YOU’VE HEARD IT THROUHGH THE GRAPE VINE

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 8^th Avenue, the corner of 56^th 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

IVY BAR AND GRILL, A GASTRO PUB

Open the door and you see a bar on the right taking up more than half the length of the restaurant.   Tables and chairs line the opposite wall.  Lots of space in the middle.  Even more at the front of the bar.  Continue to the back up a few steps to about a half dozen tables that are surrounded by a sort of couch padding and what could be construed as the “dining room” aka private “vip” area.  Dance club type music fills the air and only for the atmosphere.

The purpose is to draw bar goers, who love to mingle, drink and eat.  Don’t expect “bar food” as Ivy Bar and Grill would be more likely to refer to themselves as a “Gastro Pub”.   Located at 944 Eighth Avenue and 56^th Street, the menus have twists on food as well as not the most common beers. 

Take, for instance, about a dozen just on tap.  Jacob, one of the managers, gave me some descriptions.  Leffe is a Belgian wheat beer, similar to Blue Moon, with a bit of smoothness. Mother’s Milk, an Irish stout.  Ommegang Witte, a white Belgian, with orange, smooth beer similar to a Stella Artois.  Bronx Ale. Why not?  Brooklyn’s got theirs and so the Bronx has one as well.  This pale ale is “hoppy” and refreshing. Peak Organic.  And for those that have a wheat allergy there is a Hard Cider. 

I eyed a cocktail called, Acai Lemon Drop.  Grey Goose vodka, Cedilla Acai Liquor, lemon and fresh acai berries.   Might as well have one that appears “healthy”.   It tasted both sweet and tart…loved it.

We now get to the food.  Jim Hanley is the Executive Chef who put the twists on what one would construe as “common food items”.   Start with using local produce from the Farmer’s Market, along with fresh seafood and meats.   Sampling the menu I opted for an array of appetizers, of which most are meant to share.

Salmon Carpaccio.  It’s not sliced as thin as a beef carpaccio, as this one has to be at least thick enough to flash broil this sushi grade salmon.  It’s topped with a spicy ginger aioli and crisp vegetable threads (I must inquire how this is done).  

Polenta Fries.  What a great idea.  The herb infused “corn flour meal” is cut up into thick “French Fries”, sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese and served with a dip.  

Spice Crusted Tuna on Plantain Chips.  This sushi grade tuna is dusted with spices and seared rare. Served on plantain chips with avocado cream and grilled mango, they are accompanied with two pepper sauces.   I found that although both the salmon and tune were slightly cooked, they retained their “non-fishy” flavor.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops.   They have this as an appetizer with almond peach vinaigrette, sliced scallions and basil.  An entrée portion has mango relish, jalapeno crema, accompanied by grilled asparagus, sliced garlic potatoes, and cilantro scallion sauce.   This one screams “fresh”.

Layered Shrimp and Avocado is like a shrimp cocktail served in a jar.   The black tiger shrimp is halved, with a layer of chopped lettuce, avocado and green goddess dressing.    A few layers of this. 

Shrimp Sliders.  5 spice marinated shrimp, sautéed, dressed with scallion ginger aioli served on mini brioche rolls. Accompanied by an Asian style slaw of carrots, cabbage, sriracha, and rice vinegar.

Lobster Tacos.  The fresh Maine lobster meat (after cooking whole lobsters) is cut up into chunks and mixed with grilled corn, tomatoes, and basil cream.  It is served on 3 soft flour tortillas. 

Sweet and Spicy Calamari.  The fresh calamari is cut up into both the rings and tentacles, breaded and fried.  A sweet and spicy sauce is drizzled over the top as well as having a peanut ginger sauce to dip it in.   Very tender and a welcome change to dipping it in a marinara sauce.

Steakhouse Springrolls.    Mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, sliced steak in a crisp spring roll with a homemade steaksauce.  Two long springrolls each cut into two pieces.   A mini-meal unto itself.

As for the rest of the menu, there are sandwiches, burgers and entrees to partake in.   They are working on desserts. www.ivybarnyc.com