Bar Americain

Kathleen Squires

Citysearch

The Scene
The adobe-accented room reflects the chef's fondness for the Southwest, while soaring ceilings and an open kitchen pick up on Times Square's theatrics. Show-goers, tourists, local business people and celebrities keep the space constantly abuzz, while on-the-spot service lends intimacy to its vastness.

The Food
Leave it to Bobby Flay to show that America's got flavor, with dishes like delicately fried squash blossoms stuffed with Southern-inspired pulled pork and a Florida-flavored red snapper encrusted in plantain and topped with a refreshing mango and avocado mix. A palate-pleasing pizza with caramelized onions, garlic, gruyere and chewy cubes of double-smoked bacon, and house-made potato chips with blue cheese dip have nationwide appeal. Flay slays hardest with his spice-rubbed steaks, so nicely seasoned that they don't need the accompanying Dijon molasses sauce. Surprisingly, there's no apple pie on the dessert menu, but the strawberry rhubarb crepes provide a sweetly powerful (and less cliched) punch.