Matsuri (CLOSED)

Only in New York: a watering hole that’s half homeless shelter and half swank, overpriced hotel. In the basement of the Maritime Hotel is a posh, cavernous space furnished with dark wood and a sharp-looking crowd. (The 17th Street side of the distinctive portholed building is still the Covenant House headquarters.) The slyly lit bar in the top balcony has side booths overlooking the restaurant, for prime people-watching. The six-page sake menu is brilliantly organized, identifying both type and region of origin. If sake’s not your thing, order the delectable Midori martini. Less a cocktail than a not-too-sweet alcoholic version of a Slurpee, it’s a slushy apple-green mountain topped with a sour cherry.