The Chicken Bar

Review: Au Cheval in Tribeca Is a Meaty, Retrograde Misfire | Eater NY

"Located down a flight of stairs just before the restrooms, the Chicken Bar is the place to pass an hour while you wait for a Friday-night table at Au Cheval: the red-hued lighting is bewildering at first (your eyes adjust; your phone camera will not). Bartenders pour a frozen Painkiller into tiny plastic water cups — a soothing, silky mix of rum, pineapple, orange, and coconut that efficiently cleanses the palate of aggressively seasoned fried chicken ($14). The hot chicken sando is served as three intensely seasoned chicken fingers in comically tiny buns, packing an impressive crunch, intense salinity, and only mild heat (Crystal hot sauce at the bar helps) ($10). Avoid the bacon cheese fries downstairs — just a bland pile of fries with underseasoned bacon chili and cheese sauce ($10)." - Ryan Sutton