Hotel Griffou (CLOSED)

It’s style over substance at Hotel Griffou. The subterranean venue is split into cozy rooms with flickering candles in every brick-lined nook. Though cocktails—like the icy mint juleps—have a retro bent, the food from chef Jason Giordano may remind you of a school lunch. Dishes like lobster Thermidor fondue (cheese dip with very little shellfish) and “Marie Griffou’s sautéed pork” (a gray plate of overcooked pork) may assuage your hunger, but it won’t thrill your taste buds. It’s the scene, not the food, that keeps Griffou packed.