Unless you've been spending time aboard a submarine these
days, you’ve probably heard some sort of rumbling about
The Rusty Knot, the new
maritime-themed pseudo-dive overlooking the
Hudson
River helmed by an all-star team.
Nightlife sure-things Ken Friedman (
The Spotted Pig) and
Taavo Somer (
Freemans) are behind the hideaway, having tapped Joaquin Baca
(
Momofuku)
to man the bar's kitchen. And
while it's easy to dismiss the bar's décor as excessively kitschy, in a city
where nightlife too frequently consists of velvet ropes, models, bottles and over-stylized generic settings, The Rusty Knot is a breath of fresh
(salty) air.
Digs: Kitsch or
not, they’ve got the sea shanty, bait-shack look down pat, with a dash of uncle
Hank’s rec room tossed in. Seventies-looking wood panels line the walls, glowing lanterns hang from the ceiling, and basic checkered tiles compose the floor. Theme-appropriate appendages are thrown in as well like a billiards table, a fish
tank, a mounted bass and a sizeable mural behind the bar depicting a half-naked gal amid a
sunset.
You'd be hard-pressed to imagine this was once home to West, a dimly lit, swanky little
lounge (whose awning is still flying high outside, for some reason).
Drinks: It's clearly
one of the most egalitarian joints around these days, where patrons can swill $13
tropical cocktails then chase them with a 99-cent glass of Busch.
The beer offerings are standard yet fitting (canned
Tecate, Anchor Steam, Red Stripe bottles) and mainly fall into the $5-to-$6 range, while the cocktail repertoire consists of tropical and nautically themed
concoctions. We weren't impressed with the namesake Rusty Knot ($7), a one-note
combo of blended rum, ice and mint, but the bar's version of a Dark and Stormy
($12) had a welcome spicy ginger kick and plenty of tart lime. And now that the
weather is warming up, drinks like the Zombie (a sweet-tart mix of
passion fruit, guava, rum, lemon and lime; $13) and the surprisingly boozy Mai Tai
($12) can offer some tropical irony (ahhh...Mai-Tais along the
Hudson).
Food: Given Friedman
and Somer’s affiliations with The Spotted Pig and Freemans, it's
not surprising that the food here is worth its salt—and won’t leave you bust.
Baked mussels ($12) were moist
and flavorful, thanks to the addition of
Benton's
bacon in the stuffing, and we particularly liked the chicken-liver-and-bacon sandwich
($8).
Oysters ($3 each) were plump, and while shanty snacks like meat pies and
pretzel dogs were a bit uninspired, at $3 a pop who really cares?
Sounds: Classic
rock all the way.
The antique-looking jukebox
is stocked with all the favorites from The Eagles, Boston, Lynyrd Skynyrd and
Springsteen. It doesn’t matter if you’re sipping your dollar beer or a $13 tiki
concoction; the classic tunes go well with both. In fact, given the setting, we can't think of a better soundtrack.
Crowd: The bar's far-reaching
West Village location makes it
both a
popular after-work stop for the (still-employed) bankers living in the nearby
Richard Meier buildings, as well as
a happening weekend scene for neighborhood
folks,
hipster-types, foodies and bar
aficionados who appreciate
basic grub
and well-made cocktails. And expect to see anyone looking to chill out at a dive bar that's
not technically divey, where a $1 drink is just as easily accessible as a $13 one.
Net results: what folks are saying online:
[Daily Candy] "A small new bar on the West Side
Highway with primo sunset views."
[Grub Street] "Don't expect to hear Masta Ace or New Young Pony Club, like you might at
the Pig."
[Eater] "It's going to be
the hottest place on the planet and they really might not have any room for
you."
[Juli b] "Tiki drinks
served in kitschy plastic totem glasses or coconut shells are mixed up behind
the bar."
The Rusty Knot
425 West St.
(at W.11th St.)
212-645-5668
Mon.-Sun. 5 p.m.-4 a.m.
Photo: Dan Peterson
