Minetta Tavern – The Rebirth of a New York Hotspot

I learned about Minetta Tavern from my foodie colleague one afternoon, when she yelled out from behind her 24″ iMac.

“Frank Bruni just called this Tavern the best steak in New York City!”

Being a devoted believer of everything Bruni, the esteemed NY Times food critic (who will unfortunately soon be departing his position). I immediately Googled this unheard of little Tavern, only to find out, in a quite embarrassing fashion, that this is the hottest restaurant in New York. People are struggling to get a reservation, celebrities are tweeting during their meals, and other publications have been singing its praises.

There are only a handful of men with the ability to take a tavern from the 1930s and transform it into a social daring, which requires not only excellence in culinary senses, but also PR knowledge in its highest form. The man in the case would be none other than Keith McNally, the genius behind Balthazar and Pastis. Legends tell of a secret phone number that guarantees reservations within his culinary empire, true or false, nobody knows, but just by the fact we’re discussing this rumor, the PR has worked. Brilliantly.

As the hot new restaurant, reservations (on the regular listed phone line) was difficult. We ended up getting a Tuesday dinner at 9PM. When we arrived, hordes of paparazzi were guarding the door, holding digital SLRs and reacting when people enter and exit the doors. An intimidating yet very friendly figure was guarding the door. Celebrity? Tweeting perhaps?

Doesn't look impressive, but a world awaits.

The inside and bar area reminded me very much of Pastis, a casual relaxed atmosphere serving upscale food for trendy people. I tried hard to “spot the celebrity”, but honestly 75% of the people were gorgeous, the other 25% looked rich. Anyone could have been the celebrity. I regret not arriving in my Ferragamo sneakers.

The decor reminded me of Pastis

We were seated next to the kitchen, with no view. To give management some credit, it was a packed house and we did arrive slightly early. Our waiter was extremely friendly, and certainly knowledgeable. We ordered a few appetizers to share, the famous côte de boeuf, and a side order of fries, because I recall simply loving the fries at Pastis.

I know I should focus on food at this point, but looking around at the crowd, I see countless models, bankers, socialites, etc. Dresses were couture, shoes Italian. Nobody was tweeting, so I still couldn’t spot the celebrity.

Appetizers were solid, but not memorable. At this point I’m going back to my picture album to remind myself what I ate that night. Meanwhile I can recite all the exciting dishes I’ve had in Manhattan for the past 3 years in the hands of the Michelin Star’d masters.

The côte de boeuf definitely was the standout of the evening. The taste of this “rib of beef” was more refined than a steak at Peter Lugers, while delivering significantly more flavor than a Fillet Mignon. The dish also came with bone marrow, which earned a split decision from our judges. My mother had a fish, which was good, but not brilliant. The fries were good, but not as good as the fries I enjoyed at Pastis.

A beautiful steak

The fish dish was overshadowed by the steak

Looks like Pastis fries, tastes, well, a bit average.

At this point we have gotten what we needed, and were ready to depart. This is when we noticed a familiar face brush past our table and head for the restroom. My sister was quick to point out that she believed that was Fergie. I didn’t believe her, but overheard the manager thanking her on her way out of the restaurant. Yep, Fergie-fer, looking Fergelicious (okay I’ll stop). I tried to ask our waiter about celebrities, only to receive the stand reply “we cannot confirm nor deny any information regarding our celebrity clientale.”

A quick check of gossip websites a few days later revealed that she was there with Kate Hudson. No wonder paparazzi were out in full force.

By the time you read this, hopefully the reservation situation has been slightly improved. However that brings up a separate issue. I do not believe the food was Michelin Star quality, and the steak, although good, still falls flat compared with the Luger or Sparks. The rooms are dark, the noise level high, and the prices steep. Now would you still go to Minetta if reservations were easy and all you get was the food?

I’m sorry Bruni, I’ll have to disagree with you on this one.

CS

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