Crudites are killing the game lately. We’ve scoured every spot on the West Coast serving up an edgy take on the classic, and can’t get over all the creative ways chefs are making raw veggies actually cool. On the opposite coast, there’s now The Office: an experimental cocktail bar — from the team behind Chicago’s modern foodie mecca, Alinea — that’s remixing the concept into the cleanest, chicest bar snack we’ve never imagined. Our resident NYC foodie, Kat Odell, stopped by to check out the veggie platter perfection and a couple cool cocktails to wash it down...

What I Ate: The Office’s Vegetable Crudites

Why I Ate It: Because it’s without a doubt New York’s most delicious crudite garden.

Why You Need It: The Office is Chicago’s lauded vintage spirit-focused cocktail den set within forward-thinking cocktail bar The Aviary. And now The Alinea Group has brought The Office (with The Aviary slated to debut this fall)  to Manhattan’s Mandarin Oriental hotel. Beyond an excellent riff on an Old Fashioned lightly imbued with strawberry, and an Amaretto Sour smacked with black truffle, here you’ll find a mixed menu of beautiful plates with clean inspiration from around the world. To begin, try the refreshing chilled veggie assortment that includes some killer compressed melon.