The Bar Room

Husband-and-wife team Steve Tzolis and Nicola Kotsoni (Bar Six) unveil this upscale American bistro on the Upper East Side. On offer are small plates such as salmon tartare with fingerling chips, chicken-liver toast alongside bacon-hazelnut-onion jam, and roasted beets served with goat-cheese panna cotta and pistachio. Heartier options include chimichurri steak over whole-roasted vegetables and a Pat LaFrieda burger with clothbound cheddar and house-made aioli. At the 32-foot-long, mirror-backed bar—a 124-year-old relic made of African mahogany—find fruity cocktails: The Antonia features gin, Chartreuse, cucumber, lime and mint; while the rye-based Blinker is sweetened with raspberry, grapefruit and simple syrup. Whiskey sippers can choose small-batch bottles of the dark stuff from a glass cabinet behind the bar. Black-and-white checkerboard floors, emerald tufted-leather banquettes and a pendulum clock evoke a bygone bar, while a wraparound floral mural and a large skylight brighten the space.