I know that on Sunday night we ate dinner at the Gramercy Tavern. I know this to be true but as opposed to Daniel, which I wrote about below this, dinner memories aren’t flooding to the surface. Everything about the Gramercy Tavern was perfectly executed–the hostess was pleasant (and pregnant), the bar room was colorful and bright and full of flowers, and the food was all pretty flawless. But the experience as a whole sort of felt generic–and maybe that’s the point. It is, after all, a tavern.
Gramercy Tavern is located on 20th street, across the street from Veritas (which looks excellent) and around the corner from Craft. On my walk to meet my parents there, I discovered another point of interest: the birthplace of Teddy Roosevelt, my favorite president, is only a few doors down from the Gramercy.
“Did Teddy Roosevelt eat here?” asked my dad when I told him the news.
“I doubt it.”
My dad wasn’t particularly taken by the Gramercy Tavern. “I thought this was supposed to be a tavern,” he said. I’m not sure what he meant by this but I think he meant that it was too fancy to be a tavern, and the food was too weird.
My poor dad. All he wants in life is a good steak, creamed spinach, onion rings and Caesar salad. Instead, we force him to consume amuse bouches–in this case an amuse bouche that I am completely forgetting because the picture I took didn’t come out. Around this time we ordered our food and did the thing we did the night before–asked the waiter for help matching the food we ordered to a wine. Once again, this proved successful: he suggested a Rioja (a Spanish wine) and it went perfectly with the meal. (Didn’t overpower my duck, stood up to my parents’ meat.)
I loved my appetizer–“Crab Fondue”–which was basically butter poached crab meat on sweet pea puree.
The crab was buttery and luscious and the sweet pea puree tasted wonderfully fresh. Dad had scallops, which he seemed to enjoy.
My entree was a huge winner: duck with a candied lemon crust.
Presentation: A+.
Taste: A+.
And same for mom and dad’s meat:
So why are down on Gramercy?
It’s hard to say. Maybe because it feels like a neighborhood place (it is, after all, right next to Gramercy Park–a home for the not quite downtown, not quite uptown elite) and we, not belonging to the neighborhood, feel like outsiders?
Certainly, many of the tables around us appeared to be regulars. A birthday party happened right over my shoulder: friends bought the birthday girl different dresses which she held up over herself while her friends laughed. A table of women a few feet away seemed to be having a ritual Sunday night dinner.
After our entrees, we were presented with palate cleansers: raspberry sorbet in a lemon panna cotta.
This certainly cleansed our palates–the panna cotta was quite astringent. Not much sugar in there.
For my dessert, I got a Gramercy classic: the rolls off your tongue “Coconut Tapioca with Coconut Sorbet, Passion Fruit-Pineapple Sorbet, Passion Fruit Caramel, and Cilantro Syrup.”
I liked all the textures and flavors, but it didn’t please me in a homey comforting way. Isn’t that what a tavern should do?
Dad’s dessert, on the other hand, pleased him perfectly.
See that ice cream in front of him? That’s an ice cream sampler. My dad loves ordering ice cream. And on this night he said, to the amusement of my mother and I: “Finally–I get enough ice cream.”
The petit fors were lovely, too:
And as an extra nice touch, they gave us blueberry muffins for the next day:
Yes, the Gramercy Tavern is a classy joint. If I was a self-made tycoon and I lived down the street, I’d go there all the time with my friends. But since I only really fine dine when my parents come to town, and since the Gramercy Tavern is really a neighborhood place–more for locals than for visitors–I’m not sure we’ll be running back. Which is a shame, because those muffins are a good motivation to eat breakfast. Now I’ll simply starve.
*DRIBBLE* Here I am stuck at work in the UK when I really want to jump on a flight and gobble up that crab fondue NOW!
I know I shouldn’t read this blog while I’m dieting. Right now I feel like jumping through my computer screen right into one of those entrees.
I love the Grammercy Tavern, I’ve had great steak and scallops, I love the front room.
I thought at first that you meant your dad’s dessert was your mom, and I had an “awww” moment. And then I saw the ice cream.
That duck sounds fabulous! Also, for some reason, I seem to be thinking that the Gramercy Tavern is known for their duck – or maybe I’m mistaking it for another company.
I’ve never eaten at a restaurant where you get a plate of petit fours. And I’ve definitely never gotten muffins for the next day! I think I have a new goal for my life.
this is a fantastic review. it left me impressed (with the food) and intrigued (with the restaurant), but — most importantly — with an actual sense of the feeling your dining experience left you with.
well done.
I love your Mom, she rocks
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I do love grammercy tavern, mainly because it does feel neighborhood-y. Fancy neighborhood-y, but I like that the service is both impeccable and treat-you-like-they’ve-known-you-since-you-were-in-short-pants.
Did you eat in the bar room or the dining room?
Funny, because I found Daneil too stuffy and I love Gramercy Tavern for it’s fine food in a more casual setting. Dif’rent Strokes!
Veritas IS excellent. I’ve seen Mario Batali eating at the bar there. He loves their chef.
u are obviously rich.
Gramercy is hardly a neighborhood place. A neighborhood place is something more like Greys Papaya. Neighborhood places don’t charge $100 for a meal.
Good review and attractive (and generous) parents. It’s funny how people want to define restaurants based on their pockets. Grey’s Papaya? Loads of workers piling in to fill up cheap. They are almost all not of the neighborhood. There are $100 + neighborhoods and $12.99 neighborhoods, yes, and if you save your pennies you can leave the one and go to the other, and some affluent people like to eat greasy crap once in a while, too.
I would rephrase the other statement as: u r obviously the loved kid of affluent parents. Good on you!
Congratulations on your step forward.
what happens when u read blogs when ur blind tired.
My entree was a huge winner: duck with a candied lemon crust.
i thought u ate a huge duck wiener:(
oopth! *blush*
Intersting comments. Does anybody have a favorite place to eat steak that’s not Peter Luger, BLT, Sparks, etc? Just a neighborhood restaurant (in Manhattan) that serves up some good and plentiful beef that won’t break the bank. Same question for raw bars.
Dude, Gramercy and Daniel in one weekend is c-r-a-z-y! You’re lucky. The meals looked fantastic– thanks for sharing. I agree with a previous poster that Gramercy is NOT a neighborhood restaurant. Granted, the time I ate there I had a tasting menu so it cost a fortune, but still! Any place where you have to reserve 30 days in advance means it’s a “special event” restaurant to me!
He isn’t lucky he is gifted and has parents that are obviously rich!
As for a good example of a neighborhood restaurant, try Elephant and Castle on Grenwich Ave. Get the meatloaf.