Backstage is at 105 West 55th Street in Midtown, hidden behind Stage Star Deli through a curtained doorway in the back of the store. The concept takes Hell's Kitchen's proximity to the theater district seriously: the room is warm and low-lit with the sensibility of a backstage green room that's been redesigned by someone with better taste than the average theater.

Expertly made cocktails and thoughtful small plates are what the bar does, with hours running from four in the afternoon through eleven on weeknights and midnight on weekends. It's closed Sundays. The entrance through the deli gives it the requisite hidden quality, but the bar inside is comfortable and unhurried rather than trying to sustain the speakeasy gimmick longer than necessary.

For post-show drinks or a pre-dinner stop before one of the restaurants on 55th Street, Backstage has figured out a specific usefulness that keeps it occupied.