The partners of A.S.C. (from left): Pablo Raimondi, Asi Mazar, Josh Wood, and Ben Maisani
We've known since June that Ben Maisani (aka Anderson Cooper's main man) was going to add a Hell's Kitchen watering hole to his CV--which currently features Eastern Bloc and Bedlam. But now we actually know what the deal is, not just the fact that he bought retail space a little bit farther north.
It's called "Atlas Social Club (A.S.C.)" and it's not exclusively a Maisani brainchild. He's working with other nightlife aficionados Josh Wood, Pablo Raimondi, and Asi Mazar. Wood says that the overall goal is to "bring downtown uptown. The DJs. The vibes. The sensibilities." Sounds pretty vague, but we're assuming, simply based on the following description of the decor, it's going to be a good time. Here's the pitch:
"A cross between a gay speakeasy and a retro athletic club. The decor uses vintage muscle magazines and turn-of-the-century photographs of early physical culturists, such as Eugen Sandow, for inspiration."
Sounds like the thematic basis is alcohol and hot guys at the gym? Ok, OK. That works. And if you look at Maisani's bulging left bicep in the photo above, then he's still hitting the gym despite his busy nightlife schedule.
Considering the overwhelming success of all these guys--Mazar has worked at Splash (which closes its doors for good Aug. 11) for over 10 years, Wood has been voted to countless lists as a nightlife promoter (including Out's 2007 list of most influential people), and Maisani and Raimondi opened Bedlam together in 2010, after Maisani excelled at Eastern Bloc--A.S.C. is kind of inevitably going to be a success, especially considering how popular Hell's Kitchen has become for New Yorkers and travelers alike.
So when can you go and where? Look for further announcements of an early September opening at 793 9th Ave, across from the recently-opened Boxers HK, so you guaranteed double the fun in one night. But we gotta ask: Are people really going to pronounce the bar's name as ass?
