Gramercy Tavern – 42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003, United States of America

We went here because…
We had received a number of restaurant recommendations for New York and the Gramercy Tavern – New York is one that really piqued our interest. Then one day we found ourselves in the Flat Iron District at lunch time, starving after having no breakfast and some mentally exhausting sightseeing under our belt (queuing, walking slowly around a crowded establishment while being shouted at by employees, who were frustrated by the 10% of morons who just want to make up the rules to suit themselves), so we thought, why not just stroll up to this famous Michelin starred restaurant shopping bags in hand and ask for a table at 1.30pm. There was no “Are you serious?” or “Don’t you know where you are?”, they looked at us accommodatingly and said that they could give us a table outside, which while we probably missed out on the buzzing atmosphere inside the pumping tavern, outside is a completely different vibe, but as we were in our early days of the visit, we wanted to soak up the NYC ambiance, so it was perfect.

The food…
The food was as promised, I mentioned once that I was GF, while The Wife and The Daughter made it clear that they weren’t and within a few minutes they had their (apparently stunning) gluten laden bread and I had what I can only describe as the greatest GF pre-meal bun/roll ever provided to me. When later on talking to the chef (no I didn’t go and pester him in the kitchen, he just happened by), he said it was probably more a muffin, but admitted that it was one of the things they were proudest of.

It was only lunch, so The Daughter ordered The Tavern Burger, Potato Chips, Smoked Onion Aioli, The Wife ordered Chicken Liver Mousse, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, Pickles, Grilled Bread and I couldn’t see past Grilled Pork Shoulder, Celery Root, Shell Beans, Delicata (a type of squash apparently).

The Wife commented on how beautiful the mousse was and had to share the pickles with me, (unlike most people who stay quiet about great food and eat it for themselves, she shares it, so if The Wife says you have to try this, you know it’s good), The pork shoulder was stunning, cooked to perfection, seared beautifully, but still so juicy and while celery root, shell beans and squash wouldn’t be on any list of my top accompaniments, they rocked. I wasn’t sure on the etiquette around licking your plate at a Michelin starred establishment, so you’ll be pleased to know that I showed restraint and decorum. Speaking of restraint and decorum, during my devouring of said meal, I looked over to see if The Daughter was enjoying her burger, but it had disappeared and she was rubbing her belly, like some evil looney tunes character who had just eaten something that she shouldn’t have.

The drinks…
It was lunch time and we had some serious walking to do in the afternoon, so a refreshing local cider and after a conversation with the sommelier, who didn’t seem put off by the fact that I wanted to spend not much money on one glass of something local. I ended up with a glass of cabernet franc from the Macari vineyard of Long Island, which I have to say was a great pairing with my pork. The Wife had a provençal rosé. The Gramercy Tavern has an extensive 95 page beverage list with wines from around the world and even a couple of chardonnays from one of our home favourites; Kumeu River.

The service…
As I said we the were dressed like three tourists, didn’t spend much, compared to most that were there (I think the lady sitting by her self next to us, sipping on old fashions, dining alone and watching the world go by, probably spent more), we never were made to feel that way. Our waiter James was the right mix of helpful and amusing, the sommelier gave us some quality time and then the chef walked around stopping at each table, to make sure everything was going well and tasted okay, and it wasn’t just a courtesy thing, he engaged with us for a while. In fact I would have to say it was probably the best all round service I have experienced in a very long time.

The atmosphere…
I did wonder if we would have been better inside as the atmosphere in there was amazing, it had a real hum for a Tuesday lunch time, but we enjoyed our table outside soaking up the New York vibe. We’ll probably have to go back to find out.

The price was…
USD178 for three mains, a beer, a cider, a soda and two glasses of wine.

Overall
The food was great, service was amazing and whilst it was up there in the amount we wanted to spend on a meal in NYC, it was surprisingly less than expected. Overall I would give Gramercy Tavern – New York 9.5/10

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