Last updated on February 13, 2016
Just shy of 2 weeks left in NY restaurant weeks, where have you been to??
We didn’t plan ahead for restaurant week this time around, by the time we really start looking at our options, places we want to go were all booked. We were surprised that Tavern on the Green was still available for a 7pm reservation.
The place was built in 1870, became a restaurant in 1934. After closing it’s kitchen on New Year’s day 2010, it reopened as a more casual restaurant last year. However, it has not been warm-received by critics.
I have never been to Tavern on the Green before; I always think of it as a higher class place, more sophisticated, more expensive. So Restaurant week is a great opportunity to take a look at this “newly” re-opened place. We walked in from 66th street to west side of Central Park; there are areas still being blocked off for renovation. Turn the corner, there is a beer garden off the side, but no sign that it is open yet. We were greeted by the iconic red awning, open the door to a grand foyer. Flowers on a round table in the middle, almost feel like I walked into someone’s grand mansion. There’s gift shop on the left, and step to the right is the bar/ lounge/ sitting area. This used to be the original Crystal Room, now it feels like a very nice rustic country club. Fireplace, chandeliers , nice oversize comfy couches, and of course a bar in the middle of it all. With a carousel chandelier!!! I’m a little taken by all the nice lighting fixtures. 
Dining room is deeper inside, modern and sleek, entirely different atmosphere. Floor to ceiling windows let in plenty of sunlight. On the other side is the semi-open kitchen. There are booth seats for more cozy companies; we were seated by the window overlooking the patio.
There was a thunderstorm earlier in the afternoon, everything is soaking wet and no one is out in the patio. But by the look of it, it would be a very nice place for an afternoon tea or a sunny Sunday brunch. The room is a little loud, no tablecloth or curtains to absorb the sound, we found ourselves getting louder and louder as the night goes on.
On the restaurant week menu, there are 3 appetizers and 3 entrees and 2 desserts to choose from. The wine pairing option is at very affordable $20 for 3 glasses of red, white and/or dessert. Regular menu is not super expensive, we decided to do half and half.
White Gazpacho– Red Grapes, Toasted Hazelnuts, Basil
Part of the summer menu, this one is not much of a looker, but a great summer soup. Super light and yet creamy. A mix of cauliflower, celery and cucumber with a little red grapes as decoration. A hint of nutty favor from hazelnuts. NICELY done!!!
Avocado Toast– Red Onion, Cilantro, Lime, Radish, Grilled Sourdough
So Tavern on the Green has an “Afternoon” menu. And this is a twist from it. The one on the afternoon menu listed at $22. There is plenty of avocado on it, but the disappointment is on the toast. It doesn’t taste like it had been toasted. The grape tomato is great, but it totally over crowded the “toast”. Just some sloppy avocado slapped on an “not-so-fresh sourdough”. Not even sure it is Sourdough.
Shrimp Scampi– frascati, Garlic, Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
2 big prawns over a bed of spaghetti. Shrimps are cooked just right. For a cacao e pepe, there is enough pepper but not nearly enough cheese. The house-made spaghetti was great! Right texture and just al dente. It’s a little salty for my taste, but could also be just too much pepper.
Hickory Smoked Beef Short ribs– East Texas Baked Beans, Pickled Vegetables
Short ribs was a disappointment. Just as it looks in the picture. It is dry. Desperately need sauce. The tiny little drops underneath it wasn’t much help. The dish became blend and plain. However, I do love the little mushrooms that were mixed in the beans.
Long Island Striped Bass– Tomato-Onion Confit, Citrus Olives, Pomme Paille, Petite Cress 34.00
(From the regular dinner menu) Good size of bass filet, perfectly seared, the skin was very crunchy, but not oily at all. Seasoning was light but it didn’t matter. The tomato confit makes it a great summer dish.
Cioppino– Mussels, Clams, Scallops, Chorizo, Shrimp, Grilled Sourdough 32.00
Also, at average $30+ per entrée on regular menu, the portions here are very generous. The cioppino has plenty of seafood in the mixture. I was looking around, our next-table neighbor had the $56 rack of lamb, and it was gigantic! Huge, huge, huge rack. When they listed whole rack, they were not kidding. And I also saw they were shaving the black truffle on top of the lamb table-side. The server literally took out a good size of whole truffle and it started raining truffle slices. And he even handing out (shaving) truffle slices to diner’s hand at that table. WHAT!?! There was also a mountain of fries came along with that rack of lamb. The amount of food on that plate was unbelievable.
Back to the restaurant week menu. Chicken Pomodoro, the one entrée we didn’t ordered looked decent size too. It was a whole chicken leg, thigh included. Don’t know how the lamb nor the chicken taste, but sure looks good.
As the night falls, the outdoor patio lights up. How wonderful it would be to have a mid-summer night party here.
Tavern on the Green- a well known place with an expensive zip code; a historic landmark; a symbol of upper class Manhattaners. Through numerous renovations, scandals, and troubles, if these walls could talk… and I couldn’t understand how it could go from making $38million in 2007 to bankruptcy in 2009… I guess it is all just a part of New York history. Glory, downfall, rebirth…
Owners, chefs came and went, Tavern on the Green still stands its ground in Central Park overlooking sheep’s meadow. Will it reclaim its glamours days? It is still early to tell.
(July 2015)
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