Devin Tavern
363 Greenwich Street (between Franklin & Harrison)

Once summer rolls around, New York is overrun by tourists, and many locals take off for the Hamptons or elsewhere. And during holiday periods, such as 4th of July week, the foot traffic is even less. So it is actually a great time to check out restaurants that are otherwise half empty.

So on the eve of Independence Day, I headed to Devin Tavern in TriBeCa. I had a meeting downtown anyway, so drifted into the rather empty restaurant at 6pm or so -- and it remained nearly empty the entire time I was there.

I must say that's a shame, because Devin Tavern was quite good. The place is pretty big, looking more like a restaurant in other cities where space is less of a premium. It has a "hotel restaurant" look about it, pretty simple with lots of rooms and tables. Service was quick, but maybe that was due to me being the only patron...

The pepper and basil caipirinha was a nice starting cocktail, with a wee bite of crushed white pepper. Nice. With some grenache I embarked on a rather nice dinner. The oysters, a choice from both coasts, turned out pretty nice. The main course was a nice wild boar chop -- at medium. It wasn't very big, but the accompanying spinach spätzle was excellent. I had a side of mushrooms, which was a bit dry.

Overall it was okay. The boar was nice but it tasted very bland -- like it was actually farm-raised or just plain ol' pork. Not quite like the ones I hunted years ago. Nevertheless, it was an okay meal. I skipped out on dessert and headed out to meet up with some other people, but left satisfied. This place can do pretty well if given a chance.

Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: B+