Bryant Park Grill
By Pat Singer
In 1686, when New York City was still a wilderness, New York's colonial governor allocated the area now known as Bryant Park as a common area, free to all people. Almost 100 years later, in 1776, George Washington's troops crossed this very park while retreating from the Battle of Long Island. Fast forward to 2011 and Bryant Park today is considered one of New York’s greatest gems, a truly glorious landmark.
Snuggly located between the distinguished main NYC Library and the picturesque Bryant Park, this restaurant may have one of the most beautiful dining locations in the area. Sitting on the edge of this charming park which serves as a spectacular background, we went to explore this New American Grill.
The restaurant resides in a splendid pavilion, accented by a Hunt Slonem mural of birds blanketing an entire side of the dining room. The large banquettes are enveloped in a serene leaf-print pattern which beautifully ties in with the trees in the park. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow extraordinary light and a magnificent view of the park and its illustrious towering buildings in the background. The space is extremely well designed with a very large, stylish and sophisticated dining room.
Moving on to the New American cuisine I can only say that it was quite spectacular. The menu is extremely diverse, extensive and most importantly the food is very fresh. Additionally, they have a great wine list.
We started out with the Chilled Gazpacho Soup (with lime marinated cucumber and avocado) which was refreshing and tasty. Next was the Grilled Baby Octopus Salad (with green and white asparagus slaw, imported chorizo crisps, and watercress butter sauce). It was uniquely prepared and as a fan of Octopus I thought it was delicious. For our entrees we had the Black Tea Smoked Hot Duck Salad (with field greens, apricot parmigiano and vinaigrette) which was expertly executed and a truly unique dish. We also shared the Charred Pork Chops (with spinach, fingerling potatoes, apple wood smoked bacon, and rhubarb compote). The chops were juicy and cooked to perfection.
At this point we were extremely full as the portions are very large. However, I had to make room for their signature dessert, Bananas for Bananas (made with a banana brioche pudding, salty peanut ice cream, peanut butter caramel, hot fudge and whipped cream). After eating this I thought I had died and gone to heaven. What a sensational dessert.
With an exquisite ambiance, an amazing view, wonderful food and exceptional service, this is a real top-notch dining experience and was a magical evening.
25 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018(212) 840-6500
www.bryantparkgrillnyc.com
In 1686, when New York City was still a wilderness, New York's colonial governor allocated the area now known as Bryant Park as a common area, free to all people. Almost 100 years later, in 1776, George Washington's troops crossed this very park while retreating from the Battle of Long Island. Fast forward to 2011 and Bryant Park today is considered one of New York’s greatest gems, a truly glorious landmark.
Snuggly located between the distinguished main NYC Library and the picturesque Bryant Park, this restaurant may have one of the most beautiful dining locations in the area. Sitting on the edge of this charming park which serves as a spectacular background, we went to explore this New American Grill.
The restaurant resides in a splendid pavilion, accented by a Hunt Slonem mural of birds blanketing an entire side of the dining room. The large banquettes are enveloped in a serene leaf-print pattern which beautifully ties in with the trees in the park. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow extraordinary light and a magnificent view of the park and its illustrious towering buildings in the background. The space is extremely well designed with a very large, stylish and sophisticated dining room.
Moving on to the New American cuisine I can only say that it was quite spectacular. The menu is extremely diverse, extensive and most importantly the food is very fresh. Additionally, they have a great wine list.
We started out with the Chilled Gazpacho Soup (with lime marinated cucumber and avocado) which was refreshing and tasty. Next was the Grilled Baby Octopus Salad (with green and white asparagus slaw, imported chorizo crisps, and watercress butter sauce). It was uniquely prepared and as a fan of Octopus I thought it was delicious. For our entrees we had the Black Tea Smoked Hot Duck Salad (with field greens, apricot parmigiano and vinaigrette) which was expertly executed and a truly unique dish. We also shared the Charred Pork Chops (with spinach, fingerling potatoes, apple wood smoked bacon, and rhubarb compote). The chops were juicy and cooked to perfection.
At this point we were extremely full as the portions are very large. However, I had to make room for their signature dessert, Bananas for Bananas (made with a banana brioche pudding, salty peanut ice cream, peanut butter caramel, hot fudge and whipped cream). After eating this I thought I had died and gone to heaven. What a sensational dessert.
With an exquisite ambiance, an amazing view, wonderful food and exceptional service, this is a real top-notch dining experience and was a magical evening.
25 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018(212) 840-6500
www.bryantparkgrillnyc.com
