Gramercy Tavern

Restaurant Name: Gramercy Tavern
Location: New York City

Lunch at the Gramercy Tavern (in the dining room, not the tavern) is still a worthwhile experience after all these years.

The menu, at first glance, seemed a little uninspired and I had a difficult time selecting my meal. Fish, chicken - eh. So, imagine my delight as the courses were served. I started with a ceviche ("cooked" with grapefruit) served with coriander. Fresh and quite tasty. It paired surprisingly well with the Nebbiolo rose I chose. My entree was a sturgeon fillet (not at all oily and very fresh) served on a mound of parsnip puree alongside a few roasted fingerling potato pieces (only 2, in all honesty) and topped with the leaves of roasted brussel sprouts - very delicious.

My dessert course was a coconut tapioca with passionfruit sorbet and cilantro syrup (which tasted nothing like cilantro, unfortunately). All in all, a very enjoyable meal. I think, though, that given the cost, I would rather return and take my chances for a table in the tavern. The wood burning oven they were using to cook all the meat for the tavern menu made my mouth water and the bright sun streaming in through the front windows looked more inviting than the somber dining room in back.