Hudson Cafeteria (CLOSED)

If you’re looking for an intimate evening of private conversation, this isn’t the place: Much of the low-lit, high-ceilinged posh dining room is outfitted with long communal tables where fashion-conscious strangers dine elbow to elbow. The seasonal menu is all over the map—Asian, American—but the haute comfort items are most popular. Ultrarich mac and cheese comes topped, if you like, with a roasted bone-in chicken breast or portobello mushrooms. A perfectly spiced slab of meat loaf conceals a pocket of melted cheddar. The clubby soundtrack is loud, but you may be too engrossed in your neighbor’s natterings to notice.