92 newyork| december9–22, 2019
NewFoodforan OldFamiliar
GothamBarandGrill’s
modernmakeoveris purelyculinary.
byadamplatt
O
ne could employ all sorts of
metaphors to describe the delicate
process of replacing the revered
chef at a venerable, though now
slightly dated, big-city restaurant. There’s
the new-sports-coach metaphor, although
not many teams have had a head coach for
as long as the recently deposed Alfred Por-
tale ran the Gotham Bar and Grill,
which opened, as its devoteescan
tell you, in a tall loft spaceinthe
Village almost four decadesago.
There’s the avuncular-school-
principal metaphor ortheold-
cruise-ship-captain metaphor,
although,intheficklerestaurant
world,oldregularsaren’tforced
tositpatientlyat theirtablestheway
studentsare whena newheadofschool
arrives(theygenerallyboltina huff and
neverreturn),andwhena new ship’s cap-
tainispipedonboard,heorshedoesn’t
usuallyhavetocomeupwitha wholenew
itinerary orreplacetheentire crew.
Victoria Blamey,whotook overthe
kitchenatGothamBarandGrillafterthe
oldcaptain’s forced,somewhatabrupt
departure severalmonthsback,hashad
to deal with these issues plus several more.
As on a cruise ship, old regulars are the
lifeblood of iconic ye-olde-gourmet estab-
lishments like this one. Trying to keep the
Old Guard happy while developing a new
crowd of slightly more, er, “current” regu-
lars is no easy task, especially when the
makeover period is such a short one. It’s
even more difficult when the
grand old dining room itself, with
its puffy hanging-light installa-
tions and long granite bar, hasn’t
yet undergone a serious redesign
and still provokes in the hearts
of old regulars, like me, a kind of
Pavloviandesire fora wheelofPor-
tale’stunatartare,perhaps,ora
biteortwoofoneofhisverticallyarranged
lambchops.
But Blamey—who, when we last
glimpsedherbrieflyinthekitchenofthe
newlyrebootedChumley’sdowninthe
West Village, wasshowinga talentforpol-
ished,upmarket pubfood—doesa good
jobofchartingherownmeasuredcourse
throughthesevariousperilsandpitfalls.
Herexcellent“Vic’sburger,”forwhichshe
wonmuchpraiseat Chumley’s(unlike Por-
tale’smore classiceffort,theVicis touched
with mango-flavoredbarbecue sauce,
amongotherthings,andisshotthrough
withmeltedbonemarrow),hasbeentrans-
portedtothenewlybeefed-upGothambar
menu.FansofclassicsavoryFrenchpastry
canenjoyaninventive,NewAge crabmeat
pithiviertogowiththeirgobletofwhite
Burgundyatthebar, alongwithchunky
rillettesmadeofwildboarinsteadofthe
usual porkorduck,and,fortheprincely
sum of $55,a beautifullycookedNewYork
strip steak piled with a stack of frites sizzled
in beef tallow.
It’s natural, when following an iconic,
long-running act, to strain for iconic
moments of your own, and there are times,
especially during dinner service, when you
can feel the kitchen straining foresoteric
touches when just one or two willdo. The
house sourdough is rendered spongy and
strangely inert by the presence of quinoa
and what the menu describes as“brined
pumpkin seeds.” My West Coast Baywater
oysters were as plump and sweetas you’d
expectina first-classrestaurant,although
I’mnotsure thegarlicchipsandlittleballs
ofavocadopuréeaddedtotheirdelicious-
ness.Smokedavocadoworkedmuchbet-
terasa garnishfortheelegantlysliced
hamachicrudo,andif you’re lookingfora
newiterationoffoiegrasterrine,thelatest
Gothamversionislayeredwithshiitake
mushroomsandbraisedhamhocksand
setina cooledvealjus.
Blamey is a talentedmeat cookandhas
a knackforenliveningheavy, traditional
recipeswitha touchoflightnessandstyle.
Gotham Barand Grill
food
Edited by
Rob Patronite and
Robin Raisfeld
VERY GOOD^87
Gotham Bar
and Grill
12 E. 12th St., nr.
University Pl.
212-620-4020
gothambar
andgrill.com
key: The rating scale of 0 to 100 reflects our editors’ appraisals of all the tangible and intangible factors that make a restaurant or bar great—or terrible—regardless of price. PHOTOGRAPH: SCOTT HEINS FOR NEW YORK MAGAZINE
