Café Gray - Closed Now, But 2009...

[oakapple]

Last night, I returned to Café Gray, my first visit since November 2004. My sense of it at the time remains my sense today: it is a wonderful restaurant, but not without its share of miscalculations. Chief among these must be the boneheaded interior design, surely the most obscene waste of a great view in dining history. Walls studded with hard surfaces ensure that the noise carries—and, oh boy, does it carry. At the table next to us, an man was delivering what sounded like a lecture in musicology to a hearing-impaired companion. The next table over had a Japanese family with two toddlers, one of them quite loud. Ninety minutes later, thanks to the din, I left Café Gray with a mild headache.

I have the Café Gray website open in another window as I write this. I'm not fond of websites with a sound track, but this is one of the dumbest ones ever. People chat and laugh, glasses clink, wine is poured, music flits in and out in the deep background. About its only merit is that, if you quintuple the volume, you have precisely the aural experience of a meal at Café Gray.

The food is an altogether happier story and deserves better surroundings. My friend was grateful to be steered towards the mushroom risotto ($22) and the braised shortribs ($36), both signature dishes that Gray Kunz made famous at Lespinasse. They are indeed special, but as I'd already had them the last time, I wanted to see what else the kitchen could do.

I started with the Seared Foie Gras and Quail ($24). Foie is pretty much infallible, but the quail was a succulent surprise. For the entrée, I chose the sautéed pork chop with housemade sauerkraut ($35). The chop was about half again as thick as one normally sees. To get the interior to the house-recommended temperature of medium, the exterior had to be slightly over-cooked. It was still very tasty, but not perhaps as good as it could have been had the kitchen served two thinner chops. The sauerkraut was wonderful.

We didn't have dessert, but I noted that the available choices were between $14-18, which is excessive for this type of restaurant. (My friend and I got into a long discussion about how high the rent must be.) Wine options under $50 were in short supply, but when we chose something at around $48, it was one of the better wines we've enjoyed at its price point.

Many restaurants in town have a disappointing bread service, but Café Gray served a loaf of homemade sourdough bread that I'd love to eat every day. The amuse bouche was a small beet in a mildly spicy sauce that I've now forgotten.

Overall, the kitchen at Café Gray does a first-class job, but the surroundings disappoint.

Edited February 6, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Sneakeater]

By an almost eerie coincidence, I also returned to Cafe Gray last night for the first time since my first visit there in November 2004.

In that first visit, I really got annoyed by this place. I thought it emblemized everything I've come to dislike about the Borough of Manhattan. The food was way too expensive for what it was -- you could get the same kind of food, almost if not quite as good, in Brooklyn, for something like two thirds the price. The restaurant was crowded and noisy beyond coping: even though we had a 10:00 p.m. reservation, we still had to wait 45 minutes to be seated.

Well, at least things have calmed down in that last respect. I was alone last night, and entered at about 10 p.m. without a reservation and found ample space at the bar.

While I'm somewhat more mellow about Cafe Gray than I was in 2004, I still question the value, though. The food is good, but I still don't think my meal was worth the more than $110 it cost.

(OK, they didn't force me to have two glasses of wine on top of a cocktail. But I had a three-course meal, so how much wine am I to be expected to have? And while the wine-by-the-glass prices didn't reach the reputed heights of Gilt, the substantial amount they added to my dinner tab is still something to consider.)

The food is vaguely mittel-European-inflected "continental"-American cuisine. In other words, the current version of what I call "Restaurant Food" -- the type of food you find in a lot of restaurants but rarely see on anyone's home table, a vaguely inflected American-based cuisine whose inflection (French -- 20 years ago; Italian -- 10 years ago; Asian or Austrian -- today) changes with the fashions of the times. It's good to very good. But I still insist it isn't that much better than what's served at a lot of other places for less. This isn't -- and doesn't aim to be -- one of the exalted number of the top restaurants in New York. Yet, it charges almost as much. (Look at the entree prices in Oakapple's review.)

To be specific about my meal, I started with a spinach-and-ox tail lasagne. Anything with a lot of ox tail in it is bound to be good, and this was. I then had a spice-encrused venison in a juniper-huckleberry emulsion with red cabbage. This sounded like it could be some kind of ur-venison dish. But it slightly disappointed. It was only very good. Partly, the spice crust overbore the juniper-huckleberry flavors more than was desirable. Maybe the problem is that it's only been a week since I had Devi's fantastic tandoori venison chop -- a venison preparation for the ages. This dish did not merit the $36 (if I recall correctly) it cost.

Dessert was the unequivocal triumph of the night. Baked Alaska with mandarin oranges in chocolate sauce. The orange-chocolate combination never fails to please greatly, and the audacity of serving a baked Alaska is very winning.

There was nothing wrong with this meal. And I guess if you live around the Time Warner Center you probably can better afford it than I can. But I just find the whole place inflated.

