Gramercy Tavern
“For dessert, my friend had coconut tapioca with passionfruit/coconut sorbet and cilantro syrup.”
“Finished things off with the trio of ice creams (the toasted almond, and coconut milk chocolate…”
“Gramercy Tavern's fame has been fueled by its celebrity chef co-founders Tom Colicchio and Danny Meyer.”
Gramercy Tavern
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I've had Gramercy Tavern on my wish list for a long time. I was pretty underwhelmed though when I finally got to go. Thankfully I went for the lunch service, so I didn't blow all my hard earned cash on a fancy dinner. I think I've finally learned at this point that one star rated places in NYC are usually a let down.
Service is friendly, but not exceptional and not up to par with other fine dining establishments in the area. I did the five course vegetable tasting ($55) while my husband did the five course seasonal menu ($65). Nothing was bad, but only one out of five courses had a wow factor. Here's a run down of both courses since I tasted both:
The meal began with some fresh bread, little square rolls with a crisp crust outside served warm. The texture was great. Flavor was okay, but I did really enjoy the goat cheese butter. It was creamy and tart.
1st Course:
VEGETABLE: Chilled Lettuce Soup (Turnips, Croutons, and Pickled Shrimp) – *Good* They pour the soup over the dry ingredients table side. Yes, this was the vegetable tasting, but there were shrimp. They did ask me if it was okay before hand. I like seafood, so it was fine, but I can't imagine this dish without it if you're a vegetarian. That's where the acid in the dish was coming from and without it, it would be lacking something. The soup was green and full of fresh flavors, but a little over-salted.
SEASONAL: Marinated Scallop (Fluke, Rhubard, Cucumber) – *Okay* Very acidic. Not memorable though.
2nd Course:
VEGETABLE: Beet Salad (Pistachios, Mint, Ricotta) – *Bland* Honestly not much going on here in terms of flavor. It tasted like beets with those things on it. I've had far better beet dishes at casual restaurants.
SEASONAL: Smoked Artic Char (Asparagus, Rye, and Red Rice – *Good* This was the best dish of the seasonal course. Smokey fish with great texture from the rice. The best part was the asparagus which just tasted very fresh and had a lot of flavor.
3rd Course:
VEGETABLE: Roasted Asparagus (Radish, Picked Ramps, Tarragon Custard) *Excellent* This was the only wow factor, and strangely enough, it was the dish I was least looking forward to. I'm not a fan of custards in general. However, this one was light and creamy and more similar to a mousse in texture although not as airy. It was savory and full of tarragon flavor. The texture contrast of the crisp veggies was amazing. The acid from the pickled ramps really brought out the sweetness in the custard. Dishes like this is what I expect from a Michelin rated establishment.
SEASONAL: Mushroom Tortellini (Nettles, Pecorino, Pickled Burdock) *Bad* Sodium overload. The pasta also was a little tough in spots.
4th Course:
VEGETABLE: Leeks and Broccoli Rabe (Semolina, Almonds, Yogurt) *Okay* It tasted like something I'd quickly whip up at home and the presentation was a bit sloppy. Some fried semolina cakes with some greens on top and yogurt on the bottom. Also, a bit under seasoned.
SEASONAL: Roasted Duck Breast (Summer Squash, Fennel, Morel Mushrooms) I don't like duck, but my husband thought it was good.
5th Course –
DESSERT – You could choose between two desserts or a cheese plate. We both got the same dessert, the Lemon Meringue Tart (Cherries, Wild Chervil, and Frozen Yogurt). *Good* The tart itself was just okay. It was your typical lemon meringue. So was the frozen yogurt. However, the cherry sauce was amazing, but the fresh cherries were a little under ripe. We were also brought some chocolates that were pretty, but too sweet for my taste.
Also, I noticed there was no amuse bouche or little gift from the kitchen. That's the first time I've been to a Michelin rated place that leaves this out. It was a little strange considering the price point.
