The Basement

The newest room from Julian Gaxholli, the chef behind Beso and Blue, opened in 2025 in the Schuyler Street space where Beso used to be, a short walk up from the ferry. It bills itself as a bar and American tavern and dresses the part of a private library, with book-lined walls and, by most accounts, a restroom hidden behind a bookshelf door.

The menu is a tavern's greatest hits with some polish: a raw bar of oysters, clams and shrimp cocktail, French onion soup and lobster bisque, truffle chicken, a filet mignon done French-onion style, and steaks and chops with mac and cheese or pecorino truffle fries. A three-course prix fixe runs Monday through Thursday, and the bar keeps a late-night menu on weekends. The St. George Theatre is around the corner, so expect a pre-show rush.