine list. Always busy, comfortably crowded and colorful, this is as cool as you can play it on a first date without going over the top. Just remember to stop by the ATM first: payment is cash only.

Meet the Parents:
Blue Water Grill
31 Union Square West
For that all-important occasion when you must impress Mom and Dad with your city savvy, understanding of their sophisticated tastes and ability to pick up a substantial check, we recommend any of the restaurants in the B.R. Guest family, but this one above all the rest. Elegant and spacious, with an open main room overlooked by a mezzanine, this seafood standby in a former bank building is a marble-surfaced, colonnaded, white-tablecloth vision. Confident, on-the-ball wait staff are well-informed about the extensive raw bar selections, eclectic seafood offerings and top-shelf cocktails. For extra atmosphere (and to cut down on getting-to-know-you chit-chat), request a table in the jazz room.

Naughty Sexual Escapade:
Duvet
45 W. 21st St.
True, the whole recline-while-you-dine thing has been done before, but nevertheless, something about it is just so Roman, decadent and over the top. While Duvet's icy-chic décor and frosty appointments aren't exactly guaranteed to set your blood boiling, the plushy pillows and satin sheets definitely encourage you to relax and slip your shoes off. Plus, the place turns nightclubby after-hours. Presumably the atmosphere, and your sterling company, will inspire your date to indulge in some hanky-panky under the strobe lights.

Awkward Situation:
The Odeon
145 W. Broadway
Maybe you're fessing up to a night of bachelor party madness. Maybe you're in that awkward patch between break-up and make-up. Or maybe you're meeting a long-lost crush with a 20 percent hookup potential. Whatever the awkward situation, if you need somewhere quasi-anonymous yet still legit, we'd recommend Odeon. With its deliberately seedy coffee shop style, dim lighting, mixed crowd and landmark status, this TriBeCa old-timer has seen it all. So what difference will a few more tears or arguments (or clandestine smooches) make? None at all.

First Date or Random Hookup:
Fix
3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. in the Bellagio Hotel
Right off the main casino floor in the Bellagio, this bar/lounge/restaurant/meeting spot is perfect for any occasion, from a potentially awkward first meeting to a casual night out to a group date. Managed by the Light Group, it's swanky and always bustling, with low-slung loveseats facing outward and a dining room that's perfect for table-hopping. The menu offers sushi and small plates, "spoons" of indulgent nibbles, flash-fried seafood and Kobe sliders and steaks. The cocktails are as delicious as the cocktail waitresses and walk-in guests can usually snag a table in the bar without too much drama. We also love Fix because it's the kind of place where, if a first date goes badly, you can always say sayonara, hang out solo for a bit and bump into some random hotties in the bar.

Special Occasion:
Drai's
3595 S. Las Vegas Blvd. in Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon
Like an antique ruby shimmering from a dusty jewel case, Drai's is a flashback deco gem in a most unexpected setting (Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon). It's dimly lit, crimson-and-mirrors décor scheme is perfectly suited to birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Mood lighting and exquisite service add to the old-school charm. A young, good-looking crowd of Vegas insiders and VIP visitors frequents the place -- earlier in the evening for the classic Continental cuisine, and later on for the DJ-spun house tunes. Though the DJ starts warming up around 11 p.m., this place really gets packed at 2 a.m., and it goes on till well past sun-up.

Impromptu Night Out:
Sedona
9580 W. Flamingo Rd. in Summerlin
It's 10:30 on a weeknight and you don't feel like cooking, but you also can't deal with dressing up and hitting the Strip. Split the difference and head to this Andre Agassi-owned restaurant/lounge out in Summerlin. An almost entirely local crowd frequents the place, more for the bar scene than the food. But, since the 2007 revamp, Sedona now serves better-than-average late-night nibbles. Until 11-ish, an entire menu of eclectic, culture-clashing cuisine is offered. With a sophisticated, recently remodeled dining room and a busy outdoor patio with a central fire pit, this is a good fallback for any occasion, at any hour.

It's Not What It Looks Like:
Paymon's Mediterranean Café and Lounge
4147 S. Maryland Pkwy.
You are about to do something you shouldn't be doing. If caught, you intend to deny it to the hilt. Hit up this Mediterranean strip mall standby, with casual tables in the café and a dark, Arabian Nights-esque hookah room in back. The lazy plumes of flavored smoke, exotic finger food and opium-den reminiscent décor create a vaguely dreamlike ambiance where it seems like anything could happen, and no one could notice.