Profile

The banning of traffic from Stone Street, the city’s first paved thoroughfare, has opened up a vibrant outdoor scene on the cobblestones. The south end of this quaint Financial District block is anchored by the Waterstone Grill, which serves up traditional American bar food, both in its dining room and at breezy, umbrella-shaded outdoor tables and chairs—weather permitting. Though the menu focuses on salads, wraps, sandwiches, and pasta, the ordinary-sounding fare is prepared with more flair than you’d expect. A bite of mustard enlivens the Caesar salad and peppercorn-encrusted yellowfin tuna is served with a creamy mint-green wasabi sauce. Dishes arrive quickly to accommodate the tight lunch schedules of Goldman Sachs bankers.

A lively happy-hour scene gathers on weekday afternoons in the front bar area, especially on days when weather forbid holding court outdoors.

Calamari, $10; yellow fin tuna, $23