30th Birthday Dilemna- Morimoto, Perry Street or Gramercy Tavern?
Ok- I have narrowed the list down of venues for my husband's 30th birthday dinner. Would like votes on Morimoto, Perry Street or Gramercy Tavern please?
Dietary requirements are that we do not eat meat and eat fish but not seafood. Looking for a unique, buzzy, NYC experience and the wow factor!
Thank you in advance for your help.
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Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Perry Street
176 Perry Street, New York, NY 10014
Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
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sgordon
Mar 23, 2011 07:31 AM
Morimoto - of the three - isn't a bad choice given the seafood-centric menu. Even if you were to do a three-savory-course meal (cold app, hot app, entree) there would be multiple choices per course - for cold apps there are at least four, including the excellent yellowtail pastrami with candied olives, though for hot apps only two - the hot oil whitefish and the smoked salmon ravioli. For entrees, there are again four different finned fish (one comes with prosciutto, but it would be easy enough to leave that out). With advanced notice they could even put together a multi-course omakase that fits your requirements - shellfish allergies are so common that leaving the bottom-feeders out isn't much of an issue, they probably deal with that all the time.
Gramercy Tavern I used to be quite high on, but my last couple visits were a bit lackluster. That said, they have such a good track record with me that I'm willing to cut them some slack, and the current menu does look like it'd be good for your needs - there are four fish entrees (one has oysters, which I'm sure they could leave out or replace with something else) and three apps (two veg, one fish) that would fit your requirements.
Also worth considering would be GT's old boss, Tom Colicchio at Colicchio & Sons. Similar style food, similar number of do-able (again, some with minor adjustments) dishes. And of late I've simply had better meals there.
I guess it really depends on what you feel like - Japanese(-ish) flavors, playful, quirky - or American, seasonal. hearty. You won't have a bad meal at any of the above, more than likely.
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Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Colicchio & Sons
85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011 -
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Though I like the Tavern Room, I'm not a fan of Gramercy Tavern's dining room. It has never wowed me and after having the worst meal of '09 there, I've taken it off the list.
Have you considered Oceana? It's perfect for fish eaters. The food is seriously delicious, service is top-notch, there's an upbeat vibe without it being unpleasantly noisy, and the large space has very attractive decor.
Oceana photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157624127309526/
http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com
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Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020 -
sgordon
Mar 21, 2011 08:20 AM
"Fish but not seafood" - ? Not sure what that means. Do you mean "seafood but not shellfish" - are you (or members of your party) kosher?
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re: ginger6104
Of those three I think you would most enjoy Gramercy Tavern, but none of the three would probably come to mind as a "wow" or "buzzy" place. They've all been around for quite awhile and aren't quite held in as high a regard as some other places out there today. That said, I think you'll have a very good meal if you choose Gramercy Tavern (Morimoto is eh and I've only been to Perry St for lunch years ago). You might want to also look at Eleven Madison Park, which is another Danny Meyer restaurant that certainly gets a lot of hype and buzz and is well liked on this Board. Enjoy!
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Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003
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