Both lunch reservations
Gramercy Tavern
Sweet Corn Lumache (Hazelnuts, Peppers, Miso): Firstly, the starting bread and butter was amazing! The pasta dish was great! The pasta was perfectly al dente with a slight kick from white pepper, and all the flavors went together really well. Maybe I would’ve liked slightly less sweet corn as the dish was a tad too sweet IMO, but overall this was super tasty!
Hanger Steak (Cauliflower, Dandelion Greens, Pickled Shallot): Easily the best steak dish I’ve had this year! The steak was also perfectly cooked with an amazing crust. I couldn’t get enough of the reduction sauce, and the sides were great pairings!
Chocolate Meringue Tart (Blackberry, Malt): The lunch finished off with an incredible dessert. All the flavors in this dish were amazing, and once again, the sauce was incredible. This dish perfectly balanced different textures, sweetness, acidity, and a little smokiness.
This was my first time at Gramercy Tavern, and I can see why it’s been an NYC culinary institution for so long. Everything from the food, service, ambience, etc. was practically flawless for me, and I’m shocked they don’t have 2*. I’ll certainly be coming back in the future for their dinner tasting menu!
The Modern
Eggs on eggs on eggs: This signature dish didn’t disappoint. It tasted amazing and was somehow not too rich. If I were to make the dish perfect, I’d serve two brioche sticks, since one simply wasn’t enough, and I’d switch the chicken egg yolk to a smaller quail egg yolk, as once you burst the yolk, the dish became a bit too eggy.
Lamb: A pretty subpar dish. The lamb was a tad overcooked, the chimichurri and stock reduction sauce clashed with each other, and the cherries were a weird addition.
Peach: A peach mousse with cut raw peaches on top, covered with peach shards. Another subpar dish. The shards were too thin, immediately dissolved in my mouth, had practically no flavor, and didn’t add much crunch element. The raw peach slices weren’t the freshed (plus they really should have removed the skin) and they gave too little of the mousse, which was pretty flavorless.
Candle: A free course dessert they gave at the end. This certainly looked very interesting, and it was a layered vanilla cake surrounded by thick frosting. Overall, this was simply okay, being way too rich and sweet for me.
The Modern was certainly a letdown for me, as I’ve heard most people say they’re absolutely incredible (my dining partner’s salmon starter and lobster main course were only average dishes). Overall pretty dull flavors, clashing flavors, and not enough technical excellence IMO.
by CaviarGlutton
3 Comments
I found gramercy tavern to be rather unimpressive last visit. These photos certainly do not represent anything one would expect of a 2* and seem a bit mid even for a 1*. I also found some of the upcharges at GT pretty outrageous, e.g. $20 for sparkling water.
It’s a nice restaurant but it’s time came and went.
I very much resonate with your opinion of The Modern. 2 stars is way too much; I’d say one star is more accurate.
Yeah, The Modern is just a nice, good, elevated restaurant unless you do the private table tasting menu in the kitchen. Did you say it has TWO stars? That’s wild.