THE CUTTING ROOM

"Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kid Rock, Vanessa Carlton, Sandra Bernhard, Mini-Kiss and many more have performed here; guests have included David Bowie, Ralph Fiennes, Ethan Hawke, Chris Rock, Kelsey Grammer, Steve Buscemi, Edie Falco, Russell Crowe and Toby McGuire.

Co-owners Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order) and Berklee College of Music alumnus Steve Walter have created an intimate space for established performers and a hospitable environment for new music of all varieties. The club also hosts screenings, photo exhibits, performance art, literary readings, showcases and parties.

The Cutting Room opened in late 1999, with a state-of-the-art sound system in its live venue, the comfortably cozy back room, complemented by the front lounge with its dark mahogany bar, velvet curtains, Queen Anne chairs and leather couches. The overall effect is unique and intimate, akin to a spacious living room. "Both Steve and I had to do with the aesthetic of how the place looks; I even brought in some of my own furniture!" Noth laughs, pointing out a funky lamp on the bar and a 'fertility statue' in the window. He explains the origins of the club: "In a gradually teenage-ified city where hip-hop rules, we wanted to have at least one place where you could go where that wasn't going to be the name of the game; there are so many other places for that.

"We wanted to put in all the music we grew up with - which I define as emotional, political and artistic - a wide and diverse selection, from some of the musicals that were influential, to jazz, soul and rock, even some folk and country, if it's applicable...and to have an eclectic-enough jukebox so that people would be pleasantly surprised when they come." He adds that the Cutting Room was intended as "a place for a more adult crowd, although we do get a lot of youngsters on the weekends. I think younger people now are turning on to the fact that music's an emotional experience. The live music room is a place where the voices of aspiring musicians could be heard - among other things."

While Noth points out that "Steve does the real hard labor," Walter – who played and worked on the Jersey club circuit for years (sometimes doing the lighting for a local dude named Springsteen) - says it's all worthwhile when "special nights happen, like when Stanley Jordan plays, or Stephen Stills and Graham Nash show up...and Stephen does a reggae version of 'Love the One You're With' for twelve people at 2 AM on a Sunday in August. When I see a room filled with people who are just loving the music - that's why I do it. When I was spackling and painting the ceiling and wondering if we'd ever open, on a night when Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock and Gwyneth Paltrow play, it's like: 'Yeah, this is why I did it, this is why I went through the hell.' That makes me happy."

Even the food is special; some people come to the Cutting Room just to dine. "We have a real chef," Walter notes. "Everything is made to order; there are no frozen French fries. You can eat healthy here; you don't have to, but you can!, meticulous enough to create his own condiments, once served as sous-chef at La Reserve (awarded four stars by the New York Times). He went on to act as consultant to Wild Edibles and caterer to celebrities on private yachts. As Bowes says, "The food is part of the whole experience; the Cutting Room feels like that 'place that nobody else knows about,' like your own club or secret hangout. We wanted people to be able to come, have all that they wanted and not feel like they had to go somewhere else to eat. So we have well-prepared global cuisine, excellent world-class musicians and the best jukebox in town (that's Chris's baby). You can really say it is not like any other place in New York City, and be telling the truth."

Let Walter have the last word: "Chris is totally into the music, and that's why he hangs here, because we have great music. You can relax, it's not pretentious; it's comfortable, like sitting in your home. You can make out in the corner, play Pac-Man, order a burger, catch a sword-swallower, have your Tarot cards read, and choose your own tunes on the jukebox. You'll never be bored here."