Mr. Donahue's

Mr. Donahue's is as intimate as a dinner party, squeezing in five guests on bar stools and perhaps five around its one table. Don't let its size dissuade you from stopping in. Your hosts are former Per Se cooks Ann Redding and Matt Danzer, the couple who also founded the Michelin-starred Uncle Boons /venues/uncle-boons-nolita nearby. Mr. Donahue was Danzer's grandfather, a detective and cab driver; his NYPD cap rests on a shelf. Other vintage touches include mismatched china set on lacy placemats. The brief, oft-changing American menu typically features juicy rotisserie chicken, broiled porgy and peppery Swedish-American meatballs with grape-thyme purée. Main dishes come with a sauce (say, mushroom marsala or lobster jus) and one side. Little marble potatoes with sour cream and chives and pasta with cauliflower crème and shaved bottarga are sound choices. Note: Mr. Donahue's is credit card only—no cash—and is just open for dinner.