Your day at the Manhattan “office” has ended. Good friends, tasty drinks and great food
await you at Ivy Bar and Grill located at 944 8th Avenue, the corner
of 56th Street. On a weather
permitting day the open windows reveal some seated customers with a bar behind
them.
Enter to view this long bar that
takes up most of its length. Along with
seating at the bar there are tables and chairs across along the wall. The tables are tall with short back bar
stools…a problem for me. I’m short (can’t
easily get up on the stool) and a bit disabled.
Take two steps up at the back area where there are
normal size tables and chairs that are pretty much set do “dine”. I needed to wait for a table here, which
wasn’t a bad thing as I chatted with Mike, one of the bartenders, about
vodka. As one who gets drunk on Scotch
Tape…I learned never to sip vodka. Shoot it.
That is why I never order a martini. Mike talked about a Russian vodka made from
potatoes. It was called Chopin and sang
to me. He chilled it, we clinked the
shot glasses each having a shot. It was
the smoothest vodka I’ve had. No “burning”
down the back of the throat. He showed
me one from Texas that was gluten free.
I did taste a bit of it. Less
smooth and did burn.
Mike Gilligan, one of the owning partners, came over
to greet me.
It was taking time to set
up a table in the back as the area was pretty much full. I turned down a drink. Deveka, my friend who accompanied me, did
not. She ordered an apple martini.
Table ready, we went to the back. Flashback!
I’ve been at this place before. I'll wait until I get home to check my blog. Oh well.
The menu boasts appetizers, small plates, burgers, salads and some
entrees as well. It’s great to have
someone with you to “share”. More items
to taste.
Victoria, our waitperson, gave me both
recommendations as well as being open about what she did not care for. Here goes!! Beet Chips. Red, yellow and candy
cane. Sweet and lots of flavor. I didn’t even need to dip them in the dipping
sauce of olive oil, yogurt and chives.
THE CHALLENGE! Could I delve into Brussel sprouts, one of my least
favorite veggies? They were fried and
served with sautéed onions, aged cheddar cheese, and Applewood smoked bacon. Certainly tasted great, but not the healthiest
way to eat them.
Layered Shrimp and Avocado was served in a canning
jar. Tiger Shrimp, over chopped lettuce,
topped with slices of avocado, green goddess dressing, tomato vinaigrette. The only way to eat it was to dump it on the
underlining plate.
Lobster Tacos.
It was a choice between the tacos and the lobster spring rolls. I took Victoria’s advice and went for the
tacos with fresh Maine Lobster meat, grilled corn, tomatoes, and basil cream on
3 soft flour tortillas. Did I tell you
that I also ordered a double shot of Chopin and drank half at a time? I needed to have two of the tacos. Even with the alcohol, I was totally able to
savor all of the flavors of the food.
Steakhouse Spring Rolls. I didn’t take Victoria’s advice. She just didn’t think I would love them as
much as the other food. She was
right. The rolls had sliced steak,
mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. It
didn’t taste terrible and Deveka agreed.
There was more.
Sliders. 3 mini sliders with cole slaw. Victoria recommended the pulled pork. BBQ sauce and spicy house made pickles. Would you like fries with that?
Always have to save a bit of room for dessert. Ahhh…but they are not made on premises. Funny but that restaurant that was here did
not make their own desserts either. De
ja vous? Kitchen and bathroom in the
same places as well.
Victoria: “Would you like another drink? Never
mind. I think you had enough.” We opted for a watermelon salad with baby
arugula and feta cheese. It did the
trick and good for the digestive system.
Here’s the review in a nutshell. Music at a level enough for people to
converse. Not bar food but "Gastropub". Bar area can be noisy due to
conversation. Very friendly staff and
atmosphere. Late night dinners,
signature cocktail of the week created by Bartender Courtney, Happy Hour with a
live DJ (I hate when a place hires corpses) on Thursday and Friday evenings. Make
reservations if you’re short. www.ivybarnyc.com
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