Spying While You Eat

One of my favorite SoHo restaurants, Peep (177 Prince Street) features Thai-fusion food at reasonable prices. They serve a mussel-curry soup—with white wine, spinach, caramelized onion and wild ginger—for just $5.  Grilled chicken with a Thai spice-marinade and black sesame chili sauce  is a delicious entrée  ($13).  Complete reviews by  Time Out New York and  The New York Times are posted on Peep’s webpage.

But the most unusual distinction of the restaurant is a feature of the bathrooms.  In that dim and intimate setting is a two-way mirror that lets customers observe the whole of the restaurant without being seen themselves (hence the restaurant’s name). Peep offers a relaxed place to dine while enjoying the galleries, shops, bars and shops around Prince, Thompson and Sullivan Streets.

--Brittany Westerman 

The restaurant’s website:
http://www.peepsoho.net/      

An explanation of how two-way mirrors work
http://www.jimloy.com/physics/mirror0.htm  

A serious discussion of privacy, voyeurism, popular culture and media
http://www.amazon.com/Voyeur-Nation-Privacy-Peering-Culture/dp/0813366275