On our recent visit to New York City to attend the Novartis Advanced Breast Cancer Bloggers Summit, my husband, Kirk and I decided to arrive a couple of days early since he had never been there and I hadn’t visited since my early days living in PA. We chose to stay at Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square so that we would be in the center of the area that we most wanted to explore. At the end of the first day, we found ourselves heading back to the hotel around 11 p.m. without having had dinner. We looked around the area and spotted a place that was just a few doors away from the hotel so we decided to ask one of the staff members at the front desk whether this might be a good place for us to visit. With that recommendation having been given, we entered the doors of the Croton Reservoir Tavern for an experience that we could never have anticipated.
To the staff at the Croton Reservoir Tavern, there are no words to thank you enough for all that you did for us. You provided us with a most memorable and unique experience and to anyone else either living or visiting New York City and looking for an absolutely awesome drink and/or dining experience, you should stop by the Croton and tell Jorge and Justin and Mike that Kirk and Barbara sent you.Barbara Jacoby
If you check the website for the Croton, you will see the following:
Tavern:
(Wikipedia definition)
A place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food.
Croton Reservoir Tavern:
(Our definition)
Owner operated Midtown Manhattan Tavern serving modern American cuisine and NYC’s most popular drinks prepared to the highest of standards and served with relaxed charm and cheerful attentive service.
It didn’t take long for us to discover exactly how this rather lofty mission statement is incorporated into this local gathering spot. As we entered, we quickly noted that the 50-foot long bar was still completely filled but the banquette seating area that runs parallel to the bar was empty at this late hour. Just as we were thinking that food service had probably ended for the night, the bartender, Jorge, came out from behind the bar to greet us and to welcome us to sit and know that the kitchen was still open and we were welcome to order whatever we liked.
As we perused the menu, we decided to order a drink and Kirk asked Jorge about his particular way of crafting an Old Fashion. Jorge asked Kirk to allow him to mix up his specialty recipe for the drink and took my request for a martini as well. Then I was faced with the problem of deciding what to order from a menu that contained a list of offerings that had already started my mouth watering. If I remember correctly, Kirk ordered the Arugula Pesto Tomato Mozzarella and the CRT Apple Burger with Spicy Polenta Fries. For me, it was the Lobster Bisque that is made in house on a daily basis and the House Made Hummus.
As we waited for our food, Jorge checked back on the drinks that he had served. He wanted to find out whether Kirk’s drink had been made to his liking and they discussed Kirk’s liking for a bit more sweetness in the drink as he decided that he would like another with his food. Jorge provided the drink with the adjustments exactly as had been requested at the same time that the food arrived and after we had had time to taste both the food and drink, Jorge returned to the table to find out how the drink tasted and whether we were enjoying the food and whether we needed anything else. Kirk indicated that everything was great and asked to speak to the manager.
It was at this point that Mike came to the table apparently expecting to hear complaints since no one seems to request the manager unless there is a problem but instead he received our rave reviews about not only the great fare that we were consuming but also the great care and attentiveness that Jorge had provided to give us the best possible experience. There were just no words to express our appreciation for being treated like we were the only customers in the place and the efforts to make sure that everything was as perfect as it could possibly be. We were being treated like VIP’s even though we had never stepped into this establishment before and didn’t know a single person in there.
Although we had decided before our trip that we wanted to sample as many types of foods and locations for which the City is most famous, we decided that after the theatre the next evening, we had to return to the Croton for dinner. We knew that the food couldn’t be any better at any other location and I knew I just had to try their crab cakes, a favorite of mine, the likes of which has never been successfully duplicated for my taste on the West Coast (and another Lobster Bisque). So, we headed back for another round of awesome food and drinks.
As we entered, we quickly noted that there was a different bartender on duty who we later learned was Justin. However, Justin welcomed us in the same way and provided us with the same attention to detail as we had received the previous evening. But, what made it even more fun was when Kirk started to sing the praises of Jorge from the night before in providing the perfect drinks and Justin decided that the challenge was on in mixing an even better drink than his co-worker. Needless to say, each of these gentlemen was extremely talented and knowledgeable and creative as bartenders and the food, including my crab cakes, measured up superbly to that which we had ordered the night before. And the Spinach Artichoke and Corn Dip that I ordered is the absolute best that I have ever had, hands down and I have tried this favorite of mine in many locations from sea to shining sea.
Mike also stopped by our table and he and Kirk got into a discussion about bourbons, whiskies and single malts that we learned are the specialties at this tavern. Mike told us about the new specialty drink menu he was finalizing for introduction the next day but sadly, we were not going to be there to sample. Obviously he understood Kirk’s great interest for these specialty drinks because he offered to share with Kirk the secrets of one of the drinks that was of particular interest to him along with a supply of one of the secret ingredients that he thought Kirk might have a bit of a problem locating immediately when we returned home.
To the staff at the Croton Reservoir Tavern, there are no words to thank you enough for all that you did for us. You provided us with a most memorable and unique experience and to anyone else either living or visiting New York City and looking for an absolutely awesome drink and/or dining experience, you should stop by the Croton and tell Jorge and Justin and Mike that Kirk and Barbara sent you. But, then again, you don’t need to say that anyone sent you in order to enjoy a truly unique experience with the best staff anywhere around.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.