BIXI

Chef Serena Bass, a James Beard Award winner, decorated BIXI herself, filling the Harlem cocktail bar with red velvet seats, long couches, and fresh flowers that read more like a theater lobby than a restaurant. The kitchen sends out Asian-fusion plates: chicken katsu sliders, tandoori salmon, tempura bananas, and baby back ribs with five-spice. Co-owner Kwame builds the cocktail list around drinks like the Lychee Martini and a spicy Lucky Jim, backed by a shelf of sake and Japanese whiskey. A soul and blues playlist runs under the dining room, and reservations go through OpenTable.