(Oh, I have to second Oakapple about the bread. It was excellent!)

Edited February 6, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

Thinking it over, I think Cafe Gray is sort of an inflated version of the type of mid-level restaurant that people often complain isn't worth the money it costs. I say it's inflated because the food is much better than at the usual restaurant this charge is directed at (this is hardly just a "mid-level" restaurant) -- but the prices are correspondingly much higher.

[Fat Guy]

I think the food at Cafe Gray is fantastic. But having dined there a few times now, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the overall value proposition. So I almost never go to Cafe Gray because -- and I see I'm not alone in this view -- it doesn't provide a value proposition that works for me.

That doesn't lessen my appreciation for the food. I think it's excellent. It's just not on my short list of places I choose when I want to buy a nice restaurant meal with my discretionary income. You'll find me having lunch at Jean Georges, or dining at the Bar Room at the Modern -- those are great values. Or you'll find me at ADNY or Per Se, where I don't mind occasionally spending a few hundred dollars for a true peak experience. But as much as I enjoy the food at Cafe Gray, I can't justify spending that money for that food in those surroundings.

It's possible, with some work and a totally cooperative partner, to dine at Cafe Gray on a semi-reasonable budget. But once someone in your group breaks ranks and you start building a ticket you're all of a sudden spending $125 per person.

You know that at Lespinasse, for $44 at lunchtime, you could get the risotto, the short rib and one of Chris Broberg's desserts. At Lespinasse! In the Lespinasse room, with Lespinasse service, with those spacious tables . . . now that was great value. Of course that was ten years ago. It's not a fair comparison. But I can't get away from it. I think I mentioned the inevitability of such comparisons way back on this topic, and at least in my case they've caught up with me.

Value in this context is in part a personal calculation, though. If I had a lot more money -- such that the difference between $50 and $100 meant nothing to me -- I'd probably drop in at Cafe Gray all the time. This is evidenced by the fact that when the occasional wealthy friend says, "Let's go for dinner tonight, I'm paying, but not one of those twenty-course ordeals," I have a tendency to pick Cafe Gray. I disagree that the food is in any way generic. It's one of the few legitimately unique restaurants in town. It's just so overpriced that I don't eat there much on my own dime.

[Sneakeater]

I think part of the problem I have with Cafe Grey is that it presents itself as a sort of "popular" place: it's huge, it's casual, it's not in any way "nice". The kind of place you'd stop into after a concert, as I did Saturday night. And then the bill comes, and it's the same as you'd pay for a big-deal center-of-attention meal out.

There just seems to be a disjunction here.

Edited February 6, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Bux]

I think the food at Cafe Gray is fantastic. But having dined there a few times now, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the overall value proposition. So I almost never go to Cafe Gray because -- and I see I'm not alone in this view -- it doesn't provide a value proposition that works for me.

. . . .

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Perhaps I've never been quite the fan of Kunz or Lespinasse that you were, but I was a fan and had one of my best NY meals there when Kunz was at the helm. Thus it's disasppointing to agree with your on this. I loved the food and I assume the service has improved. I've been meaning to go back, but truthfully, everything other than my food worked against the enjoyment of the food. I"m willing to pay a premium price for fine food in less than the great comfort that usually attends such food. I've spoken highly of a meal at Joel Robuchon's counter at his Atelier in Paris, but even there the service and ambience did not threaten the enjoyment of the food and I found the meal, while hardly inexpensive, to be reasonably priced. The kicker at Cafe Gray is that the price seems to be beyond the overall experience. If someone else were paying, I would be less incllined to question the value, I suppose.

[Sneakeater]

This isn't really "less than great comfort." It's more like "active discomfort" -- or at least, "active unpleasantness."

What IS it about the atmosphere at this place that's such a turn-off?

Size? Room design? Noise level? The fact that it's in a mall?

Or, is it not so much that it's a turn-off as that the very high prices make you expect much more in the way of comfort and pleasantness? (You see, my answer is that the food just isn't good enough to overcome everything else. But I'm not gonna contradict Fat Guy on a question like that.)

Edited February 7, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[oakapple]

What IS it about the atmosphere at this place that's such a turn-off?

Size?  Room design?  Noise level?  The fact that it's in a mall?

Or, is it no so much that it's a turn-off as that the very high prices make you expect much more in the way of comfort and pleasantness?  (You see, my answer is that the food just isn't good enough to overcome everything else.  But I'm not gonna contradict Fat Guy on a question like that.)

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I don't think it matters that Café Gray is in a mall, since the location hasn't hindered Per Se or Masa. The décor is singularly misguided, but I don't think that's the problem either. Rather, it's the unpleasantness of dining there, particularly because of the noise. At these prices, you want to be coddled, and Café Gray fails to do that. Edited February 7, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Bux]

I think the decor contributes to the unpleasantness. It certainly contributes to the noise with the hard surfaces and lack of tablecloths. Narrow aisles between tables also make for some chair bumps and visual distraction as waiters maneuver to serve guests.

