Opulent light fixtures, custom marble, antique fireplaces, scores of paintings and photographs, and two statues of Oscar Wilde are what await at a new bar in NoMad named for and dedicated to the Irish writer. Tommy Burke and Frank McCole, who run the similarly-decorated duo of Lillie's bars—named for Wilde's longtime friend, actress Lillie Langtry—are behind this new space, which will open in late June on West 27th Street.
"Coming from County Mayo and County Monaghan in Ireland, we grew up reading Oscar Wilde and studying his literature," Burke and McCole say of their inspiration. "We want the bar to celebrate his legacy and become an inclusive destination for all."Of course Wilde is history's all-time great quote machine. A few of my favorites:
The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.
When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.
The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
The nicest feeling in the world is to do a good deed anonymously-and have somebody find out.
