Bayard's

[JeffWilson]

Just went to Bayard's down at 1 Hanover Square. I am planning on having a party there for my 40th and wanted to try it out first.  The building is a nice old brownstone and there is actually on the street parking available on a Saturday night! That saved me $20-$30 alone. It is very WASP-y, even for me, a WASP! I felt like everyone there had just come frmo the country club. The chef, Ebehard Mueller spent time at both Le Bernardin and Lutece before moving downtown.

I started with an appetizer that was a potential for my party. Smoked Codfish in truffle oil with arugula. I am really glad I tried this before serving it to 40 people. Although it was delicious (tasting amazingly like smoked salmon), my wife brought up the point that it LOOKED very unappetizing (her exact words were "Oh my God, it looks like you are eating a jellyfish!"). Thanks, honey. In all honesty, the fish was sliced so thin as to be translucent, which did make it look unflattering. My wife had a special appetizer of Peekytoe crab with curry and watercress. A wonderful combination of sweetness and spice that made for a phenomenal appetizer.

For main courses, I had the rack of lamb and she had the house specialty, Dover Sole Meuniere. The lamb was delicious, but the Sole was outrageous. I find that this dish can vary so much in quality, but this was the best we have ever had. I wish it was available for parties, but it's not. The lamb is and was a keeper.

The only service lapse came after the entree. We had pre-ordered souffles, me chocolate and her pear, but there was a long delay in them coming out. It turns out they had not put the order in and presented us with a comp dessert while we waited. Berries in a spicy red wine sauce. Nice and very light. The souffles eventually came out and they were great. And, to their credit, we were not charged for the souffles or the berries.

The wine list is one of the largest in the city with great bargains and at least a dozen wines by the glass. Also, there is a large selection of after dinner wines and spirits. I highly recommend the restaurant and I recently read in the WSJ that reservations are fairly easy to get...a great last minute place!

[Pan]

I had never heard of Hanover Square. Assuming that the one you went to is in Manhattan, I did a check in Mapquest, and the result is that it is the continuation of Old Slip, 2 blocks south of Wall St.

Your meal really sounds wonderful! Are the prices comparable to Le Bernardin?

By the way, what's wrong with eating jellyfish?  

[mogsob]

Hanover Square is indeed just south of Wall St.  Bayards (and Harry's downstairs) are located in India House, I believe, which is in one of the few open squares in downtown NY.

Glad to hear that Hanover Square is doing so well - the owner went to my prep school (and is Greek, BTW).  Sole meuniere is a favorite, so I will have to get downtown to try theirs.

[Wilfrid]

The building is a nice old brownstone ...

Do you undersell it a little, Jeff?  I recall that it is a very grand building indeed, with large, attractively decorated salons.  It's like dining in the eighteenth century.  I last ate there under the former chef, and your comments encourage me to go back and try Muller's cooking.

There's some history and a couple of pics right here.

[JeffWilson]

mog

You are absolutely correct about India House and the owner. If you like sole meuniere, you just must get down there. I would say that about 20% of the people that night got the sole.  The prices were less than Le Bernarardin for sure. We had a half bottle of 97 Clos Du Val Cab($28...a STEAL!...made them find me one since it was no longer on the wine list!) and I had a glass of Loosen Riesling($9) before dinner and a 77 Warre's Port ($30...and worth every penny!!) after dinner. Keeping in mind that our desset was comped due to the delay, the total was $190 for 2. I added a $40 tip to bring the complete total to $230. I think Le Bernardin would have been over $300 for a comparable meal.

Jeff

[laura]

Has anyone eaten at Bayard's since Muller has taken charge.? What's your view of the experience?

[JeffWilson]

Laura

I was planning on having my 40th birthday party there and so I went to eat a fine dinner there about 3 months ago. Just about everything I had was wonderful. I wish I had written a review, because I have been to too many places sine then to remember everything. I do remember my wife's classic Dover Sole meuniere. The best I ahve ever had. I also remember a smoked fish...I cant recall exactly what it was, but it was a specialty...and it was really not very good. It looked somewhat like jellyfish and didn't have a nice texture. The flavor was fine, but that texture turned me off. I believe I also had rack of lamb, which was excellent. They have a wonderful wine list and most of it is fairly reasonably priced. The decor is a bit old and stuffy, but I would clearly recommend most of the food there. Service was a bit spotty, but good overall.

Jeff

[thereuare]

We considered Bayard's for a wedding rehersal dinner, but found it, as the above poster commented, a "bit old and stuffy."

We chose 14 Wall St instead... i will post a review after the event, which will be in about 2 weeks.

[NY News Team]

One of the best things about visiting Sonoma in the late summer is the tomato season, when you can taste the different variety of heirloom tomatoes from one farm stand to the next. The season is so short that you don't even a second of it. Now New Yorkers don't need to fly to the West Coast to get a taste of the heirloom tomatoes. On September 10, Bayard's Restaurant in downtown Manhattan will host its first heirloom tomato festival with tomatoes from some 10,000 plants grown at Satur Farm in Long Island. The outdoor festival will feature a buffet with an array of savory and sweet dishes, as well as beverages made with some of the 30 kinds of heirloom tomatoes. Whoever thought tomatoes can be so versatile?

Those that get inspired to try cooking with tomatoes at home can buy the heirloom tomatoes at a farm stand.

Festival time is from 5pm to 9pm on Wednesday, September 10 on Stone street. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at Bayard's, Harry's on Hanover Square (both at One Hanover Square), Financier (62 Stone Street), and Ulysses' (58 Stone Street). All buffet and drinks are also $5 each.

For more info see: http://www.bayards.com

---by Y. Yang

Source: Press release from Tuewen One Image

[bloviatrix]

I went down tonight and dragged Blovie with me. It was much smaller than I expected. There were about a 10 dishes served, drinks available, and then a stand selling tomatoes, husk cherries, and herbs.

Some of the food looked amazing. Particularly the grilled sea bass served with a salad of heirloom cherry tomatoes. And the rack of lamb smelled quite good.

I came home with a some tomatoes.

I haven't been down in that area since '93, when I worked right near Hanover Square. I can't get over the rehabilitation of Stone Street. And yet, some of the places I used to grab lunch are still there.

Anyone else attend?

[bloviatrix]

Looks like the date for the 2004 festival is September 1.

[kurl]

I've never been to Bayard's but I'm going on a (very rare) expense-account lunch as part of my internship tomorrow. Am totally excited.

Any particular recommendations?

[Bond Girl]

second annual tomato festival will happen again on September 1, 2004. If you like heirloom tomatoes, this is your chance to taste a good variety of them.