River Styx

River Styx typifies the new Greenpoint, where free-spirited bohemians are encroaching on traditional, Polish-dominated territory. Near the water, it's so off-the-beaten path it feels illicit and romantic. Its machine-shop provenance still shows in the industrial pulleys hanging from the ceiling, lending it a steampunk effect. The menu is somewhat Mediterranean, with hearty pasta dishes like sedani (a short, tubular noodle) with corn pesto and prosciutto. (The menu also features an unexpectedly poetic quality, seen in such items as the "anchovies that have been sitting by a fire.") The presence of nachos and burgers make the restaurant hard to categorize other than that it spells party food. The team behind it includes Dennis Spina, who also owns Roebling Tea Room, and Homer Murray, the talented chef son of Bill Murray.