Restaurants in Gramercy

Friend of a Farmer

Cuisine: | Featured in Uncategorized

Javelina

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O-Ya – Review

Cuisine: Japanese | Featured in First Bite, Hottest Newcomers, Reviews, RG's Favorites

I’ll be honest: I thought I would hate O-Ya. It gave me anxiety right from the start. I mean, it’s not everyday that you have to put a credit card down for a mere two-top reservation. (Not to mention the $100 per person fee if you cancel within 24 hours.) In fact, the cheapest ticket to entry at O-Ya is $185 for an 18-piece “sushi” omakase. And if you’re really hungry or a glutton, you can splurge on a 23-course meal for a whopping $245 per person…

Upland – First Bite

Cuisine: American | Featured in Hottest Newcomers, Restaurant, Reviews

Do you remember the super short-lived restaurant that was Manzanilla? I’d eaten at Dani Garcia’s Michelin-starred eatery in Marbella, but Manzanilla wasn’t all that. In fact, the food was pretty awful, which is always depressing when a talented chef is in the mix. But let’s not dwell on the past. Especially when Stephen Starr opened such a breath of fresh air in its wake. While Manzanilla was dark and void of personality, Upland has a gorgeous glow to it…

Munich on the East River

Cuisine: | Featured in Uncategorized

elan – Review

Cuisine: Eclectic, Modern | Featured in First Bite, Hottest Newcomers, Restaurant, Reviews

This is what many are calling Waltuck’s comeback, his official return to the New York dining scene. At Chanterelle, David Waltuck leaned very French, with decadent dishes, like Shrimp Risotto and Duck & Foie Gras Dumplings. At élan, he seems to have loosened up…

elan

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Maialino

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Dish Spotting: Manzanilla’s Croquettes

Cuisine: Spanish | Featured in Dish Spotting

New Yorkers embrace food from all over the world. We can’t get enough Korean, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese… you get the picture. But (and that’s a big but) we don’t typically take kindly to foreigners, at least not in the food department. Think about how many foreign restaurants have planted flags on our soil only to be sent back to their country defeated. Let’s be honest, many of them had it coming. But from the sea of full tables in the dining room on a recent Saturday night, that’s not the case for Manzanilla, a brand new Spanish spot in Gramercy.

Jazz Standard

Cuisine: Barbecue | Featured in Best Of, Holiday Eats

Swing the night away at this world-class jazz club, which will herald in 2013 with a performance by the Grammy Award–winning Mingus Big Band.  And don’t worry about eating beforehand…an all-inclusive, $125 ticket also buys a three-course BBQ dinner at Blue Smoke, the award-winning, upstairs...

SushiSamba

Cuisine: Asian Fusion | Featured in Best Of, Holiday Eats

Celebrate the imminent arrival of 2013 in true Brazilian style at Reveillon, SushiSamba’s annual white party.  Both NYC locations will feature DJs, samba dancers, drummers, party favors, an all-white décor, and staff in festive dress.  The full menu (with celebratory specials like Wagyu Beef Tataki and Lobster Coconut Seviche) will be offered a la carte, plus a $30 surcharge for seatings from 10 pm to...

What I’m Loving – Ootoya

Cuisine: Japanese | Featured in Reviews

I had nearly given up on eating at the new Japanese izakaya Ootoya in Gramercy.  Every time I tried to stop in for dinner I’d stumble into a fleet of hopeful diners surrounding the hostess stand and come up against an hour or two wait for a table.  Having become very impatient in my old age, I’d sulk near the bar for ten minutes, then head to nearby 15 East or another Japanese joint.  I’d all but given up, but I thought I’d do one last drive-by on the evening of the recent Noreaster.  The room was still buzzing and the eating counter packed, but the snowfall had scared off a few diners, so there was one two-top left in the house.  The counter seats and main dining room were all taken, but I was happy to be indoors, gifted a cup of...

Rosa Mexicano

Cuisine: Mexican | Featured in Best Of

Say what you will about chain restaurants, but Rosa Mexicano defies the stereotypes. For starters, the guacamole, mashed up tableside, is inarguably good. Then there’s the addicting “Frozen Pomegranate Margarita.” But the thing that truly elevates this chain is the ceviche, especially their Hamachi Tacos and Rock Shrimp variation.

Gramercy Tavern – The Classic Date

Cuisine: American | Featured in Best Of

When in doubt, stick to the classics. They’re reliable and comfortable, which will help keep calm your pre-date nerves. One of our favorite go-to’s year after year is Gramercy Tavern. No one knows how to charm their guests more than restaurateur Danny Meyer. The impeccable service and cozy dining room never fail to set the mood for a special evening. Tell your date that chef Michael Anthony just won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef in New York City” and they’ll immediately be impressed. Then let his food speak for itself. Start out with the beef carpaccio with anchovy aioli. Or, if you’re looking for something a little lighter, order the Summer Vegetable Soup with Fennel Pesto and Mussels (they’re natural aphrodisiacs…). Then, settle into the Flounder with Sugar Snap Peas and Cucumber Gazpacho, or the Duck Breast...

