Giorgio’s of Gramercy

I’m a bad New Yorker. I have never taken advantage of Restaurant Week. I know. Sad. Well I remedied that last night when I met my dear friend Tara for dinner at Giorgio’s of Gramercy. As we sat at the bar, waiting for our table, my first impression was that this place is cozy. With warm lights, dark woods and reds it felt like a rustic bistro.

The happy hour runs from 4 – 7 Tuesday – Friday and all night Monday. It consists of $3 beer, $4 wine and $5 infused drink specials. I went off menu and got the John Smith Nut Brown Ale. At $6, it was not bad. In fact most of the bar prices here were pretty decent. Tara went with the house white from the happy hour menu.

For dinner, we wound up sitting in the front at a small table by the bar. At first I thought this would be bad, but later I saw the back area. This is a tiny place and the dining area can get cramped and loud.

Just try getting to the restroom. You finagle your way past the bar and the host, side stepping past the kitchen counter as the waiters try to balance their orders, then finally squeeze past patrons and on thru big red drapes. It’s a chore.

The Restaurant Week special was $35.00 for a three-course dinner (appetizer, entree and dessert). That’s pretty standard everywhere this week, but I glanced at the regular menu and saw that, even without the special, their prices are pretty decent.

The food was amazing. Here’s what we got:

Me:
Crab Fritters
Baby arugula, roasted peppers, yogurt-citrus vinaigrette

Grilled Veal Chop
Pancetta, taleggio & wild mushroom stuffing, panzanella salad

S’more Bread Pudding
Chocolate-marshmallow, caramel sauce, vanilla gelato, graham cracker

Tara:
Summer Caprese Salad
Grilled tomato & zucchini, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic reduction

Pan Seared Red Snapper
Lemon poached fingerling potatoes, julienne vegetables, red pepper coulis

S’more Bread Pudding
Chocolate-marshmallow, caramel sauce, vanilla gelato, graham cracker

We tried each others food (like you do) except for the dessert. We both could not resist the description of the S’more Bread Pudding. However, if there was a weak link at all this evening, that would be it. The richness was a bit overwhelming.

The rest of the meal was near perfection and the service was great. Very attentive and friendly. Restaurant Week or not, I recommend you check out Giorgio’s of Gramercy.

See Also:
Giorgio’s of Gramercy
Restaurant Week, NYC