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Walk in under a neon sign that reads “Bar” in this bewildering stretch between Chinatown and the courthouses and exhale—things just got much more familiar. Never mind karaoke or umbrella cocktails: this outpost, from the folks who brought you the East Village’s Whiskey Town, delivers the basics with flair. Predictably, you get a whiskey list with three kinds of rye and more than a handful of bourbons. Surprisingly, the drinks top out at $11. And the classy touches keep coming. There’s a kitchen with extra-crisp fries and burgers and chicken sandwiches on club rolls, a straightforward rear garden with picnic tables, and—in the niftiest touch—communal wood tables with bench seats that flip up to provide space for coats and handbags. Broad-shouldered guys with crew cuts crowd the bar after work, but those who head to the rear can comfortably study that whiskey list in relative peace. Settling in across the street from the city jail might feel remote from the catwalks of nearby Soho, but that’s part of the charm: At a place like Whiskey Tavern, you really don’t care if anyone ever finds you. — Alec Appelbaum