[Sneakeater]

I had an excellent meal here last night. Almost superb, really.

But what was notable was some strangeness with the waiter, who seemed to find it necessary to explain to me what each dish I ordered was, after I ordered it.

ME: I'll start with the artichoke veloute.

WAITER: That's a soup.

ME: Yeah. Veloute. Of Artichoke.

ME: Then I'll have the skate schnitzel.

WAITER: Skate. A member of the ray family.

**************

Do they get a lot of people complaining about what they get or something?

[chefboy24]

wow thats bazarre!

if i ever explained to a guest that "skate was a member of the ray family," they'd probably regret that they asked.

you should have pulled a manager aside and remarked about this. this is something the management should know....that you are receiving awkward verbage. it will help them improve service, ultimately.

[Sneakeater]

Although what was weird is, I didn't ask. I mean, if asked, "what's skate?", I could see being told it's a member of the ray family. But if I just ordered it (or a veloute) without asking, maybe the assumption ought to be that I know.

[oakapple]

you should have pulled a manager aside and remarked about this.  this is something the management should know....that you are receiving awkward verbage.  it will help them improve service, ultimately.

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I don't know about Sneakeater, but I don't feel it's my job to alert the manager to every little mistake. Most restaurants make a few, even if they are minor. If my meal is adversely affected, and the staff are unable to correct the situation, then I may complain. But a minor glitch, like a server who's a bit too talkative, just isn't the kind of thing that sends me running to the manager. Edited May 11, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Sneakeater]

I, too, wouldn't make a scene about something like that.

I only posted it here because I thought it was amusing.

[Sneakeater]

For the very little it's worth, having eaten here a lot recently, I would like to take back every bad thing I've said about the food. The food here is excellent. The problems are the service and ambience.

Sorry.

[Fat Guy]

The service, ambiance and not-great value at Cafe Gray are weird enough that, unless you really focus, they affect your perception of the food negatively. And who wants to work that hard? It's kind of a bummer that, in order to experience the cuisine of one of the best chefs of the era, you have to navigate that obstacle course.

[oakapple]

The service, ambiance and not-great value at Cafe Gray are weird enough that, unless you really focus, they affect your perception of the food negatively. And who wants to work that hard? It's kind of a bummer that, in order to experience the cuisine of one of the best chefs of the era, you have to navigate that obstacle course.

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I wonder if Gray Kunz — in his heart of hearts — realizes that they missed the mark? If he does, it would be an awfully tough burden to carry. He's got to continue projecting confidence to the staff, while knowing that the restaurant's fundamental problems are not related to the food, and not fixable in the short term. On the other hand, it would be human nature not to acknowledge such problems (even to one's self), and instead to rationalize that the critics just don't get it.

[Sneakeater]

What's interesting about Cafe Gray is that it really puts the lie to the commonplace that "all that ever matters to us is the food."

Edited June 20, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[R Washburn]

What's interesting about Cafe Gray is that it really puts the lie to the commonplace that "all that ever matters to us is the food."

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Price has always been important to me. If Cafe Gray was a relative bargain, I would dine there frequently.

[Sneakeater]

GREAT DESSERT ALERT

I don't know if it's a new addition or if I've just never noticed it before, but there's a great dessert available at Cafe Gray these days.

Raspberry mille fuisse. It's got a frozen chocolate/ice wine sabayon in it. A glass of raspberry water or something is served on the side. It's really great.

[Sneakeater]

GREAT ENTREE ALERT

There's an entree that's been added to the Cafe Gray menu within the last week or so that I really really recommend. I think it might be the best entree I've ever had there.

It now appears at the bottom of the menu under the heading "Summer Specials", but it's as autumnal a dish as you could imagine, and the bartender confirmed that they are trying it out for permanent inclusion on their fall menu and that, based on the response so far, it should be available at least through the winter (with variations for availability of ingredients).

The menu calls it "Rabbit and Foie Gras Stew", but that doesn't really describe it. It's a loin of rabbit with a slab of foie gras on top of it and a rack of rabbit to the side, in a gewurtztraminer reduction with bacon, chanterelles, and some vegetables.

The rabbit was cooked perfectly: not a bit of the dryness to which that meat is subject. The rich rich foie gras complimented the mild-tasting rabbit brilliantly (I'm surprised I've never had that combination before). The gravy added a kick, but did not overpower the other constituents of the dish (which is really my only criticism of the food at Cafe Gray: the sauces, gravies, glazes, etc. sometimes tend to be overspiced and end up being all you taste).

