445028 Wed Sep 26 09:04:13 -0700 2007 17 18 Manhattan 0 2977938 it has been dissed a lot. wondering if anyone likes the place and if it has improved any?? Wed Sep 26 09:04:13 -0700 2007 15732 MarkG 1 2979406 I go there for the oyster stew (I'm less fond of the pan roast, in which the oysters are overwhelmed by the paprika), the clam chowder and the raw oysters and clams. Everything else is mediocre and overpriced. Wed Sep 26 14:14:35 -0700 2007 2977938 10539 KRS 1 2979412 I am. They have a great new england clam chowder, and the oysters are great. This has been the case for decades... Wed Sep 26 14:16:09 -0700 2007 2977938 50328 tpigeon 2 2979879 Ignore the naysayers. The GCOB has some of the consistently best and freshest seafood in NYC. Wed Sep 26 16:17:51 -0700 2007 2979412 65853 DoctortedNYC 1 2979994 I like it too - I always sit at the oyster bar, same spot at the end near the lounge, right in front of the oyster board. It's a busy spot for the counter staff but you'll get good service, plus I usually eat way too many oysters as a result of staring at that list :-) Wed Sep 26 16:55:03 -0700 2007 2977938 15719 kmhayes 1 2980997 The Oyster Bar is still my favorite for raw clams/oysters and I agree that the stews are better than the pan roasts. For simple fish, you can always count on them to have a vast selection of the freshest around. I used to get their bouillabaisse from time to time and, while it's not anywhere like the ones I've had in Marseilles, it ain't half-bad. If you go with other people, show them the whispering trick in the arcade outside the main entrance. (One person stands, facing the wall, in one corner while the other stands, also facing the wall, in the corner diametrically opposite. Then whisper and you will be able to hear one another perfectly, even if there's lots of ambient noise.) Thu Sep 27 04:54:33 -0700 2007 2977938 17572 foodluvngal 2 2989838 We did that! We were standing around under the arcade just having eaten at the oyster bar (as we do every trip), when a woman stopped to tell us about the whispering trick. She directed my 6 year old son and myself to the corners and we whispered. It was one of those magical New York moments. Thank you, whoever you are! Sun Sep 30 04:53:50 -0700 2007 2980997 64834 crawfish 1 2981005 Great selection of oysters and the stew are traditions. Now we make a special trip in the spring to visit mom and eat the Dutch style new herring. TRADITION! Thu Sep 27 05:01:13 -0700 2007 2977938 93538 Passadumkeg 1 2989885 Everyone has to go there at least once when they go to NY! On my first trip there I insisted to go there because of the tradition and I was not dissapointed. We had lunch in the lounge in the back and we loved it. I had oysters and the clam chowder and they were excellent. I recommand to everyone going at least once. Sun Sep 30 06:04:23 -0700 2007 2977938 22859 cricri7 1 2997382 Same as everyone else -- the oyster pan roast, New England clam chowder and oysters on the half shell are great. That's it. Nothing else. Tue Oct 02 13:49:09 -0700 2007 2977938 99325 batterypark 2 2997395 yep pan roast, chowder and oysters. plus they have great vodka and I love the loaded crackers! Tue Oct 02 13:51:43 -0700 2007 2997382 108300 moodyfoodie63 1 2999101 Nope. Wed Oct 03 02:09:28 -0700 2007 2977938 15393 bigmackdaddy 1 2999136 Dissed alot for a good reason-food is terrrrrrible!! Wed Oct 03 03:49:56 -0700 2007 2977938 105205 UES Mayor 1 2999351 It's such a spectacular place - the food sort of takes second place. I love the Dover Sole there and, of course, the raw oysters are very good. Wed Oct 03 06:27:57 -0700 2007 2977938 66022 bronwen 1 3007981 I had lunch there yesterday. A Ipswich pan roast, a caesar salad with jumbo shrimp and crabmeat and three Meximoto and three Bras d'ors oysters. The meal pretty much sucked. The pan roast tasted like a ketchup and salty cream concoction with some canned clams, the salad while the greens were fresh was badly done. The shrimp and crab were way over cooked and only served to absorb the very garlicky salad dressing. The oysters although they had a nice brine had mushy texture and no sweetness (the Bras d'ors) that I have tasted with all other oysters I have eaten in Nova Scotia. I would say if you go then go to look at the decor and don't expect much in terms of a culinary experience. Fri Oct 05 10:34:06 -0700 2007 2977938 15393 bigmackdaddy 2 3009271 I go, but only for the oysters, and only at the bar. I usually also get a cava and fries (I sometimes like the counterpoint of hot, crispy fries and oysters). The food otherwise is not particularly chowish. The place is all about the setting and the oysters. Fri Oct 05 16:51:32 -0700 2007 3007981 12511 Skillet Licker 1 3009973 Yes. Mine is a variation on what others here have said: i sit only at the oyster bar and get: raw oysters, fried oysters, sometimes a salad w/ tomato or coleslaw, a glass of wine or a strong ale...and that is perhaps my fav meal in NYC...i recently moved from NY to Bangkok, and so far GCOB is literally the only restaurant in Manhattan that i miss... Sat Oct 06 03:16:38 -0700 2007 2977938 11077 Simon 1 3011198 had an excellent meal there the first time (oysters served fried, in a roast, and also raw on the half-shell) and it was all beautiful; we sat at the horseshoe section and really enjoyed it. the second time, had horrendous raw oysters that we had to send back, and the rest of the food was bad. so, i wouldn't go again. Sat Oct 06 17:06:08 -0700 2007 2977938 12656 bigjeff