This article was first published on 10.10.2017 at https://epicures.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/the-grill-nyc/, written by Michael on The Wandering Epicures that reports on restuarant meals.
The Grill describes itself as “a historically based American chophouse set in midcentury New York.” It occupies half of the venerable space in the Seagram Building that was The Four Seasons from 1959 to 2016. Blair and I went for lunch on August 18, 2017.
The renovation of the Four Season’s Grill Room has left it rather stark with rich wooden walls on three sides and the old shimmering curtains on the fourth. But the ceilings are very high and the acoustics are good. By contrast, as one emerges from the stairs up to the dining level, there is the old open bar and a buffet for the evening appetizers.
We started with glasses of Roederer Champagne. Lunch rolls with chive butter arrived.
We made our choices from the fairly limited lunch menu and ordered a bottle of 2007 Louis Boillet 1er Cru “Les Angles” Volnay.
Blair wrote: The wine was delicate, the nose was nice, but the palate left you wanting more. Against the chicken dish it actually went well, if we had ordered steak I would have been disappointed.
Lettuce leaves were served to go with the first courses.
Blair started with
THE SEAGRAM CRAB CAKE
The crab cake was very good. It is a holdover from The Four Seasons where it was the most ordered dish. The disks were potatoes that had been crisped providing contrast to the creamy crab underneath. They resembled a small, single layer of pommes Anna. The sauce was slightly vinegary and mustardy.
I had
STEAK and ANCHOVY TARTARE
The beef was obviously top quality. It had been minced and so the texture was right. There was anchovy in the spicing of the beef as well as the little pieces alongside. Very good.
Blair’s main course was
SPRING CHICKEN A LA QUEEN
The chicken was cooked perfectly. Crunchy skin with a nappe of sauce and moist tender meat. The red pepper was pimento and therefore not hot.
Mine was
Curried LAMB CHOPS
The lamb was first rate and flavorful. The sauce underneath was aromatic with Indian spices without being too hot. Alongside was a bowl of yoghurt sauce and a mound of mint jelly. It all work together perfectly.
We had a side of grilled zucchini.
This was a good match with the lamb and its curry.
For dessert we each had a
German Chocolate Cake
This slice of cake was rich and delicious. The light layers were coconut. The scoop was whipped cream.
This lunch was an excellent example of straightforward fine dining cuisine. It never got lost in complications. The ingredients were top quality. The combinations were not inventive; they were familiar and good without being boring. Really upscale comfort food, I guess.
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