Before we went to New York, I spent quite a lot of time researching where we could go for one really special (i.e. expensive!) meal. It was a difficult decision, given the huge number of restaurants in New York and the stratospheric prices some of them can reach. I eventually decided on Gramercy Tavern, located downtown on East 20th Street, between the Union Square (home of the Union Square market) and the Flatiron Building. I was keen to try the tasting menu and, to mitigate those prices somewhat, we chose to go for lunch.We arrived a little early and were greeted by three people at the front door. This could have been intimidating (they had rung earlier to confirm the reservation and advise us of the dress code), but they were all very friendly as we chatted about the change in the weather.
We were shown to our table and offered the menu, which I had already previewed on their website. Choosing the tasting menu made things easy and we were just left to select the wine. I was pleasantly surprised to see wines recommended for only around $25 a bottle and we selected a sauvignon blanc from Bordeaux, which was crisp, cool and dry - perfect for that humid New York weather we'd been discussing. We were also offered a choice from the bread basket, which included the best olive bread I have ever eaten. The bread in NY has been so good, I can't stop eating it even when I know I have five courses coming up!
The first course was Calamari and Carrot Salad, Toasted Pine Nuts and Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette. I must admit, this is not something I would have ordered. I'm not a huge fan of carrot and to be honest, the dish sounded quite boring. It was anything but. The Calamari had the most amazing texture - soft and silky as it slid over your tongue. I have no idea it could have been cooked to have this texture - I'm almost inclined to think it was prepared ceviche-style and just marinated in lemon juice. Brilliant, anyway. The carrot and pine nuts offered crunch and resistance and the dressing was perfectly balanced. This was an appetiser and a half.
It was, however, immediately topped by the next course - Soft Shell Crab with Ruby Crescent Potatoes and Spring Onions. I love soft shell crab. In my opinion, it is absolutely the best way to eat crab - no messing around trying to pull bits of meat out of tiny cavaties. You just get in there and eat the whole thing. This was deep-fried with a crispy coating and served with a mayonnaise potato salad, which cut beautifully through the fattiness of the deep fry but didn't overwhelm the delicacy of the crab. I think I eked this dish out in tiny mouthfuls.
Course number three was Fluke with Sugar Snap Peas, Wild Rice and American Caviar. For me, this was the least interesting course. I didn't know this fish, but we saw it on quite a few menus. It is apparently a flatfish from New Jersey, so very local. The fish had a nice firm texture and a light flavour. It was complemented by the very fresh peas and a lovely, rich jus. The American Caviar was a bit of a non-event.
The final savoury course was Guinea Hen with Heirloom Cauliflower and House Cured Pancetta. On the "interesting" scale, it was somewhere between the Crab and the Fluke courses . . . unfortunately, maybe slightly closer to the Fluke. The Guinea Hen had lovely crispy skin, but was a touch on the dry side, and the Cauliflower and Pancetta, while looking impressive, were a little muted on the tongue. Perhaps to be expected from what is essentially a tarted up dish of chicken breast and cauliflower puree.
Next came an uncredited pre-dessert, a strawberry cheesecake. This was WOW! For such a tiny amount, the strawberry flavour was intensely powerful. The topping was light and fluffy, you barely felt it as your teeth moved through topping into the crunch of the biscuit base. It had the prettiest little sugared violet on top and some lovely strawberries and coulis on the side. Dessert was going to have to be good to top this.The dessert was the first course where we had a choice, in this case, between fruit and chocolate. Now on the surface, you would think the chocolate would be a slam dunk, but the fruit was rhubarb and I love rhubarb and the chocolate was mousse, which I can generally take or leave. Luckily, we decided to have one each and swap. Unluckily, I started with the chocolate, which meant I had to give it up halfway through.
The chocolate mousse was a dark bitter chocolate log, almost truffle-like in its texture. It was served with a small dollop of salted caramel (really unusual, but good), a wedge of peanut brittle wafer and cream. This was quite incredible - it was like the dessert was teetering on the edge of being savoury and for someone who doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, that was quite exciting. The chocolate was rich and bitter, the caramel salty, the cream buttery. Giving this up halfway through was really hard.
The second dessert was a rhubarb merangue tart with rhubarb sorbet. It was really lovely, but especially following the chocolate, a little too sweet. The reason I like rhubarb is because it is a little tart but with the merangue, coulis, creme anglais and biscuits, this was a little too sugary to be my favourite. When Kyle gave me the last bite of the chocolate mousse, well . . . Now that's love.
Finally, to finish, we had coffees and petit fours. The petit fours were an earl grey tea ganache tart, a tiny rhubarb macaroon and an orange truffle. I'd been eyeing the ganache tart on someone else's table and it didn't disappoint - it was definitely my favourite.
At that was the end of our extravagent and impressive New York meal at Gramercy Tavern. I must admit, some of the food was just okay, but the dishes that were good - the soft shell crab, the strawberry cheesecake, the chocolate mousse - were sublime. I can forgive a couple of forgettable dishes when there are some extraordinary ones as well, but in retrospect, you do have to 'mark' it down a little for two of the five dishes being merely average.
We had such a great time at Gramercy Tavern. The service was nothing short of brilliant the whole time. We always felt comfortable and looked after and even had a little 'relationship' going with our waiter, but not so much that we felt crowded. The room was lovely and just nicely busy. This is a restaurant I would definitely recommend for a special New York experience.
Food: 9/10Drinks: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
Gramercy Tavern
42 East 20th Street
New York, NY 10003
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