Service is the Savior.

Three strikes and you're out is the conventional wisdom in baseball and restaurant reviews. So the fact that the whole world, except for me, loves Gramercy Tavern caused me to pause and really take my recent third dinning experience there seriously. I figured if a restaurant is so universally loved I must be missing something and should give it the old college try. And there I found myself half way through a meal at the gorgeous, non-pretentious yet elegant restaurant and I'm not in love with what I'm eating. Maybe I ordered wrong? Maybe I don't love the sauces? Maybe it's just not for me? Whatever the reason it's just not hitting. But then...our consummately professional waiter, Stephen, noticed that I'm not effusively licking my plate clean like many of the other patrons and he comes by to assess the situation. I give him the usual apologetic 'it's not you, it's me' response but he's unsatisfied. What begins next is the equivalent to a culinary hand holding like I've seldom seen. He is determined to make me and my whole table walk out absolutely loving our meal.

In a matter of moments a flutter of staff surrounds us and we are given a course off a different menu, with wine pairing, a tutorial about complimenting flavors of wine and food (something I'll admit I don't often give as much credence as it may deserve), and a venerable wine tasting of pairing options with our dessert course. To say that he more than made up for my earlier interpretation of the food being lack-luster is an understatement. And while I still would not be compelled to stand on the rooftops and shout Gramercy Tavern's praises, I would be compelled to hop on the world-wide bandwagon and say that our meal at Gramercy Tavern was one of the most lovely experiences I've had dining in a long while. Kudos Stephen.

Also, it is worth noting that not everyone at my table felt the way I did...others loved their food and did, as I mentioned earlier, effusively lick their plates clean (particularly excellent were the Squash Custard with Shiitake Mushrooms and peppers, or the Sea Bass with Spaghetti Squash, walnuts and sherry sauce) but I think it's a true testament to the art of good service when because one person wasn't bowled over, the entire table was taken on a culinary adventure to correct the situation. And when I say I don't love Gramercy Tavern I'm saying it with a proverbial grain of salt because not liking a restaurant like GT is like not liking a mid-winter vacation; it's excellent just by its nature.

Gramercy Tavern
42 East 20th Street