Profile

The midtown-bar formula—HDTVs, dark wood, dim lighting, dessert martinis, and a bar menu overpopulated with salads, wraps, and wings—is not broken here, but it’s satisfyingly cracked a bit. The intrusion of televisions is minimized, the various fried offerings are generally decent (also: try the Little Rickies, scrumptious mini-Cuban sandwiches), and the intimate, irregular nooks furnished with long, plush red couches arrayed around a crackling fireplace are a cozy and classic twist. Large paintings of various famous mugs in caricature—Willem Dafoe, Christopher Walken, Frank Sinatra, etc.— add character, not to mention a dose of self-aware camp. — Stephen Dougherty