Park Avenue Tavern is one of the best restaurants to visit near Grand Central Station. Located about two blocks away from the world famous terminal’s entrance, this location boasts the best of New American cuisine that is sure to delight your taste buds and then some. I first stopped by there in the fall of 2016 to see what all the fuss was about, and was quite pleased at the culinary delights they provided me and my friend throughout the evening. When I found out they had some new items on their Spring menu, I promptly hopped on the 6 train and made my way there to experience what’s new.
Let’s briefly chat about the location. It is two floors, with the top floor being the primary in terms of usage. I went during a quieter time this past Monday, around 2:00 PM, but generally this place is jam packed with the after hours crowd and people who just want a damn good meal. Plus, the location itself is pretty inviting if you are looking for an intimate dinner for two or just want to relax at their sprawling bar with a cocktail or beer.
Their new spring menu has quite a lot of tasty items that you should try immediately, as well as some old favorites that we were delighted to try. Their small plates, fancy words for appetizers, really showcase just what New American cooking is all about. I highly recommend their Crispy Cheese Curds, which came with miso ranch & pickled vegetables, and their Steak Poke with pickled chilis, crispy lotus and hijicki (seaweed). Both are new items on their menu, and I hope they stay for a while as they tasted just fantastic.
The Crispy Cheese Curds are a cheese lovers dream, toasted to perfection with the ranch complimenting each dip you make and the veggies providing a great crunch. The Steak Poke, on the other hand, had a great zest and spice to it with the chilis that made for another scrumptious meal. An old standard at Park Avenue Tavern is their Beef Meatballs, pictured above, with spicy pork sauce. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with this dish. Dig in.
For their Salads & Sandwiches section, I had just one thing in mind- LOBSTER ROLL! YAS! They have brought back one of the most iconic dishes for the spring and summer in their Maine Lobster Roll, which comes with warm lemon butter and old bay fries. This is the sort of dish that launches you out of the city and into Cape Cod with its delicious taste level. Such an amazing plate of food. If you are jonesing for another type of sandwich, then their Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich with bacon, slaw, honey aioli and kettle chips will do the trick. A tad bit wet in my opinion (but we all have our own tastes), however the spice level really shown through on this one as the slaw and aioli complimented each other really well with the chicken.
Overall, Park Avenue Tavern hit it out of the park from concept to creation with their new spring menu. Can’t wait to see what’s in stores next! For more information, check out their official website.