Description
Midtown’s Bill’s Gay Nineties was once a Prohibition-era speakeasy and charming piano bar where the jovial crowd often joined together in a drunken sing-along. Now it has been transformed into a flashy steakhouse by Crown Hospitality. Bill’s Food & Drink might have kept some of the name, and it still inhabits the same townhouse as its predecessor, but the restaurant’s old charm and soul have all but vanished. The space is still beautiful, but these days the dining room feels more like the wedding reception of a well-connected acquaintance than a fun-loving restaurant alive with the spirit of Old New York. Chef Jason Hall’s menu is insipid and overpriced—steak, pasta, and hamburgers. The most expensive item on the old Bill’s menu was a steak for $30. Now it’s a beastly 40-ounce porterhouse for two ($125) from Kansas-based meat processor Creekstone Farms. Better to go with the fresh pasta, laced with peppery goat ragu. A simple Scotch-flavored pudding ($9) topped with a dollop crème fraîche is the strongest option for dessert. --Tejal Rao
