Grayz

[Nathan]

I grazed at the bar here last night.

Decor is much more opulent than when it was the old corporate-feeling Aquavit space. They've turned it into six different rooms...some for private dining.

Crowd was a mix of midtown-after-work types (like me) and some older uptowners. Except for a couple women who might have been in their 20's...I was the youngest person in the room besides staff. Service was generally very polished. Platings and china and utensils are of a high standard.

cocktails: There's a list of about 8 house cocktails...of which I sampled three. There's also a list of about 10 "Classics".....this was pathetic...on what planet are fruity shit vodka drinks and cosmo variations "Classics"????!? This simply wouldn't fly downtown. anyway, I had an "Irish Day" -- Jameson's, pomegranate molasses, apple juice, lemon juice and a black pepper garnish that just wasn't very good. it needed a much more robust whiskey to stand up to everything else. maybe a rye or even a Scotch. it's the kind of drink that you come up with when you're just fooling around at home...palatable enough to finish instead of throwing out...but not something you'd make again.

then a "Loretto" -- bourbon, maple, port drink that was at first predictably too sweet...but the very friendly bartender (there were three working) revised it for me. it's an interesting combo...I might fool around with the concept at home. definitely needs some citrus.

finally a "Toranja"...this was actually really good. cachaca, grapefruit syrup, lemon juice, orange bitters. an excellent summer sipper.

of the small plates, the chestnut truffle consomme was undone by quite gummy and tasteless agnolotti.

however, the prawns (grilled and served on a stone) were simply marvelous. I'd go back anytime for those (and the Toranja).

good bread is served with an olive oil and yogurt thing...that's actually rather boring. much better are the excellent crisps of some sort at the bar.

Edited October 5, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Fat Guy]

I think I must be the last person to realize the Grayz/graze play on words.

[oakapple]

I "grazed" there last night too. I took it to be a mostly 30-something crowd, and when you're my age that's a young crowd.

My sense is that it's a very strange restaurant concept: three-star finger food. I also had the prawns, and I echo Nathan's admiration of them. My unscientific observation was that it's the most popular dish, as I saw more prawns coming out than anything else.

Crisped calamari put most other preparations of that dish to shame, but in the end it was a fried food and a dipping sauce. Pasta fiore in a tomato concassée was so light and delicate that it almost floated from bowl to mouth.

The smoked salmon dish looked wonderful. Having seen it go by a few times, I wished I'd ordered that instead of the calamari.

I had the cheese course for dessert. It was the one dish that really misfired. It was served with marinated vegetables, which were fine, but the cheese was just a shaved pile that tasted like supermarket provalone.

I had no trouble getting a walk-in table at 6:00 p.m., but had I arrived an hour later, there would have been a wait. The accounting firm KPMG had the downstairs room booked for a private party.

[Nathan]

ah..

I arrived around 8 and had to wait about ten minutes for a seat at the bar. all the tables appeared to be taken.

except for two women on my right...no one else was eating at the bar. I did see couples waiting for an hour seated at the bar to be seated at a table......something that always seems strange to me.

[BryanZ]

Thinking of stopping in Sunday night and am having a hard time getting a handle on these reports. Strange concept aside, is this place worth it for drinks and snack or two?

[raji]

I think I must be the last person to realize the Grayz/graze play on words.

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2nd to last

[BryanZ]

For all future interested parties, Grayz is closed on Sundays.

[Nathan]

Thinking of stopping in Sunday night and am having a hard time getting a handle on these reports.  Strange concept aside, is this place worth it for drinks and snack or two?

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if for some reason one didn't want to go to Bar Room at the Modern for drinks and snacks....then yes.

[Nathan]

I have just been informed that Grayz now has an expanded selection and a $79 five-course tasting menu.

[BryanZ]

If we assume the food is worth it (certainly debatable based on recent reports), are the space and service?

[Nathan]

Sneakeater liked it. I haven't been back since my initial report.

[Melissa Hom]

Short rib was quite good - I only meant to taste it, but ended up eating half.

[BryanZ]

Almost as enticing as your picture of Catherine McNeil.

[oakapple]

If we assume the food is worth it (certainly debatable based on recent reports), are the space and service?

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It depends on your expectations. When Café Gray was new, Steven Shaw kept reminding us that it was not a reincrnation of Lespinasse, and shouldn't be judged as such.

If you think of Grayz as a bar that serves food, then you might be impressed. The service and ambiance are a cut above other such establishments. If you are looking for a full-service restaurant, you might be disappointed. Just as Café Gray was not as good as Lespinasse, Grayz is not as good as Café Gray.

[Nathan]

Just as Café Gray was not as good as Lespinasse, Grayz is not as good as Café Gray.

