Feeling tropical at midtown surf bar, Réunion.   (Photo: Danny Kim)

Réunion
357 W. 44th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-582-3200
No one would confuse Hell’s Kitchen for a reef-ringed island in the Indian Ocean, but don’t tell that to the surfer owners of Réunion. The pair, Eugene Ashe and Thomas Wilson, formerly of Mas (farmhouse), have earnestly transformed a windowless basement space into an ode to the wave-blessed namesake island off the eastern coast of Africa. Their choice of location may be unconventional, but the décor (wall-mounted surfboards, colored lights, the requisite fish tank) and menu (great, icy, Mojito-like Mermaids, $10; an impressive collection of infused rums, $5 a shot; fried clams) show that their hearts, if not their GPS apps, are in the right place.