Financial District — Cheese and Wine on a Friday Night

[BrookBoy]

Three of us old friends are getting together this Friday night (first time in months) and the Financial District works for us all.

So the challenge is to find a place that (a) has some elbow room, (b) serves up some decent grub, especially good wines and cheeses; and (c) would allow us to have a conversation without shouting.

Do any such places exist on a Friday night in the Financial District?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions...

[financialdistrictresident]

BrookBoy, where did you end up?

Apologies I read this to late to be helpful. I probably would have suggested Latin newbie Onda. Bin 220 (dark, sophisticated) is an option, though I have not been there in ages. Both are on Front Street, just North of the South Street Seaport.

[BrookBoy]

Thanks for the reply. We ended up at Harry's at Hanover Square. We had been to Harry's before, and while there isn't anything wrong with Harry's, there isn't anything particularly right either.

On the upside, getting a table in any of their dining rooms at around 6 PM on Friday (or probably any other night) is not a problem. Having a conversation isn't a problem either, as all the crowds were in the bars and not in the dining rooms.

But (and isn't there always a BUT?), their prices are very high, especially for dinner. We ordered the cheese platter to start — big disappointment. The assortment was, um, shall we say, sparse? And the cheeses were chilled, as if they sit in the refrigerator until someone comes along to order the cheese platter. Not tasty, not visually appealing, not really satisfying. In fairness, though, the bread was very good.

I ordered the lamb chops, described on the menu as double rib chops, and my disappointment continued. The two chops (ok, they WERE double chops, but not as large or meaty as other steakhouses, which usually serve up a portion of three double chops) were $46. I thought they were delicious, but at $23 per double rib chop (perhaps three, maybe four, bites per chop), that's the last time I would order them there.

So, all in all, it was a mixed experience, with some positives and some negatives. The negatives were mostly on the cost side, but in today's economy, that counts. I doubt we'll go back.