Gramercy Tavern

Profile

It’s been said (and if it hasn’t, then I’ll go ahead and say it) that great chefs have many of the same qualities as great musicians. Both disciplines require virtuoso talent, a taste for performing under pressure, and an ability to process prodigious amounts of detail and technique in a unique and creative way. Many chefs, like many musicians, are card-carrying control freaks. And like musicians, certain chefs are drawn, divalike, to the spotlight, while others are content to make their careers in the shadows, as proficient and talented sidemen. For the last decade or so, Michael Anthony was one of the most influential sidemen around for a decade or so, once known for his collaboration with Dan Barber at Blue Hill, then, upstate, at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where he helped fashion an influential, aggressively seasonal, Slow Food style of cooking. In 2006, however, however, Anthony took over the kitchen at Gramercy Tavern (he replaced Tom Colicchio), and subsequently became known as the father of high-end locavore. (Like other Union Square Hospitality Group restaurants, it’s a no-tipping establishment.) Anthony is an expert in the delicate arts of poaching and braising, and he revamped the menu, filling it with subtle, slightly bucolic creations like monkfish and lobster served with celery root and mushrooms, and beef tartare with pine nuts and turnips. — Adam Platt

Dining Room Hours

Mon—Thu, 11:45-2 pm and 5:15pm-9:45pm; Fri., 11:45am-2pm and 5:15pm-10:30pm; Sat, 11:45am-1:30pm and 5:15-10:30pm; Sun, 11:45am-1:30pm and 5:15pm-9:45pm

 

Recommended Dishes

Monkfish and lobster, $31; Beef tartare, $20

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Adam Platt's Full Review (4/23/07)

Featured In

• The Individual Coffee Roasters You’ll Find at Union Square Hospitality Group’s Restaurants (11/30/09)
• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2009 (1/5/09)
• Where to Eat 2008: The Best Restaurants for Each Occasion (1/7/08)
• Where to Eat 2008 (1/7/08)
• The City's Best Lemonade (8/20/07)
• 101 Best New York Restaurants for 2006 (1/9/06)
• Small Plates (12/8/03)

Recipes at Gramercy Tavern

• Concord Grape Marshmallows (2011)
• Chocolate-Covered Toffee With Pumpkin Seeds and Sea Salt (2008)
• Rhubarb Cobbler (2005)
• Autumn Punch (2001)
• Pineapple Punch (2001)
• Chocolate Brownie (2001)
• Assemble-Your-Own Tartlets (2000)