Brendan's Bar & Grill, New York

When the owners of Brendan’s Bar & Grill moved into the former restaurant space of the Gregorian Hotel in 2002, they had to expend much effort digging and scraping through decades of neglect and abuse of the interior. The result, however, was buried treasure, as the former luxury banqueting room leapt back to life in its high, molded ceilings, mosaic tile floor, curvaceous black ironwork, working marble fireplace and decorative stained glass windows. Clearly the star attraction, the Midtown bar and grill also pleases its customers with a menu of spiffed up pub fare, including burgers, pizzas, pastas and shepherd’s pie. For a view of it all, and a bit more privacy, head to the second floor loft area which overlooks the main dining area.