The Lovely Libertine (Dec 2008)

Contrary to his last name, restaurateur and celebrity chef Todd English is a full-blooded American who hails from Massachusetts. However, his latest New York venture, The Libertine, is an upscale take on British gastro-pub cuisine and the inspiration behind the whole concept is what he calls a “clubby, 1970’s London vibe.” So, English may be an Anglophile after all, but he’s still a great American chef.

Located in the Financial District’s new boutique hotel Gild Hall, the restaurant boasts two dining areas, one dark and intimate and the other resembling a fun, old-timey candlelit saloon. The menu features a tasty combination of British pub grub and classic New American cuisine, like a steak-and-kidney pie which substitutes braised short-ribs for the steak. Fresh raw-bar bites are available and you should take advantage of this, most notably the beef carpaccio-wrapped raw oysters. Add the spicy fried oysters to your Caesar salad, and don’t miss the lamb shank pot pie—it’s truly gastropub food at its best.

THE LIBERTINE: GILD HALL, 15 GOLD STREET/PLATT 212.232.7700