RESTAURANTS • First Word
New hotel restaurants are infrequently winning propositions. New York City has plenty of classic hospitality operations adjacent to nightly accommodations, but they tend to be more celebrated for their spirits. Who doesn’t want to sip gorgeous martinis awash in the flattering light of Bemelmans?
And yet lovely Lele’s Roman, new as of May to the previously beleaguered dining room in Downtown Brooklyn’s Ace Hotel, is the rare, delightful addition to the genre.
Had the hotel kept the long bar that once anchored Lele’s east wall, it would’ve been a formidable drinks and snacks spot (especially for the golden, fried, palm-sized purses of squash blossoms, fresh mozzarella, and anchovies). The new, more petite bar area near the entrance can’t quite accommodate the crowds that the restaurant already attracts.
Fortunately, dinner’s a more comfortable affair, the dining room still anchored by a pretty, high-slung mural. The area is configured for more than 100, and guests are packed tight and loud around tables topped with pizza-adjacent pinse in varieties like sausage and broccoli rabe, plus plenty of pasta and mains. The pork jowl-studded mezzi rigatoni all’amatriciana is served in a vibrant red sauce, deeply comforting to dip with very good complimentary bread, and the masterfully tender abbacchio made for the best lamb chops I can remember having in a restaurant setting. Lele’s cocktails (around $20 per) are about what you’d expect from a hotel bar; wines by the glass are, of course, ace. –Amber Sutherland-Namako
→ Lele’s Roman (Downtown Brooklyn) • 252 Schermerhorn St • Breakfast daily 7-11a, Lunch Mon-Fri 1130a-230p, Dinner Sun-Mon 5-9p & Tue-Sat 5-10p • Reserve.