Giorgio’s of Gramercy – Modern Italian Cuisine
Giorgio’s of Gramercy
27 East 21st Street (between Broadway and Park Avenue South)
New York, NY
(6 Train to 23rd Street, exit station via 21st side)
212-444-0007
*Reservation is necessary so make sure you call in advance to reserve your seat!
Ever wanted to eat out at a fancy restaurant but not having to compromise the money in your wallet? Well one solution to that is Restaurant.com. On this website, you can choose a restaurant on their list and buy a certificate for a fraction of the actual face value and use it at the restaurant! How neat is that. For example, you can buy a $25 restaurant certificate for Giorgio’s of Gramercy which can be found by clicking here that only cost you $15. Now if you are a Fatwallet.com member you can get 24% cash back! And for now there is a 40% instant discount if you visit the following link: Restaurant.com Coupons. So after the coupon and receiving the cash back, you will spend only $6.84 for a certificate that is worth $25! Now the catch is that each restaurant will have their own restriction in regards to the maximum amount you can purpose the certificate, the day and time to use it, a minimum that you will have to spend, and used only certificate per table/party.
Having said that, my friend and I decided to try Giorgio’s of Gramercy since they had such great reviews on Yelp, NY Mag and Zagat.
As we enter the dimly lit restaurant on a Thursday night at 7pm, we saw the people crowd by the small bar and customers already filled in the back of the restaurant. I gave the maitre’d my name and time of reservation and was given the option to sit in the back, or in the front where the window is. My friend, whom I was treating for her birthday, wanted to sit in the front by the window and it turned out to be an excellent choice! The front may be a little claustrophobic, but we got to sit in an L-shaped leather seat with enough room to put our personal belongings there!
Why look, complimentary salmon tartare over toast!
Salmon Tartare at Giorgio's of Gramercy
This was my first time having salmon tartar and my friend and I finished every last piece of it! Honestly, you wouldn’t even know the raw salmon was there because of the tomatoes, minced cilantros, lemon juice, salt, and maybe some vinegar. That crunch from the toasted bread gave the whole appetizer the much needed texture for a pleasant eating experience. Absolutely divine! This would be an excellent dish to serve up if you have guest coming over for sure!
Baked Mac and Cheese w/fontina, smoked cheddar & asiago cheeses along with broccoli, leeks, and garlic
Please note: Appetizer portion is available under the Pasta menu! How awesome is that. My friend and I decided to share the Mac and Cheese appetizer because it can be very heavy. It looks beautiful and high quality ingredients went to make this. Unfortunately in my personal opinion I have had better. Underneath the beautiful crusty exterior lie a watery mac and cheese. It wasn’t creamy and flavorful enough for me and my friend. But it wasn’t bad either. Another reason why I also ordered this was because of the rave reviews of this dish. I’m personally not a fan, but it may be very tasty for you!
Calamari Fritti with artichoke & sweet potato fritti, sriracha drizzle, aged pecorino & truffle fondue, fresh lemon
The waiter grounded some fresh pepper on top of this dish and it gave it the peppery kick to make this classic calamari dish an instant hit! This calamari dish is terribly addictive and I have never had it spicy like this. I can honestly do without all the fried vegetables, but it made the dish very fancy. Tartar sauce would have sufficed for this dish, but I guess it wouldn’t make it fancy. Overall, I would advise you to try it! Oh, so truly awe-inspiring magnifique!
Pan Seared Wild Striped Bass w/ sautéed sugar snap peas, tomatoes, enoki mushrooms, lemon-shallot vinaigrette.
The birthday girl ordered the Pan Seared Sea Bass and it couldn’t look more amazing. I grew up eating seabass, Chinese people love love love it, but I never thought of ordering it at a restaurant. She gave me a big piece of it and I completely fell in love with this dish. The fish was completely well seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice and it has this semi-sweet glaze which made it that much more extraordinary to eat. The vegetables distracted the sea bass, but it made the dish look good. My friend pointed out how amazing the portion is because normally at a nice restaurant the portions are tiny. Thank goodness that’s not the case at Giorgio’s of Gramercy!
Blackened Salmon with fingerling potatoes, corn, pea shoots, garlic confit, teriyaki-soy glaze
The fatty salmon tasted great, but at that time I really enjoyed the sea bass. In my opinion, the sea bass has a slightly tougher texture, which is my personal preference and it can absorb a lot of flavor. The salmon didn’t really stand out to me but the teriyaki soy flavored glaze gave it that sweetness that I like. I loved the potatoes and the other vegetables. This vegetable concoction impressed me more than the sea bass vegetable concoction, which made my eating experience pleasant.
Overall, I must say I agree with the reviews out there at this restaurant is good. The atmosphere is very relaxing yet classy which I love. I did not have any problems whipping out my camera to take pictures and the staff was very nice. Unfortunately my friend and I did not try the dessert, I read that the bread pudding rocks, and this was due to the mosquitoes that bite her several times and me once. It was our first time having such an unfortunate experience, but we knew we had to get out of there before were to be eaten alive.
Well until next time,
<3 FCG
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2 Responses to “Giorgio’s of Gramercy – Modern Italian Cuisine”
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Mhmm…the Salmon Tartare sounds like ceviche but with bread. I’m tempted to go there just for that dish. I’d have to carefully consider it though since you guys were bit by mosquitoes.
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