Red Hook Tavern

Red Hook Tavern’s Strangely Stiff Paean to Old-School New York | The New Yorker

"The restaurant that Durney finally opened, this past July, is intended, according to its Web site, to 'pay tribute to the classic old school taverns and legendary food establishments experienced in New York City,' including Peter Luger Steak House. That’s a tall order, and Red Hook Tavern seems to be sagging a bit under the weight of its concept: it’s not a comfortable neighborhood saloon so much as a strangely stiff paean to one, dripping with self-consciousness and forced nostalgia, evident from the moment you walk in the door, where a besuited host named Benny insists on shaking each customer’s hand and making a formal introduction." - Hannah Goldfield