Public: Before the name invokes nightmares of chalkdust, library cards, and municipal offices, know there are no overdue fees or snaking lines at this restaurant, just a lesson in downtown sophistication. Like a growing handful of NoLita spots, the décor is industrial chic, and the institutional theme is taken to the extreme: The hostess has a bundle of perfectly sharpened yellow pencils; a card catalogue adorns the foyer; menus resemble office order forms; and unisex bathrooms are numbered like classrooms. A full menu is served at the 14-seat bar, but the best place for sipping a ginger cosmo or New Zealand sauvignon blanc in semi-private is the sexy library-esque back room. Dark wood paneling, tufted faux ostrich banquettes, and the glow of firelight—just try to keep from doing it in Public. |
