Gabriel’s Bar & Restaurant: There’s a constant sense of collision and competition at Gabriel’s Wine Bar and Restaurant. Its fine reputation and close proximity to Lincoln Center guarantees a prudish pre-opera crowd, but its mutual proximity to Midtown adds a hearty dash of the trendy post-work, pre-dangerous liaison playground. Matrons, mavens, and hawks rub elbows along the bar and spacious dining area while the artwork competes for attention: cool, polished wall murals by owner Gabriel’s wife, artist Christine Keefe, abutting a crazy spread of children’s finger paintings—original artwork (signed and titled, of course) by Gabriel’s son’s preschool class. Even the plates are painted, and those works of art are best viewed after chowing through this restaurant’s renowned Northern Italian cuisine. In the spirit of spirits, wine and cocktails are their specialty, and their bar olives are the best around. |
