The Scene
The bar area--a big wooden bar, tables, and a second-floor mezzanine--takes up more than half of this corner restaurant. With brick walls, glossy wood accents and TVs beaming the game from half a dozen vantage points, the atmosphere is posh enough for a date, casual enough for Dad and the kids. The dining room is spacious and warm, with wall sconces and comfy banquettes.
The Food
Steven Levine, chef at downtown's popular Cosmopolitan Cafe, has engineered a casual version of his California-tweaked American cuisine. The golden, hand-cut fries are great, the grilled frisee salad rich and smoky, and the crunchy-skinned roast chicken gets the comfort-food thing exactly right. But tea-smoked duck breast is body-slammed by a pungent Chinese mustard glaze, while musky truffle oil overwhelms fluffy gnocchi lavished with chopped portobellos. For dessert, the buttery, hot-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies are just about Mom-perfect. |
