Let's take for granted that you love New York, or you wouldn't be here. But there are reasons for places like the thickets of Central Park, travels up the Hudson River line (as Billy Joel rhapsodizes), and other escapes from the Manhattan rat race. This place can be exhausting. So...where can you go in town that's like a sabbatical without hopping a Greyhound?
Well, you might check out a brand-new spot on Stone Street downtown called Daisy Duke's Honky Tonk. It's run by a veteran restaurateur from Dublin, Cathal O’Brien, who never lost his childhood love for all things Cowboy. Stepping into this joint is not like a trip to Texas so much as it's like stepping onto a shoot-'em-up soundstage.
The food is actually terrific, the drinks border on mixology quality, and there's a live band that will sometimes coax you onstage and play along while you belt out a go-to number on your own.
Downstairs offers the more straightforward fare and a variety of seating spaces, all thick with reminders of the Wild West. (Much of the decor is sourced from second-hand shops and actual movie and TV prop sales.) There's also a bandstand for the musicians and a small dance space, so if you don't want to be a part of that, ask for a table to the back or upstairs.
The second floor provides several conversation-friendly options, with more restaurant seating toward the back outfitted to resemble a Gold Rush railcar, augmented with hanging lanterns and faux windows that "look out" on painted scenes of prairies from yesteryear. Far to the back and hidden behind thick drapes is the real surprise—a room that looks like a gambler's paradise out of an old episode of Gunsmoke—except for the addition of a flatscreen TV.
The food is hearty and flavorful. We tried the sandwiches, sliders, and fried chicken, and they did not disappoint. Daisy Duke's does contribute one thing that is uniquely Manhattan: it showcases the diversity New Yorkers and tourists have come to expect here. This place? You'd love bringing coworkers here for a Happy Hour, birthday, or anniversary, because when you bring the party, they meet you more than halfway in energy, good vibes, and Southern-style hospitality.
47 Stone St., 917-400-8148, daisydukesnyc.com
Images courtesy of Daisy Duke's.
