Graydon Carter, him of Vanity Fair fame, purchased the Monkey Bar and turned it into something stratospherically hip, not unlike his previous exercise with the Waverly Inn. With its restored 1930’s era murals, andand decadent loungy feel, it’s no wonder the Monkey Bar has survived as long as it has.

The menu was a little more hit and miss than the décor. The share-able, family-style dishes served in the sexy, red-walled two-tiered dining room are equally great for tete-a-tetes as they are for group feeding sessions, although the crispy duck breast with spicy sriracha hoisin tamed by sweet lychee and mandarin oranges is so alluring, you’ll likely want to keep it all for gluttonous self.