A room without a view defies the dictates of good feng shui -- a lapse City-Bar makes up for with a backlit painting of the Esplanade. This vintage view of Boston is the only thing Old School about this windowless lounge, which serves up single malts and specialty cocktails to an urbane mix of hotel guests and Back Bay professionals. Padded walls and furniture upholstered in chocolate leather and leopard prints completes the picture of anonymous elegance one associates with hotel bars, while the waitstaff injects enough attitude to sustain a sophisticated cadre of regulars.

Adding to its status as an after-work oasis is City-Bar's choice menu of "small bites, which bear the unmistakable stamp of Azure chef Robert Fathman. From the scallop ceviche taco to a pressed Cubano sandwich that is more than the sum its humble ingredients (among them salami, Swiss cheese and "braised pork butt"), Fathman's edibles are as irresistible as the strange elixirs (think tequila with mango puree, mint and champagne or Markers Mark bourbon infused with caramelized Turkish figs, Chinese cinnamon and vanilla bean) he calls "infusions diaboliques."

Categories: Restaurants, Night Clubs, Bars

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