If you're torn between the vegetable and seasonal tastings, I'd say do the vegetable. The things that actually stood out were the quality of the fresh vegetables used. Besides, you can get a regular tasting that isn't veggies at plenty of other places in the area, many of which are far more impressive.
Lunch isn't a bad deal, but I don't get the hype of this place. There are far more tastier and inventive places in the city. I wouldn't turn down a free lunch here, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to go back. If you're craving a high end vegetarian/vegan dining experience, I would recommend going to Philadelphia to dine at Vedge instead. Definitely a different atmosphere, but more creative, tasty food.
Gramercy Tavern encompasses two restaurants in one: A more casual, a la carte space, and a more formal dining room. My boyfriend and I came here for my 30th birthday dinner, so we opted for the chef's tasting menu in the dining room.
Remember that episode of House where one of the characters has Abulia, or the inability to make decisions? Well, the chef's tasting menu is perfect for the Abulia sufferer, as you basically just sit there and the waitstaff brings you dishes galore. We did have to pick a wine, though, a task we took on with some help from our server (the wine list is obviously extensive). She was exceedingly pleasant, by the way, all full of cheer and good nature throughout the entire course of the dinner.
We settled on a bottle of 2012 St. Aubin, a light-bodied red burgundy that went nicely with everything.
The meal began with some fresh bread served with the best butter I have ever had: Goat Cheese butter. It was the kind of butter that was actually a little upsetting to eat, because most of us are just going to have to go back to regular butter after this. What is wrong with the world that we cannot be having goat cheese butter all the time?
Whatever, I'm over it. The courses consisted of the following:
Marinated Scallops (Fluke, Rhubarb and Cucumber)- One of the best dishes of the evening served straight away. Every ingredient was perfect in this dish, but I think I most enjoyed its bed of light sauce, which was sweet and tangy.
Warm Lobster Salad (Fregola, Sweet Peas and Basil)- Another excellent sauce, this one creamy and lemony. The fregola (I'll admit, I would've confused this for Israeli couscous if not for the menu) was also delicious.
Smoked Arctic Char (Summer Beans, Rye and Black Rice)- SO GOOD! Delicious, perfectly cooked fish topped with some sort of a crispy crust. Served with greens topped with a very light dressing with a nearly imperceptible hint of smokiness.
Mushroom Tortellini (Nettles and Pecorino)- Not my absolute favorite of the evening, but I did enjoy it. The nettles were served pureed and the tortellini concoction was topped with a culinary foam. The flavors in this dish were bright and intense.
Kinderhook Beef (Young Garlic, Blackberries and Blue Cheese)- I should preface this by mentioning that I almost never eat beef because I generally don't like it, but I occasionally forego this self-imposed dietary restriction and I chose to do so here. That said: Both of us thought this dish was a big miss, albeit the only miss of the night. The beef, cooked medium rare, was not flavorful and had too much gristle, and I had to swallow big bites because I just couldn't chew it. In addition, the blackberries and blue cheese just didn't do much to enhance the flavor. At least it was beautifully plated.
Lemon Meringue Tart (Cherries, Wild Chervil and Frozen Yogurt), and
Chocolate cake (Apricot Jam, Wild Rose, Fudge Sauce and Stracciatella Ice Cream), and
Coconut cream meringue birthday cake (complimentary)
All three of the desserts came out together and I was actually emotionally overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. I seriously cried (a very small amount, like 2 tears max). This was most likely due to the wine + cocktail I had before dinner, and possibly a slight, unconscious response to the emotional toll that comes with aging, or perhaps just other people commenting on one's aging, because it's really kind of a morbid joke when you think about it because the implicit punchline is really just our mortality, but anyway, seriously, I cried, and I think some of it had to do with the desserts.
All of the desserts were wonderful- especially the lemon meringue tart, which was SUPER duper tangy with the lemon and cherries (yum). Of course, this was a LOT of dessert to have at the end of a meal so we only got through about half of the birthday cake and I took the chocolate cake home.
