Crown Shy

Crown Shy Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & décor: Crown Shy is the high-end restaurant in a spiffy lobby of a landmarked 1932 Art Deco tower in the Financial District. Jeff Katz and chef James Kent (who helmed the kitchen at The NoMad) are co-owners. The sprawling space has no shortage of grandeur, with a marble lobby and 120 seats spread over 7,000 square feet. There’s a stainless-steel open kitchen, blond wood tables, and banquettes in a plush shade of orange-y pink.

Likes: House-made bread, short rib, desserts, wine list.
Dislikes: Loud soundtrack; can get very crowded.

Food & Drinks: Start with luxuriously creamy white bean hummus, topped with olive oil and meaty ’nduja, and puffy domes of still-warm bread for dipping. Wellfleet oysters dressed with cucumber jelly, jalapeño and shiso taste bright and fresh. Chef Kent’s dishes have a way of being both soul-satisfying and elegant; take his unctuous roasted short rib with braised ends, quinoa and chimichurri. Grilled chicken is made into something special with a zingy citrus marinade and homemade hot sauce of fermented hot and sweet peppers. Cavatelli pasta with chicken-liver ragù is rich but not overbearing. Pastry chef Renata Ameni’s desserts, like strawberry sorbet-filled yogurt cheesecake, are worth saving room for. The wine list includes plenty of big names, but also an impressive lineup of value finds from little-known producers under $100.