22 replies to this topic

[Anthony Bonner]

Lunch here today. Lovely space riffing off if the old-school british caff idea. Maybe our actual brits will mock it, but quite an attractive room. Good lunch foods - had a nice little roasted squash salad and some black pudding. Wife had a Bacon and Poached Egg based salad that she liked quite a bit. Some pumpkin anglaise filled mini-donuts to finish. Fuller's London Pride to drink for me. Nicely priced, although portions aren't huge. Very attractive bar. Worth checking out. In the context of what they are trying to do I thought it was pretty well executed.

Alas no Sweetiepie bird cage.

[Adrian]

You don't get "lunch" on Saturdays, you get "brunch" and you don't post about here, you post about it on Yelp.

[Anthony Bonner]

Allow me my suspension of belief and I won't point out that your last toronto post sounds like "late night at buddakan" except late night in toronto begins at 9:30.

[yvonne johnson]

Wife had a Bacon and Poached Egg based salad that she liked quite a bit.

Sounds like what goes for something like a "Lancashire Salad" in English pubs right now.

ETA: Where is it?

[StephanieL]

It's in the former Sweetiepie space on Greenwich Avenue just west of 6th Avenue.

[Anthony Bonner]

Wife had a Bacon and Poached Egg based salad that she liked quite a bit.

Sounds like what goes for something like a "Lancashire Salad" in English pubs right now.

ETA: Where is it?

Greenwich Ave between 10th and Christopher.

[Daisy]

I had a light bite at Whitehall last night, third trip, have been previously for drinks and --ahem--lunch. That salad AB's wife had is called the 'Whitehall Salad' (gem lettuce, poached egg,two crisp discs of bacon,batons of pear and cheese) and it's a winner, as is a more substantial one involving avocado toast and two poached eggs. 'Mushy pea fritters' which I probably never would have ordered were sent to us by the house (they comped our sides and drinks, I am not unknown to the management) and they were very good. Good oysters--last night they had 5 varieties on offer I think, we had Fanny Bays and Beausoleils, both excellent especially the Fanny Bays. Intensely mustardy Brussels sprouts are best shared, they are good but, well, intense.

Drinks are well-executed. House cocktails are numbered and both the No 4 (gin, yellow chartreuse,citrus) and the No 8 (tequila-based)pleased. They (or at least the head barman) serve a really smashing Negroni made with Carpano Antica. I had a glass of sparkling wine from New South Wales (the list is weighted heavily to the antipodean) that was pleasant enough. It's a lovely space indeed and on a sunny day sitting up front in the big windows is a good way to pass a bit of time while drinking a very fine Bloody Mary, a fairly classic rendition which was a pleasant surprise. I am tired of tarted-up Bloody Marys, a properly spicy one with lots of lemon and horseradish is the very thing and needs no embellishment.

[alice]

For some visual interest... shot these for Serious Eats a little while back:

http://newyork.serio...hlands-mqs.html

Hit the slideshow for a number of dishes and cocktails.

[Daisy]

Nice pictures, Alice. Could only be improved by the inclusion of photos of the three owners, all of whom are adorable.

[Daisy]

Nice pictures, Alice. Could only be improved by the inclusion of photos of the three owners, all of whom are adorable.

Et voila.

For Cathy, et al--note egregious spelling error in headline.

[g.johnson]

Nice pictures, Alice. Could only be improved by the inclusion of photos of the three owners, all of whom are adorable.

Et voila.

For Cathy, et al--note egregious spelling error in headline.

More egregious is the suggestion that Scots would be fans of the Premier League.

[Wilfrid]

Ee, mooshy peas. Smothered in Bisto?

[Daisy]

Another good lunch yesterday. Whitehall salad,avocado toast,a rather Aussie burger (beetroot,fried egg, but happily no pineapple). The pickles and fries that came with the burger were fabulous. The burger was overcooked and while its replacement was perfectly medium rare it took forever to arrive. It was buzzing and the kitchen and bar seemed slammed. We were happy to kill two hours chatting so it wasn't of consequence, but I would discounsel the choice of Whitehall for a quick bite. We sat in the back room, which is lovely, especially now with the windows all lined with potted and lit mini Christmas trees.

This was a tad odd: one of our party ordered one of the 'brunch cocktails' (a selection of three off the regular list) and was told they had 'run out'. Perhaps they had run out of the infusion used to make the drink? I mean,there's oceans of gin in the place, they had that element on hand. The Red Snapper, a Bloody Mary switching out the vodka for gin, was fantastic. And strong.

[Daisy]

Very good dinner here last night. We were seated in the back room, which I think best for dinner as it is removed from the maelstrom of the bar, and started out with excellent martinis (comped) and had rose champagne (tis the season, I think of pink champagne as celebratory) with our dinner. Oysters Kilpatrick are just barely cooked, showered with diced smoky bacon, pointed with vinegar. Good but I think I still prefer my oysters--these were Fanny Bays--raw. My companions loved their salads. I'd agree this kitchen turns out especially fine ones. We all ordered from the 'grill' section of the menu where dishes come with sides, served to us family style, of fantastic fried potatoes--crisp cubes tinged with rosemary and garlic--and a very delicious and refreshing salad which was merely leaves of cos lettuce lightly coated in vinaigrette. Whole roasted sea bream was nicely cooked, lightly seasoned and needed nothing more than a spritz from the accompanying lemon half. Lamb sirloin, ordered medium rare and perched atop a mushy pea fritter (these are good,trust me), was meaty and succulent. I did not sample the pork chop that my friend devoured down to picking it up and gnawing the bone. The house sent us a stupendous slab of carrot cake crowned with cream cheese frosting-- nicely executed and tasty but a little sweet for my taste. My companions were happy to inhale it, leaving me to finish off the smashing coconut ice cream.

Service was good and attentive given that the place was packed. Every table full and a booming bar the entire time we were there, from about 7 to a little before 9:30. I would not want to have been seated at the tables opposite the long side of the bar, drinkers were pressed three and four deep up to the tables' edges. As noted on a previous visit, things do tend to come out of the kitchen slowly.

[Anthony Bonner]

the Fanny Bays have got to at least partially be on the menu for the lulz? I can't imagine a brit not giggling at that. Or the witticisms surrounding an oyster for crissakes with that name.