Actually, the "Summer Special" appetizer I ordered also avoided that Cafe Gray pitfall. It was a similarly misnamed "shrimp salad", which actually consisted of a few grilled(?) shrimp on a bed of braised endive with a "Thai spice" sauce. This dish is really what we all love Gray Kunz for: the tasteful combination of European and Asian flavors and techniques into a dish so well integrated you can't really even call it "fusion". And again, the "Thai spices" complimented rather than overpowered the other constituents of the dish.

I'm sorry that summer is ending, but Fall is looking to be pretty good at least at this one restaurant.

Edited August 26, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[ewindels]

Just came back from lunch, and as always I'm blown away at how superb the food is here, if not better than I remembered. We shared a starter of celery root fleurettes toping a crabmeat salad over a celery root puree -- who knew celeriac could be so luxurious? My aunt then had the above mentioned rabbit and foie gras stew, which is a satanic thing and should not be served to anyone trying to maintain their sanity, as it easily obliterates any coherent thought. Run, do not walk, and order it now. For the sake of variety I had the short ribs, which remain as absurdly delicious as ever. A glass of a Faugeres from the Languedoc was gorgeously funky and just right.

I'm happy to say that the overwhelming quality of the food and the charm of the service helps one put out of mind the unhappiness of the decor. Would it really be such a big deal for them to take a month off and blitz the place? (Of course, it kind of looks right now like it's been blitzed, or at any rate glitzed -- my aunt, a first time visitor, gaped when we sat down and said it reminded her of some cheap hotel on Lake Erie). It continues to bother me that one always has to recommend it to out-of-towners with that caveat.

[oakapple]

I'm happy to say that the overwhelming quality of the food and the charm of the service helps one put out of mind the unhappiness of the decor.  Would it really be such a big deal for them to take a month off and blitz the place?

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Even a tasteful redecoration would be very expensive, and I'll bet someone is still paying off the loans for the original version.

[adamru]

after seeing hannah and her sisters last night at moma, I wanted an authentically new york night to follow and from my short list on where to go I picked cafe gray. don't mock this. I like roaming time warner late at night when it's empty - it reminds me of the world trade center but with better food - and on the way up to dinner I first questioned what was going on in a roped-off section of the 2nd floor outside borders and was invited inside to the illy espresso event which was an open bar and all small tastes from asiate with the chef on hand to oversee it all. venison carpaccio, tuna carpaccio, black bean soup that was stew like filled with bacon and potatoes, a sweet chunky tomato gazpacho, and a basil tapioca atop tirami su. all of these were the chef's interpretations of the flavors of illy espresso and I've never had a meal that great at asiate so I'm glad something so inspired the chef. and the artist james rosenquist was there signing cans he designed which carried over the vibe from moma. afterward I went up to porter house which had a friends and family night where I got a drink at the bar and while I wasn't excited that every new restaurant is a steakhouse this fall, the low ceilings, modern interior, dim but with bright wood all made for a very welcoming environment. the bar was packed with walk-ins who were turned away from stone rose which seemed to also be having a private event. the stone rose turnaways were either the reason bar masa and the bar at cafe gray were completely packed at 10pm on a weeknight or the restaurants at time warner are far busier than I ever imagined.

eating and drinking all that, by the time my date and I got to cafe gray, we just stayed in the brasserie room up front and it's the first time I ever had food there that left me thinking what could make it better. I was surprised too how much of the bar menu seemed more like it belonged at bread bar than cafe gray. the tamarind glazed chicken lollipops were a single skewer of five pieces that were hearty and well-flavored but the plate of cauliflower and curry were incredibly sweet to the point of inedible. the shrimp croque monsieur was great but cut into four triangles, it's basically shrimp pressed between two pieces of toast and the $22 price was hard to get over. it should have been much thicker at this price. the dessert menu that came was the restaurant menu and we had the chocolate grand marnier souffle with grenadine oranges and we ordered a scoop of rum raisin ice cream beside it. (no charge for the ice cream.) the souffle was such a huge disappointment after the last two I had at blue hill and perry st. I don't make souffles and I don't know what the exact composition is meant to be I assume custardy and cakelike at once, but this was a burnt top filled with a very soupy bottom. and it was the smallest souffle I can recall. the check for two drinks, two appetizers and a souffle were $100 after the tip. not at all justified, but a small price to pay for the entire experience the night provided. the service was very good throughout. next time I'll go back to the dining room and stick to the risotto and pork chop.

also, I've always defended the decor and I still stand by the banquettes and tiled floors and wood and mirrored walls, but spending enough time at the bar I now believe the painted flowers on the banquettes and the low back chairs give the room a schizophrenic asian feel in total contrast with the all the brasserie details.

[Sneakeater]

The rich rich foie gras complimented the mild-tasting rabbit brilliantly (I'm surprised I've never had that combination before).

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And now that I think of it, I'm surprised that I forgot rabbit/foie gras ballotines as served at db Bistro.