Evan W.
Yelp
Bond 45 is one of my favorite theater district restaurants. In a city filled with excellent Italian food served in a wide variety of atmospheres, from tiny trattorias to expansive, family style mess halls, Bond 45 manages to create a meaningfully unique experience.
To begin with, the spacious restaurant with large, upscale bar, feels more like a steakhouse than a red sauce joint. A feeling that's supported by the louder than usual, clubby atmosphere. Cocktails are first rate, and you might think you're sitting in Gallagher's or Delmonico's. It's nice.
When it comes to food, yes, they have many of the expected Italian starters and some very good, house-baked breads, but the star of the show is the expansive antipasto bar, which features a large selection of meats, cheeses, salads, hot and cold Italian specialties, seafood and garden-fresh vegetables that have been marinated or roasted. You could easily eat this with bread and drinks and be done -- but that would mean skipping fine pastas and exceptional entrees from chicken parmigiana to steak and braised short ribs.
Bond 45 is always busy and buzzy in the 2 hours leading up to curtain time, and if you make a reservation you can absolutely get in and out in time to catch your show -- but when you have a chance, file in after the theater rush, and sit down for a leisurely and very memorable fine dinner.