A Lady that Lunches…

That’s me.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m on hiatus from work.  For those of you in consulting, that could also mean on the “bench” or on the “beach.”  Usually, consultants enjoy their hiatus, but in the current economic climate, hiatus is unsettling, as it could lead to the scary “lay off.”  I spent my first week of hiatus in NYC, thinking I’d be back to work soon.  In the middle of doing some required training and other stuff to keep me busy, another friend of mine on hiatus, Scott and I decided to do an extravagant, lunch in the City at Gramercy Tavern.

Gramercy Tavern is still one of NYC’s classic dining experiences.  Old school elegance, with nice china, and silver place settings, and white linens on the table.  The service at Gramercy Tavern is rated one of the highest in the City.  S and I sat in the back corner and most of the other patrons appeared to be Ladies that Lunch, business lunches, or romantic afternoon couples enjoying a meal.  There was a table of 3 Manhattan socialites, sharing their meal, with Easter bunny chocolates that they exchanged on the table.

Well, S and I decided on the Spring tasting menu that changes on a regular basis.  At $55 per person for lunch, it was pricey but totally worth it.  We started with the Calamari and Carrot Salad, it was perfect, tender, and juicy.  Our next course was a trout dish, can’t remember all the accompaniments, but the picture below says a lot:

Second Course - Smoked Trout

The next course was a striped sea bass, served with sauce, vegetables, capers, and caviar:

Beautiful!

The next was a game hen, served with the skin intact (perfectly crisp and tasty) and belly that tasted like bacon!

Getting full..

The desserts were amazing… chocolate mouse and a tart.  We had one of each and shared:

The mousse

The tart...

Everything was delicious.  The best part was that my friend S treated me for a belated birthday.  I would definitely go back here again and I now understand why Gramercy Tavern has been one of the classic NYC Restaurants for decades.