Jacqui Gal

Rusty Knot

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You may feel like you’ve stumbled into a cruise ship’s staff rec room when you set foot in the Rusty Knot, located a stone’s throw from the Hudson River. It’s a slightly different tack for The Spotted Pig’s Ken Friedman, who co-owns the joint with Taavo Somer (Freemans). Commanding the galley is Joaquin Bacca (David Chang’s partner from Momofuku), who serves up a seafood-heavy menu of oysters, baked mussels and shellfish soup, alongside pretzel dogs, shepherds pie and a bacon chicken liver sandwich. The small space is wood-paneled and dotted with nautical flourishes, such as brass coat hooks fashioned as boat steering wheels and ceramic tiki glasses. The music is jukebox eclectic and there’s a pool table to round out the dive bar leanings. All that’s missing, it seems, are the old-timers, hoping to bend your ear with tales about how the neighborhood used to be.

425 West Street at 11th St., 212-645-5668