The Anthony is a welcomed new neighbor in one of my favorite parts of Manhattan- Greenwich Village. Located on the ever so popular Bleecker Street in between MacDougal and Sullivan, this four month old location brings an element of sophistication and relaxation matched with some of the best food I have ever tried in my four years at Manhattan Digest. Here’s why.
Here is a bit of a background on The Anthony, in particular the inspiration for the name of it. It is named after Anthony Lispenard Bleecker, the prominent 18th century entrepreneur who bought property throughout the Village and after whom Bleecker Street is named. Normally with restaurant reviews, the focus tends to be on the food & ambiance but to learn about the history of the location is great as well, especially with its inspiration being the person who helped shape one of the most known streets in Manhattan.
The restaurant opened in December 2016 by ADB Hospitality’s Managing Partner Nicholas Semkiw, who grew up in the entertainment management industry and had dreamed of opening his own restaurant since he was a teen; and in this opportunity has finally found the vehicle to bring his ideas and unique styling to the public.
There is a lot to love about the look of this place, as red seems to be the color palate that is splashed around. It is two floors (the 2nd floor being called The Living Room which has Old-timey movies that are projected onto the balcony wall in a sultry lounge replete with red and midnight blue plush velour seats, flocked red
velvet wallpaper and timeless Tiffany-style lamps.) with a sprawling bar located towards the back. As red seems to be the color that gets your eye quickly, other colors can easily make it jump with beautiful greens, whites and black adorning the walls. It’s a visual treat no matter what angle you are looking at.
The Anthony’s approach to food is elevated bistro fare, which makes perfect sense given the tasting we were provided with throughout the night. The food was stellar from the first dish to the last, and these are ones that we highly recommend you trying the next time you are there.
My favorite dish of the night easily was their Crispy Duck & Waffles, which was the first one they presented us with. This comes with a Confit of Duck, Savory Buttermilk Waffles & Smoked Duck Fat Maple Glaze. Seriously OMG to all of this, just read the combination of flavors in that and it is enough to make you hungry. The execution paired so well together. The waffles were some of the best I ever had, and when you add that maple glaze with the perfectly cooked duck, it leads to such a warming and tasty meal.
From their mains, two stood out the most. Their Colorado Lamb Chops with a Bacon-Apple Potato Cake, Smoky Creamy Kale & Pomegranate Glaze was one, and their Tony Prime Burger with Handmade Creamed Spinach Cheese, Crispy Red Onions and House Made Steak Sauce was the other. Where to begin on these? The Lamb Chops had such a great amount of flavor to them, but when you slid them through the pomegranate glaze, it just made the smoky flavor to them that much sweeter in the best way possible. This was the first time I had a burger with creamed spinach on top of it, yet it worked and complimented the onions and steak sauce perfectly.
As a great finisher, their Caramel Corn Cheesecake can only be described as divine. It comes with Popcorn Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Salted Caramel & Housemade Caramel Corn. These are lethal combinations that blend beautifully with each other and make for a great end of what was already an amazing meal. Definitely a spot to check out for all these reasons and more!
For more information on The Anthony, check out their official site.