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The most striking thing about this bar is that it doesn’t have one. A bar, that is. The focus is on the titular “room” — a plush, tin-ceilinged lounge that lingers between the luxurious (velvet and quilted leather seating, opaque fabric canopies surrounding tables, call lights for the waitress) and rustic (exposed brick, tarnished mirrors). Milk & Honey mixologist Michael McIlroy produced a short list of drinks for Raines, sorted by “hand stirred,” “shaken, served down,” and “shaken, served up.” Of nine options, it’s unfortunate to see mostly speakeasy standbys (a Negroni, a Manhattan, a too-sweet white rum variation on the Ramble). Raines really shines with forgotten cocktails, like the Corpse Reviver #2, a hangover remedy popular in the 30s and Sidecar interpretation Champs Elysées. --Andrea Rosen
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