There aren’t too many restaurants in the city that are overhyped and furthermore come to meet that expectation. I can say that there are three places in my lifetime I’ve gone to that have exceeded such expectation: Minetta Tavern (NYC), Tsukiji Fish Market (Tokyo), and introducing to you Gramercy Tavern (NYC). Gramercy Tavern exceeded my expectation not solely on the basis of their taste but the overall experience, so much that, dining at Gramercy Tavern almost defines what a perfect dining experience should embody. Two of our parties were at least 45 minutes late, our dinner lasted three hours long with lots to chat it up here and there, questioned items on the menu, and with all of these factors plus more, we were greeted constantly with pleasant smiles and pamper for all three hours. It confirms the notion that you really get what you pay for.
The best decision that our party of four made was probably going with the Dinner menu and choosing two different dishes per person, following the running theme of the night: 1-2-3 Rotate! For every dish that we ate, we rotated it around the table so that we can taste everything, and in total twelve different dishes all together. Glorious. We had everything from beef tartare, lamb pappardelle, sea bass, rack & shoulder of lamb, pork loin & belly, and duck breast & confit. I can’t particular comment on one dish that stood out because what made it all the more fascinating was that each dish complemented one another in a peculiar way so that the entire menu just seemed like a winter festival that we were lucky to be a part of. Each dish was perfect in size, taste, and combination and because it was perfect as is, if we were to have given more of any of their dish, it would almost ruin its perfection. It was just enough in heaviness, taste, and portion that more would have ruined its divinity.
Between each interim between the courses, we were treated with presents of tastings that cleansed our palate and prepared for what’s next to come. Dessert menu followed the dinner menu and again, we were able to pick one dish per person ranging from sticky toffee fig cake, peanut butter semifreddo, dried cherry cheesecake, with macchiatos and French pressed coffee all around.
I felt awkward and rude to even dare to take pictures of the dish when we were dining so none to show. But the experience that Gramercy Tavern offered is like an amazing vacation; you really don’t have anything to show for it but the satisfaction of knowing how perfect it was in your memory was completely worthwhile.
Cheers to my dining partners of the night, Angela, Yong and Eunice!
