Beso

Chef-owner Julian Gaxholli's Spanish restaurant spent years on Schuyler Street before moving down the hill to 70 Bay Street, a few minutes' walk from the ferry. It belongs to his small group of North Shore restaurants — Blue, on the Kill Van Kull near Snug Harbor, and The Basement are siblings — and a low-lit, easygoing room for tapas and paella before a show at the St. George Theatre.

Order the way the room is built for: several tapas for the table, with lamb chops a long-running house favorite and the duck a regular's pick, then paella if you are staying. The menu runs from lunch through dinner, with weekend brunch and a prix-fixe option. Book on weekends and theater nights, when the dining room fills with people keeping an eye on the clock.