GRUB: The Standard Grill, NYC
31 Jul
I never realized that getting into a restaurant could be as prestigious as getting plucked from the line outside Studio 54.
Last night, I went to a work dinner at the Standard Grill. Everyone’s been buzzing about this place: how amazing the food is, how beautiful the people are…it’s the haute restaurant du jour right now in NYC.
Luckily for us, we had a reservation for our large party of guests. 7:30pm. Here’s a little timeline of the beginning of our night:
PRE-DINNER @ THE HIGHLINE
- 7:05 PM We arrive in the vicinity and decide to check out the Highline that everyone’s ALSO been buzzing about.
- 7:08 PM Ascend the Highline.
- 7:10 PM Epiphany that the Highline is merely a 9-story view overlooking a meat-company delivery truck garage, with old train tracks smattered across the divide as an homage to the past.
- 7:12 PM Realized there is NO WAY OUT of the Highline. We quickly backtrack from whence we came.
- 7:15 PM Make our way to The Standard Grill
@ THE STANDARD GRILL
- 7:19 PM Enter The Standard Grill. Noticed cute Simpson-esque message:
- 7:20 PM Push through some people to inquire about our 7:30pm reservation. Apparently, table not ready.
- 7:21 PM Elbow our way to the bar. Encounter bartender with handlebar mustache. No room to order drink.
- 7:30 PM Table not ready.
- 7:40 PM First guests arrive. Table not ready.
- 7:45 PM Apparently they are “kicking people out” of our table. Table not ready.
- 7:50 PM More guests arrive. Table STILL not ready.
- 8:00 PM Table ready. Our party is seated.
Here are some additional impressions via my Twitter:
- Hm. Where’s the velvet rope?! It’s a RESTAURANT for pete’s sake, not Marquis. CLICK FOR PICTURE: http://twitpic.com/c7e14
I WILL say: once we were brought to the restaurant section & seated, it was a completely different ambience. Civilized, trendy and cool. The evening picked up. Food was solid.
We were greeted by a cute brown bag of deliciously salty bread + soft creamy butter + a dish of radishes.
Here are some shots of the Preview Menu:
My end of the table seemed to have been the Carnivore’s Corner. We all ordered steak. One gal ordered the De Bragga & Spitler NY Strip Steak ($23):
Me, I went in on the Pat LaFrieda “Demi Vache” Dry-Aged Rib Eye Steak for Two ($65):
The beef was tender - cooked well. A little salty – well seasoned. As dignified as Filet Mignon can be, personally, I like a little marble in my meat. It keeps a steak juicy and flavorful, IMO.
We also ordered TONS of delicious sides:
- Potatoes On the House w/ Smoked Paprika Aioli: Like a party in my mouth. They reminded me a bit of a tapas-esque Patatas Bravas. They were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with the aioli giving it a nice kick.
- Green Market Sugar Snap Peas w/ Brown Butter and Sage: Simple side, not too much added junk, the flavor of the peas spoke for themselves. Meh.
- Fries: Solid. Crispy on the outside. A shade on the salty side. Would’ve loved some sort of mayo or condiment to accompany.
- Duck Fat SmashedPotatoes: After hearing a Yelper rave about this delicious side, we had to try for ourselves. Our Carnivore’s Corner was a little disappointed. They were basically red potatoes, literally smashed, glistening in duck fat. I would have loved to have had added some crispy cured bacon bits + capers + shallots to the mix to flavor it up a bit.
VERDICT:
- Food was solid. Tasty, unassuming, simple.
- BAR SCENE: Unfortunately, I could really take or leave the mob scene of beautiful people in the front/bar area.
- STAFF: The staff was friendly and equally as beautiful as the diners. Mad respect for them for dealing with the pushy restaurant-goers. (can’t tell you how many times I heard this conversation: “Well, I happen to know So-&-So, and she TOLD me I could come and get a table tonight…”) God bless them, every one.
- AMBIENCE INSIDE: Really classy, warmly-lit.
** Word to the wise: we overheard that the place books up about a week in advance. If you want to call for a reservation, call ahead!
The Standard Grill848 Washington St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 645-4100
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS UPDATE: Whenever I dine out, I always take an ethnic barometric reading of who exactly eats there. I noticed that the diners were not terribly diverse. A friend of mine told me that he tried to get in there once, but he thought “he was too black for the restaurant.” LOL. I don’t know about all that, but I did notice it was mostly a SALT crowd.
Tags: Hotel Restaurants, NYC, SeoulFOOD, The Standard Grill
Maybe they don’t let anyone in because people stay so long. 10 of us were there for like 3 HOURS!!! And not a peep or even minor look of annoyance from the staff. OTHER FOOD: The sour cream cheese cake rocks – super SOFT and yummy – and Oysters are $1.50 each – best Oyster deal in the city!
The foods look divine. Did you really ate all of the Pat LaFrieda “Demi Vache” Dry-Aged Rib Eye Steak by yourself? It is suppose to be for 2.
@greenmilktea LOL – I probably COULD have eaten it all myself. But I shared it with another person.
Excellent review!!! I can really relate to the “too black” quote (not that I’m saying or suggesting anything racial.) I work right around the corner so I will be diving into the bar crowd at an earlier time, and it looks like I would dine at an earlier time also, and with a small group (like up to 4 pax.)
@KBec Hey chica – def let me know what you think of it! It’s apparently a very happening place….