Opia Restaurant & Lounge, tucked inside the Renaissance Hotel on 57th Street, played host to an event on Monday night that should have been an exquisite experience. Jazz musician Marcus Goldhaber performed in the intimate setting with his band, The Jon Davis Trio, while complimentary scotch tastings were poured for guests.

Jazz, scotch, and the cool breeze of a New York spring day wafting through the open mezzanine sound like the equation for a memorable night. Unfortunately, the experience was riddled by the Opia staff. Not only did the tasting only consist of one round of scotch, but when we asked the waitress to identify the brand that we were sipping, she replied with “single malt scotch.” Along with minor rudeness from the manager, only the suave voice of Marcus Goldhaber could have saved the night.

With his dapper charm and crooning voice, Marcus Goldhaber captivated the audience, who all seemed to have drifted down from their Park Avenue apartments or nearby Midtown corner offices. His music was a more modern take on jazz, though not quite as mainstream as, say, Michael Bublé, and he effortlessly transported us to a sexier time.

This venue has all of the right ingredients to produce an indulgent evening. The food was delicious (we munched on an Opia sushi roll, which is basically a spicy tuna made of red tuna and fluke), the entertainment flawless, and the setting is hard to beat.

Now if they could just do something about that staff…

– Brittny