Gramercy Tavern

[pizzajunkie]

I've never been able to snag a reservation here on my 2 other trips to NYC. I know they have the first-come, first-serve tavern seating at both lunch and dinner. If I can't get a reservation in the restaurant, should I just go for the Tavern? The food does sound good - I just wondered what the NYC hounds thought about it. I have seen posts where people feel that GT is old and tired, but I'm still interested in trying it. Thanks for any input.

[jens]

I was at the Tavern Room with my husband two weeks ago. While the menu is not ground-breaking, the food was delicious and the service was top-notch. Adding it all up, it made for a terrifc dining experience.

I've been to the main dining room in the very distant past-- in general, I prefer an a la carte menu, and the more casual but lively atmosphere of the Tavern Room works for me. We arrived at the restaurant at around 6:30 on a Friday night and waited at the bar for about 45 minutes for a table.

[pizzajunkie]

I can't thank everyone enough for this amazing feedback - this was exactly the info I was looking for. I will definitely try to walk in to the Tavern, probably for dinner, before the rush. I will post my proposed eating itinerary shortly, I've noticed that people on this board are extremely helpful with that as well. Thanks again!

[Eddie H.]

Definitely go. I went a few months ago and it was the best dining experience I have had in NYC. The food is not groundbreaking-- you can find more innovative preparations elsewhere-- but it is impeccably sourced and executed and much more satisfying than the food at some of the more avant garde restaurants in the City. The added bonus is the service; you actually feel like the restaurant appreciates you dining there, which is somewhat of a rarity these days. There's definitely a reason why GT continues to win restaurant awards; I did not find it dated at all.

http://culinarystudio.blogspot.com

[foodnwine]

I highly recommend both the tavern room and the dining room.As already noted the dining room is more formal(but not stuffy).Both offer exceptional food,wine,cocktails and level of service.As with any place,there will be people who don't understand the fuss or popularity due to individual taste.By and large GT is still highly regarded and continues to be my favorite NYC restaurant.

[babaganoushface]

the tavern has one of the best pork chops in the city...literally tastes like bacon. although the menu at the tavern is great, it does not compare to the main menu at the restaurant. definitely worth going.

[kathryn]

Both the dining room and tavern room are great, one is simply less formal and more rustic, with more of a bar scene and buzzing atmosphere. The main room is more sedate (but not super quiet) and more polished, formal. The food is good at both, just pretty different styles. I don't think it is old and tired at all, especially since they got a new chef about 2 years (I think) ago.

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[pizzajunkie]

Thanks Kathryn - I am glad to hear you do not feel it is old and tired! That helps, thank you. I am not opposed to the tavern, I just didn't want to "settle", LOL!

I did try some searches before posting, but I was specifically interested in the food quality difference, if any, between the restaurant and tavern.

[kasiav]

Hi - I just ate at the tavern for the first time last month (previously I've only done the dining room). I was immensely impressed. Definitely no difference in the quality of food OR the service, which is pretty commendable. The main differences are the formality, wait, and noise level. Our party of 4 showed up at 6:45pm on a Thurs and waited an hour and a half for a table... in my opinion it was worth it, and our fault since we showed up at prime time. Trust me, you will not be 'settling' and to be honest, I think I prefer the a la carte, as the tasting menu leaves me almost too full. I keep meaning to post a review, but I just haven't had time lately. If you can, I would recommend going early or late to have a shorter wait.

To kathryn's point about the food being different styles - I don't think this is necessarily true. Yes the tavern menu has some casual fare (meatball, pulled pork sandwich) but they also have full dishes (the fish we had was excellent) that feel and taste just as good as what is served in the dining room. I went in expecting the food to be different but based on what we ordered, it simply wasn't true. Also, sometimes the items that sound less impressive end up being the best (for us, the octopus, passionfruit sorbet and esp german chocolate cake come to mind). I can also heartily recommend (if you go soon and the menu hasn't changed) the artic char w/sunchokes and the halibut with cabbage and hazlenut yogurt sauce.

In short - go even if you can't get the reservation in the dining room!

[trishottawa]

So, how did you spend your hour and a half wait? I would also love to try it but don't know if I could do the wait!

[kasiav]

ha - actually the time mostly flew by, but that was mostly due to the company I was with. Many people were at the bar (read: crowded) but we just chatted in the small waiting area. The Gramercy staff actually apologized for our wait and offered a round of drinks which really surprised me, as everyone waiting knows that the tavern room does not accept reservations, so a wait is somewhat expected. 630 - 7pm seems to be prime time for restaurants in NYC on a weeknight, I doubt your wait would be as long if you arrived by 6pm or after 8:30pm.

Personally Gramercy is a favorite of mine for its excellent seasonal food without pretense, so the wait was worth it. Another example is Al Di La in brooklyn, which though not even remotely on the same level as GT is popular and has a no res policy - I have waited just as long for during prime time seating.

[kathryn]

I have found the quality of food to be a little better in the dining room, but they also reserve the more interesting/expensive cuts of meat, etc for the formal dining room.

[acidity]

You said you saw that some people thought it was old and tired, but you wanted to try it anyway. I said to myself, "ok, ignoring the warnings, that's brave, and somebody has to retest these places". But now you repost that you are glad to hear that somebody does not think it is old and tired; wanting the critics to be wrong, this is not the same thing at all.

I went to Grammercy Tavern a month ago, and to me it is more of the same old same old it has been for a long time and as recently as September when I was there last: it's boring food whose appeal escapes me, and where the boring dishes are better than the ones that try to be interesting.

I hope you enjoy your meal there, but I would hope you enjoy your meals anyplace. (I wish McDonalds would be good, and I wish GT would be interesting to me.) I'm posting this not to restart the old debate, but simply to flag that the loyal opposition continues to wonder what it is that other people taste. The wine team at Grammercy is pretty good, but since it's across the street from Veritas, it doesn't help much.

[kasiav]

Acidity - I think it is definitely good to have the negative reviews as well as the positive in order to give people the most realistic view possible. That being said, I think perspective is equally as important, as the menu, as well as people's tastes, may vary. Can you tell us (if you remember) the dishes you tried?

Depending on the palate, I can see how some of the heavier meat dishes may not appeal to all (the ones on the menu in March were quite hearty and still very wintery). When I look at these reviews it helps me decide if I am on the same page as the writer so the more info to back the author's view, the better.

Also, this would be the OPs first time at the restaurant. If you were going for the first time, would you brand GT as old and tired? If so, out of curiosity, what restaurants would you recommend instead?

[acidity]

Good suggestions, sorry I was unclear, no it's not the winter menu, and it's not that I'm tired of the restaurant, I've never liked it, and I'm omnivorous and I like winter menus just fine. I like Hearth a lot better to name one that serves seasonal food.

[RGR]

acidity,

I think you've put your finger on exactly what I see as the problem with Michael Anthony's cuisine in Gramercy's formal dining room. When my husband and I had dinner there a few months ago, we came away feeling that the food was totally unexciting. So, I agree with your description of it as boring. Actually, for me, it was worse than that because I found the preparations of my appetizer (foie gras) and main course (duck) to be very unappealing. My husband's choices (pasta and rack of lamb) were better in terms of appeal, but he agreed that even they were unexciting.

I'm glad you mentioned Veritas. Not only do they have a most extraordinary wine list, but Chef Gregory Pugin is serving what I feel is some of the most sensational and exciting cuisine in the city. The 3-course prix-fixe is $85, $1 cheaper than at G.T. but eons better!

[acidity]

OK, but I didn't like Colicchio either, and I don't go for Craft. The food is so staid, I feel like I've had it all before.