The treats seriously just kept on coming, as we were presented with four complimentary after-dinner chocolates and a granola bar for the road, which I have not yet tried. Finally, to sober up as the check was coming, we ordered coffees, which were just perfect. I am a big coffee fan so that doesn't mean much coming from me, but even my boyfriend, who doesn't drink much of the stuff, raved about its quality.
In short, everything is pretty much impeccable at the Gramercy Tavern. It's unlikely that you will go wrong here.
My friends ranked this place as their favorite one star michelin restaurant, so I had high hopes for it.
I opted for the seasonal tasting menu for $125 since it had the most courses and they all looked delicious.
The meal started off with clam & scallop salad. The clams and scallops were very very fresh and tasted great.
The warm lobster salad was also quite good. Lots of flavor and lobster not too tough or chewy.
Artic Char was definitely the highlight of the meal for me. I've never had a salmon so soft and taste so good before. There wasn't much of a distinct salmon taste, which made it tastes even better.
Mushroom tortellini was a huge miss for me. I didn't like the mushroom cheese flavor on the inside cause it tasted too heavy.
Roasted duck breast and sausage tasted good. I had the duck breast and the sausage individually and they were great. I mixed the two into one bite and it still tasted great albeit a bit different.
Strawberries & cream dessert was a very unique dish that I've never had before. The green ice had a vegetable taste that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
The light to heavy food transition was great and was really well thought out. Service here is top notch and they also happily accommodated our vegan friend.
Perfect on every level. Perfect ambiance, service and food
The way the chef combines textures and flavors is unparalleled. We opted for the prix fixe menu.
Wagyu steak tartare was the best and most original presentation I have experienced
Smoked trout with pickled ramps and trout roe. Beautiful.
Striped bass. Best I have ever tasted.
Desserts were delicious as were the after-dessert-dessert.
Love this restaurant. My favorite restaurant in the U.S.
This place is 5 stars. We had the dinner tasting menu with the wine pairing. I recommend you do that because the sommelier really pairs excellent choices. You know at this place the menu will not disappoint, so I'll focus on the small touches.
First the service was amazing. The servers were very nice and helpful without being overly eager or sounding fake. Also, the bread and butter here is delicious. You probably think, oh its just bread and butter, but actually its more than that. The bread is warm and crusty and the butter melts perfectly over it. This is just one of those NY institutions you must try.
The lunch tasting menu was great. It's just enough food to get you through the afternoon. I also did the wine pairing, but I didn't last the rest of the afternoon.
Service was great. Make sure to make reservations even for lunch. There was a long line even before they opened. Or you can try their tavern food which is a first come first serve seating.
My favorite is the lamb shoulder and their rice pudding.
But I'll be back to try their other desserts.
I played hooky on a Monday to come here for lunch and it was FANTASTIC. Totally worth taking a vacation day for, totally worth traveling into the city on a sweltering day for, totally worth dressing up a tiny bit for.
Service was great, although a little stiff at first, but the guys warmed up when they saw how much we enjoyed our food. We went with the five course seasonal tasting menu, and the absolute highlight was the mushroom tortellini. (If you know me… you won't believe that I just praised a dish that isn't a slab of meat.)
I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. 🙂
Went here for dinner last night. Nice ambiance and layout. Arrived 10 minutes early for reservation and we were seated immediately. They do a 3 course price fixe menu which was a pretty good deal.
Food:
Pork bolognese: fresh pasta, perfectly al dente, rich hearty sauce. Finely chopped carrots gave it a great crunch. A-
Seafood stew: decent, but somewhat bland and lacking significant substance. My least favorite entree. C
Pork loin and belly: loin perfectly cooked and belly tasted like candy. B+
Striped bass: great portion, seasoned perfectly, seared for a great crust, yet perfectly delicate middle. My favorite entree. A
Strawberry dessert: fresh strawberries, whipped cheesecake, and flavored ice. Flavors were all fresh and bright. Whipped cheesecake was light and delicious.
Overall, decent dinner, great service. Not sure that I would go back. Reservations are advised, it was very crowded.