The Standard Grill is the hot new restaurant connected to the hot new hotel, The Standard, underneath the hot new park, The High Line. I will write a full post and love letter to my home away from home and the park of the future, The High Line, soon. The Standard Grill is a perfect combination of faux-bistro comfort and wall to wall scene. Do not be fooled though, like many restaurants that give the visual appeal of laid back bistro, reservations are hard to come by and hosts act on the pretentious side with their available times. I called the week-of and for a party of 5, I had a reservation at 10:15. I actually prefer this time block because I do not feel rushed to get ready, there is plenty of time for a drink at the bar before dinner, and you sit in the middle of the bustle, but are not rushed to finish and leave. Also, when calling for reservations, ask the reservationist to make a note to the maitre'd to sit in the back, main dining room.
We arrived with an expectant wait for our table to be ready, so off to the bar we went to order "The Penny Dropper". New York Magazine recently featured this cocktail as one of the Best Cocktails for 2010. I vote this as one of the best cocktails of my life. Russian Standard Vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice served on ice in a copper mug. The copper mug provides reason for the name, matches the real copper penny lined floors of the main dining room, and is a unique drinking vessel for a festive occasion. We found out after leaving that you can special order this cocktail in a punch bowl for the entire table.
Cheers to Birthday Girl Kathleen and the quarter life crisis!The front bar is fun, but I prefer to sit in the back, more intimate and secluded, dining room. The one-page American bistro menu ranges across the board to appeal to all tastes and appetites - appetizers of raw oysters, sliced meats from "the counter", homemade pâtés, salads and entrees for both the vegetarians and meat lovers. I highly recommend the oysters, and the side of crispy potatoes (glorified tator tots) with smoked paprika aioli are a must for the table.
A birthday dinner is not complete without a special dessert lit by a candle paraded to the table with a chorus of your friends singing "Happy Birthday". For Kathleen's birthday wish, we ordered The Deal Closer, also featured in New York Magazine as one of the Best Desserts for 2010. Not that I needed any more convincing, but this sealed the deal and I am sold to The Standard Grill.
A huge bowl filled with a bottom layer of chocolate cake, topped with chocolate mousse and finished with whipped scream, chocolate shavings, a rasberry, and birthday candle. And to help finish it clean, your very own spatula.
The Standard Grill
848 Washington St., near 13th St.
New York, NY 10014
212.645.4100
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Sun-Thu, 7am-11am and 11:30am-12:00
Fri-Sat, 7am-11am and 11:30am-1am
i, kathleen, give my stamp of approval on both this restaurant and this blog. and there you have it.
ReplyDeleteUmmm Id like to order one Deal Closer... with a side of Meredy. Please bring it to me!
ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to Penny Droppers...and am now having withdrawls from them.
ReplyDelete