Gramercy Tavern

Cuisine: American | Featured in RG's Favorites

As if you needed another reason to visit this Gramercy institution, chef Michael Anthony just won the James Beard award for best chef New York. Truth to be told, we’d come for the impeccable service and cozy, farmhouse-style setting and the first-class cocktails, like the mortoni (Danny Meyer’s take on a negroni) and the concord grape crush. The menu depends primarily on the season, but if you spot ramp custard or any custard at all, order it.

Wildwood BBQ

Cuisine: Barbecue | Featured in Reviews

Serving up ecumenical barbecue in Gramercy Park Address: 225 Park Ave. South, at 18th St., (212) 533-2500 Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.; Sat., noon-midnight; Sun., noon-11 p.m. Cuisine: Regional barbecue Vibe: Big-city barn Occasion: Festive occasion; group dining. Don’t Miss Dish: Barbecue burger; Texas smoked brisket; carrot cake. Price: Appetizers, $5-$9.50; entrées, $9.95-$28.95; dessert, $7. Reservation: Recommended If you want barbecue in New York City these days, you have to ask yourself what kind you’re craving. You can get down & dirty barbecue – sauce on your T-shirt – at Dinosaur BBQ. You can get artisanal barbecue – sauce on your business suit – at Blue Smoke. But if you want breezy barbeque – sauce on your white leather banquette – you should try Wildwood BBQ, a few blocks from Blue Smoke in Gramercy Park....

Eleven Madison Park

Cuisine: American | Featured in Reviews

A spectacular reinvention. 11 Madison Ave. at 24th St. Phone: (212) 889-0905 Dinner: Sun.-Thurs. 5:30-10 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. 5:30-10:30 p.m. Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Brunch: Sat. & Sun. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Not many restaurateurs are as skilled at pulling off a top-notch $4.75 burger (Shake Shack) as they are a $145 haute French tasting menu (Eleven Madison Park). But Danny Meyer has built an enviable empire of 11 winning lowbrow and high-end restaurants. On a recent evening, the famed Shake Shack burger drew a line that spanned the length of an entire city block. I was en route to Eleven Madison Park, the most opulent feather in Meyer’s cap, when the sight of cheese fries and custard at the pickup window nearly lured me off course. Had I caved, I would’ve missed one of the most spectacular...

Wakiya

Cuisine: Chinese | Featured in Reviews

The dressed-up Chinese at Wakiya gets lost in translation. 2 Lexington Ave., at 21st St. (Gramercy Park Hotel) (212) 995-1330 Dinner: Mon.-Sat., 5:45 p.m.-11 p.m, Sunday, 5:45 p.m.-10 p.m. Cuisine: Contemporary regional Chinese Vibe: Moody Asian den Occasion: Swanky night out Don’t Miss Dish: Shanghai soup dumplings Drink Specialty: Cucumber martini Price: Appetizers, $6-$34; Entrees, $13-$38; Desserts, $9-$14. Reservations: Highly recommended Designer-clad servers amble down a red carpet that streams through Wakiya’s glossy dining room, flourished with floor-to-ceiling red tassels and dark wood tables. “It’slike a catwalk,” Richie Notar, a managing partner of both Wakiya and Nobu restaurants, enthusiastically notes over the phone. “Women love it.” On one visit, I spied Anna Wintour dining front row center. I nearly expected she might pull out a pad and jot down her impressions of Wakiya’s fall food collection. As fashionable as...

Restaurant Buzz

Cuisine: American, Burgers | Featured in Gourmet Gossip

There’s no end in sight to the continuous barrage of burger joints, designer steaks and kobe clubs.  It’s a carnivore’s dilemma…and no, I’m not speaking of ethics.  Oh no.  I’ve had many a fling with foie gras and my way with veal, so I’m most certainly game for another chop shop.  First things first: Angelo & Maxie’s has taken over the kitchen store next door with plans for a July, Angelo & Maxie’s Grill.  Of course, this means August.  Not unlike Smith & Wollensky’s Grill, the menu will offer burgers & a host of other casual, less expensive grub.  But the real coup, will be the endless procession of flat screens and late-night hours.  Might there finally be a sports bar with decent food – why has this concept not caught on yet?  But wait, there’s more… The Scotto...

The House

Cuisine: American, European | Featured in Reviews

121 East 17th St., btwn. Park & Irving Place 212-353-2121 TYPE: Continental grab bag VIBE: Charmed townhouse OCCASION: A romantic date or glass of wine DON’T MISS DISH: Roasted zucchini with pattypan squash & cracked olives DON’T BOTHER DISH: Seared branzino DRINK SPECIALTY: A sturdy wine list with quartino & half-bottle offerings PRICE: $50 & up HOURS: Dinner, Sun – Tue, 5 PM – 2 AM; Wed – Sat, 5 PM – 3 AM; Sat & Sun, Brunch, 11:30 AM – 3:15 PM. RESERVATIONS: Reservations accepted, recommended for third floor dining. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 4 on food, 8 on ambience FINAL WORD: You’ll want to move into this bewitching Gramercy townhouse, but beware of a grumpy master of “The House” and a dull hodgepodge of undistinguished fare. It’s not often you discover a restaurant quite as inviting as The...