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Owner Cal Elliott, former co-chef at Dumont and Dressler, turned to the early twentieth century to outfit his restaurant. “Our elemental inspiration came from the pre-Prohibition pubs that existed in almost every city across the country. The pubs of this period were beautifully furnished and styled,” he says. Rye’s centerpiece is the 21-foot-long bar. It’s made from quarter-sawed oak topped with mahogany, and has a mirror, a rose marble base kick, and bar and foot rails — Elliott believes it to be an Oxford model built by the Brunswick Manufacturing Company in Chicago circa 1890 to 1900. The bar was originally installed in Pottsville, Pennsylvania — home to Yuengling, America’s oldest brewery, founded in 1829. “Around the turn of the century, [Yuengling] franchised pubs in the Pottsville area that would feature their beer,” says Elliott, “Our bar is one of those original pub bars.” — Karen Bookatz

The kitchen closes at midnight Fridays and Saturdays.

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Meatloaf Sandwich (2010)
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Featured In

• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2010 (1/4/10)

Recipes at Rye

• Dutch Moto (2011)