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Soaring ceilings and a riot of primary colors make Café Sage a welcoming spot on this busy Financial District strip. While the bright reds, blues, and yellows that make up the nursery-school renditions of giant flowers and plants impart a cheery sensibility, the cuisine is a downer. Defanged, neutered Thai specialties taste mostly of sweetener and cooking oil. At lunch, when the place gets frenzied, at least food seems fresh. Come dinnertime, when Café Sage empties along with the neighborhood, appetizers and mains feel reheated, tired. A grilled squid starter arrives tough and tasteless; non-Thai summer rolls are both chewy and limp. If you’re shopping at Century 21 up the block and not in the mood for Zen Palate’s virtuous vegetarian cuisine next door, Café Sage is an acceptable option. Otherwise you’re better off making the hike to find something better at the South Street Seaport. — Michael Kaminer

Tod mun pla, $6.95; vegetarian Pad Thai, $10.95