Metropolis

Joining this year’s legion of cocktail hideaways comes a gold-hued, sea-kingdom–inspired oyster room and bar tucked away beneath Blue Water Grill. The former vault and safety-deposit room of the Metropolis Bank has been refurnished with gray paneling, velvet drapery, hand-painted murals and a bar program helmed by cocktail director Richard Breitkreutz (Eleven Madison Park, Craft). The barman oversees a wide selection of champagne varieties and bubbly-based cocktails, like the Rose of Sharon (Gonet Blanc de Blancs plus gin, honeydew and rose water), as well as creative works like a cherry-and-applewood–smoked white Negroni served in an oversize flask with gin and vermouth. Chef Adam Raksin (Per Se, Chicago’s L2O) complements the quaffs with a menu of raw-bar items and modern seafood: Think shellfish towers, shrimp bouillabaisse and a variety of oyster preparations (smoked on the half shell, Rockefeller with lardo).