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fwiw, I'm hearing that may not be true if you order the tasting menu (which has no dishes in common with the ala carte menu).

[Nathan]

so...I heard from Sneakeater that the cocktail list at Grayz had remarkably improved.

its now on the website and it is marvelously better.

all classics. one original (the "Agave Sour")

this is very good news.

[Nathan]

so I dined here again last night.

the cocktail list is indeed much better and the bartenders know what they're doing. the drinks skew a little sweet in terms of the proportions they use...but perhaps that's a reality of serving cocktails in midtown. I'd rather have a Monkey Gland with a tad too much grenadine than not have one at all. (I'll note that no one else seemed to be drinking cocktails.)

on to the food. yes, the menu has greatly expanded. began with the weisswurst. darn good. about as perfect as a sausage can be. (its equivalent to the liverwurst at Bar Room at the Modern...both are perfect for what they are.)

short ribs in horseradish "foam" were very very good. but they're just not $40 good. this should be a $25-30 dish. short ribs! obviously you're paying for all the accoutrements (on the other hand, Kuntz is only paying 360K a year for that entire space, plus a free year). thing is, you can do an entire tasting menu with paired wines that includes just as good short ribs at the Monday room.

the small plates here are very good for what they are and reasonable. I just don't see how the mains are worth it.

Edited February 8, 2008 by Nathan (log)

[oakapple]

short ribs in horseradish "foam" were very very good.  but they're just not $40 good.  this should be a $25-30 dish.  short ribs!  obviously you're paying for all the accoutrements (on the other hand, Kuntz is only paying 360K a year for that entire space, plus a free year).  thing is, you can do an entire tasting menu with paired wines that includes just as good short ribs at the Monday room.

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The short ribs are $41 at Café Gray. I assume he considers it to be one of “Kunz’s Greatest Hits,” and he’s going to charge what the market will bear. He may have a sweetheart deal on rent, but the place had a very long gestation, and he has an expensive renovation that has to be amortized.

[KateinChicago]

I ate at Grayz on Wednesday evening and we thoroughly enjoyed our food. We had three of the small plates: the oysters Rockefeller which used raw but slightly warmed oysters, the spaetzle with cheese, creme fraiche and truffles (a very grown up version of macaroni and cheese) and the fried calamari. We also shared the braised oxtail in port wine reduction which was really delicious. There was supposed to be some foie gras in this dish but my SO scarfed it down before I had a chance at it. I think it was priced comparably to the beef short ribs and was very rich and filling. For dessert my SO ordered the chocolate enrobbed ice cream balls but I was too full to partake.

I'd certainly go back but it wasn't on my dime

[Nathan]

I want to reiterate how good the cocktail program here now is.

by far the best above Flatiron Lounge (with apologies to the excellent list at Bar Milano).

and the staff is terrific.

it really should show up on lists of SCBs...

[erha2]

I want to reiterate how good the cocktail program here now is.

by far the best above Flatiron Lounge (with apologies to the excellent list at Bar Milano).

and the staff is terrific.

it really should show up on lists of SCBs...

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just curious what the crowd is like...is it all the corporate-type suits or tourists? could you wear nice jeans and sneakers? also b/c it's in midtown, are the cocktails close to $20?

[Mayur]

Cocktails are $14 apiece.

Nathan and I were here Friday. The bartenders, Barry and Matt (specifically Barry, who served us for the most part) were very serious about their craft, charming, well-informed, and enthusiastic. I was amused by the fact that they put a Ramos gin fizz on the menu, which to my mind shows some serious cojones. (Barry shook me up a nice example to boot!)

Crowd was reasonably casually-dressed for the most part; I didn't see any jeans in evidence per se, but it definitely wasn't suits. The bar is pretty small, though.

One thing to note: We were there from about 7:30 to 10, and the place was very, very quiet; maybe 20-30% full on tables (although the bar was generally at or near capacity, but OTOH it's quite small). Evidently they're still surviving on their catering business for the most part.

[Nathan]

I was wearing jeans on Friday (and was in on Saturday later as well...it was quiet then too)

[Fat Guy]

According to the Sun, Grayz will close for August and reopen as a real restaurant.

http://www.nysun.com/food-drink/kitchen-di...way-east/80186/

[Nathan]

It has reopened as a real restaurant. the same dishes as before plus a bunch of new apps and entrees.

and still with an excellent cocktail program. including lesser-seen classics like the Corpse Reviver No. 1 and the Almagoozlum.

we sampled some prawns (slightly different prep than before), the great weisswurst and some currywurst. (comped a round of drinks).

Edited September 25, 2008 by Nathan (log)