Cash Bar

A speakeasy sort of loses it's appeal when it's no longer hidden.  Cash Bar is the latest not-so-secret bar to open in New York and the first [to my knowledge] in Murray Hill.  The entrance was supposed to be behind an "out of order" ATM machine, but the door to 58 3/4 E. 34th Street was already propped open.  So much for the allusion.

Inside, they've papered the walls with bills, stuck coins on the tabletops, and named all the drinks after presidents whose faces you see on your currency.  I appreciate the theme they're trying to establish but in such a small space the thematic elements still seemed spaced out and the wallpaper was almost cheesy.  On the upside, the small space made it easy to become familiar with the bartender.  It didn't feel weird to have her holler from behind the bar to ask me how dirty I wanted my martini.  Not sure this one is built to last, but it's always nice to try something new and I'll take a friendly bartender in an sub-par space over a too-cool-for-school one any day.