New York - April 29, 2003

A Shore Thing

Ocean's 21 Restaurant Opens

Start spreading the news.

Ocean’s 21, downtown’s newest restaurant-cum-hangout, is swinging.

And don’t you dare call it a restaurant. This ain’t no lounge, either. The proper term is “social club.” As in Ratpack glam: ’50s Vegas with a dash of Prohibition-style speakeasy.

The menu tweaks American staples (beef served with foie gras) and homestyle Italian (veal scallopini with pistachio and cognac sauce). Old-fashioned types can stick to shrimp scampi. (And really, where else you gonna find that?)

Come dressed to kill because the joint steals the spotlight: Even the walls wear gray pinstripe. Barcelona chairs encourage lingering by the fireplace. And, in case you haven’t cracked the code, throwback tunes and cocktails named for the Chairman, Moe Green, and Ava Gardner should tip you off, pallie.

Will this reincarnation of the notorious Marylou’s space last longer than its two predecessors?

Who knows. But hey, if it can make it here, it can make it anywhere.

Ocean’s 21, 21 West 9th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues (212-475-1551).