There’s a trademark precision to the buttoned-up brand of hospitality Yves Jadot, Alberto Benenati and Meaghan Dorman execute at their cocktail speakeasy Raines Law Room and time-traveling critical darling Dear Irving. Now, this handsome, blue-and-gold-plated Tribeca lounge riffs on the upscale neighborhood bar with a similarly polished attention to detail. Though more subdued than its flashy siblings—there are no secret entry bells or Marie Antoinette–themed rooms—loyalists will recognize familiar elements both on the menu (an “Audience Awards” section of guest favorites) and off (service buttons installed at each table).
ORDER THIS: Bar director Dorman’s cocktails ($15) are divided into greatest hits from the bar’s sister venues and original creations, like gimlet-riffing namesake the Bennett, with a tart pop of lime cordial and Angostura bitters. The drinks doyenne imbues her cups with personal touches: The spicy Frank of America, with rye and Byrrh, takes its name from Dorman’s boyfriend (who works at Bank of America), while her signature Wildest Redhead nods to her fiery updo, an ombré glass easing Scotch with lemon, honey and Cherry Heering.
GOOD FOR: Trussed-up bar bites by chef Ricky King (the McKittrick Hotel) are tendered with as much thought and care as the drinks. Pair your New Orleans coffee-based Good Evening, Spitfire (ancho chile liqueur, mescal) with sugar-dusted ricotta beignets ($9), or a green-juice-fortified Bergdorf Lunch with an herbaceous, fennel-laced beet tartare tartine ($13). For something more filling, the menu expands to full-meal offerings like a Parisian ham spread with pickles, pecorino ribbons and a baguette ($20), and the eponymous house burger ($17), a hulking slab of tender American Wagyu beef, cheddar cheese and dill pickles on a buttered potato roll.
THE CLINCHER: Comfort is key here: In additon to vintage menu boards noting the names and shifts of each bartender (handy for tracking down your favorite drinks man or woman), the space is decked in plush banquettes and full-backed arm chairs. Gentle jazz and flickering candles lull you into a liquor-addled repose, which you can draw out with a warm cookie plate featuring cocktail-inspired flavors, like a dark and stormy and a lemon elderflower, served with glasses of Hudson Valley milk ($9). When you’re finally ready to peel yourself from the luxury of a blue-velvet bench, don’t worry about having to flag a distracted barkeep—just flip your table’s switch, and you’ll be taken care of.