The Gander
“Drinks – the Goose Punch is a little namesake and throws back to their blood orange margarita at Recette.”
“Chef Jesse Schenker "The Gander" in Flatiron District
The Gander just opened a month ago in the Flatiron area.”
“The must-order item is the Sea Trout Tartare which comes with crispy trout skin for $18.”
The Gander
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This place was so different from what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting your typical bar atmosphere, wooden booths and "bar food". Boy was I wrong. They have a beautiful dining room and their food menus were incredible. The pre-fixe menus are a no brainer. The cocktails weren't quite the quality that I was expecting but they were good nevertheless. The desserts here are beautifully done and they even wrote "happy birthday" on one of them in honor of my wife's special day. Thanks so much for an excellent meal.
Went for brunch after finding it on Gayot. It was alright, not amazing nor disappointing. The interior design was pretty. Have not been back since. Too many other interesting options in the city.
My friend and I ended up being here solely because of the fact that Recette was closed a couple of days back, that restauranteur Jesse would be focusing on the Gander going forward. Neither of us was starving, hence we both went with the 4-course prex-fixe menu.
What? No complementary bread? This surprised us from the downside as the Gander probably was the first one (and only one without offering bread upfront…) Fine let's look at the dishes. Disappointment from the first course – beef carpaccio was way too bland, while crudo was just ok. Our second courses probably were the worst among all dishes. We opted for the lobster and octopus; however the sour flavor coming out simply dominated everything else that we could hardly finish the meat! Main dishes actually added back some points – the fluke was very tender with its skin cooked perfectly crispy! Desserts were always my favorite part, and tonight they did not let me down! Both the lemon-kona mousse and the chocolate chai cake were executed well.
I probably would not come back, at least not until the Gander has figured out its own unique characteristic. Definitely lots of things to improve upon – and the half-empty space indeed told the story.
I really want to like this place, but I found it very hard to. I came here with a girl friend and had a Gilt City voucher for brunch.
It started well as their Bloody Mary was very tasty, however, the food portion was just disappointing.
We were supposed to have a mixed selection of pastry basket and one entree each. The "pastry selection" was 2 muffins, which was good, but it wasn't a basket.
As far as for entree, it was nice that we could choose anything from the menu, there was no limitation. However, the Fish Pot I ordered, came in with 2 little pieces of fish (1.5 bit size), half scallop and 1 shrimp. That was the entire Fish Pot, the rest of it was broth, oh it came with one toast cut in half crostini. The original price on the menu for the Fish Pot is $27, I don't know if they slimmed down the quantity because we had the gilt city vouch, I certainly hope so, cuz there is no way, I'd pay $27 for that. My girl friend ordered a Bronzini, it came normal size and was more like a proper lunch.
They have good coffee, the service was decent, but I feel if the restaurant wants to do Gilt City deal, they should do it right.
Lunch was absolutely delicious! I started with the lentils with eggs which was surprisingly really good although it was a bit too salty after a while. I got the seafood pot which was good but not amazing. The scallop in it was absolutely delicious but it only came with one :(. They accidentally got the fish of the day wrong and we were told it was fish and chips but it actually came out to be salmon (I think) and some peas. Not a bad trade off but just a bit confused since we ordered fish and chips. Still, the waitress was nice enough to refund us the fish which was very courteous.
Five stars for the prefix lunch menu – $28 pick two dish, yes any dish from the lunch menu.
Do make a reservation though I don't think it'll be an issue if you walk in. The dining room is neutral enough to be casual yet business friendly at the same time.
Brisket tots – we ordered because of the reviews. I think we could have skipped it.
Arctic char tartar – so many moving parts which all work oh so well together. The tartar, the ikura on top, the aioli, and the best part, crispy skin. I think it's the best tartar rendition I've had so far.
Branzino with grilled romaine – I know grilled romaine is the new in item and I can understand why after I had this dish. The branzino is cooked to perfection. The grilled romaine is sweet and crunchy and so satisfyingly good, taste wise and health wise. Perfect execution.
Dessert – ordered the one I haven't heard before. Decent but could have skipped it especially since it is not included in the prefix.
Service is at par. I'd definitely be coming back once they turnover the menu items for another hopefully excellent lunch experience.
I went to the Gander after dinner to grab some drinks with friends. We sat at the bar and had 2 extremely friendly bartenders who were willing to recommend and make new drinks. They even made my friend different mocktails to try and made her feel really special. We had the most amazing wine – orange wine from Italy. I had never heard of it but it's more similar to a winter version of a rose. I would definitely recommend the wine and the bar!
Came in with the Gilt City Voucher the day after Jonas and they were open like the snow storm was nbd because New York. Glad we kept our reservation – we got good brunch fuel to walk/climb through the the city.
Generous glasses of mimosas to start off, plus the assortment of breakfast pastries, which included a chocolate coconut scone, cinnamon bun, carrot cake muffin, and apple cinnamon muffin. All were delicious, buttery, fluffy, and served warm (noted and appreciated).
Confit Duck Hash was so delicious… majorly crunchy potatoes, crispy duck skin, poached egg, elevated hollandaise. Super rich and filling. They offered lobster instead of shrimp and grits, which was pretty tasty as well. It was more dainty – a shallow bowl of not overly creamy grits topped with 2 lobster claws, sprinkled with something crunchy (my guess is fried mushrooms).
Presentation and taste were solid, however I think it's a bit pricey. I also wish the menu had more light options – the lone omelet sounded too basic to order (and the steep $6 supplement for egg whites?).
Modern-rustic decor + natural lighting = ideal brunch date environment if you don't mind paying a bit more.