Barlume Downstairs is the lower level of the three-floor Mediterranean restaurant at 900 Broadway in the Flatiron District. The restaurant above is a different kind of place, open and lively from morning on. The basement is something else: a subterranean cocktail room with gold velvet seating, dark leather, a gold leaf bar, and walls of amber glass brick that catch the light in a way the space has been designed around.

The menu is cocktail-focused, with light bites available for people who want to eat downstairs rather than moving between floors. DJs come in on nights when the program calls for it. The overall impression is of a room that was put together with enough money to not look like it was put together with money, which is the harder version of the trick to pull off.

Barlume means "glimmer" in Italian. Given that the main restaurant has been running since early hours, the downstairs functions as what they describe as a best-kept secret for people who already know about the building. Reservations go through Resy and Sevenrooms.