Cafe Gray

04/21/08

Good food but way overpriced

by lbraverman

You are paying for the view and the location. Food was good, we had the risotto and braised ribs but was overpriced--the appetizer portion of the risotto was $27 (ala carte), and the 3-course price fixe was $65. We passed on the drinks as we felt that $20 should buy a bottle of wine, not a glass. We had a good view of the kitchen and the trees in Columbus Circle. Service was so-so, it was hard to get a waiter's attention when we needed to. Restrooms lacked paper towels.

11/18/07

Very Good

by evillagefoodie

Very good german/austrian influenced food with a very cool decor and good service. I have been there a couple of times and every time walk away completely satisfied.

• Pros: Food, ambience

10/10/07

Elegant and Delightful

by dcintx

Being from Tx and enjoying our first night in NYC we met friends (who live in NYC) after a show for a late dinner at Cafe Gray. The restaurant is tucked away in the Time Warner building as soon as you enter you forget that you passed numerous retail stores to find this place. It was very beautiful inside, relaxing and luxorious at the same time. We had no problems with Service, it was all timely and done with class. Our server's only fault was that he wasn't good about suggesting "specific" dishes, in fact he more or less would list every entree or dessert on the list when you asked him what was good. We all enjoyed our 1st and 2nd courses, I myself loved the Roasted corn ravioli, fabulous! I also had the short rib which was nice, the flavor was very fitting for fall. Our sommelier was attentive and we closed the place down. Enjoyed the ambiance as well as the fare.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: High Priced

07/05/07

Bad experience and worst manager

by gabriela777

It was my boyfriend birthday and I took him to Cafe Gray. I made reservation a month before but when we arrived we had to wait 20 minutes at the bar. We ordered food and were waiting for a very long time, one of the managers her name was Caron came and ask us if everything is ok. We asked her why it takes so long, she didnt answer our question, she said she needs to check, she was not polite to us, but we were waiting another 15 minutes and she never came back to us, although we saw her passing by our table couple of times. This place has the worst floor manager so as I think somebody needs to take care of that.

06/03/07

Dispassionate service brings down very good food.

by rpnewton

Much has been said about Kunz's food, and it is often exciting and provocative as it was that evening. However, we don't go to restaurants for food alone, and were very disappointed by the detached service. Upon arriving, the host told us that our table was being set and suggested we wait in the bar. A hostess began to lead us down the hallway, halfway down my wife turned off to the restroom. The hostess then turned to me and said the bar "is down the hallway on the left."

We were at the bar for perhaps 5 minutes when the hostess returned to tell us our table was ready. We told her we had just ordered drinks, she replied that she would return in five. Twenty minutes later another host came by to tell us our table was ready. A small but perhaps telling quibble, while at the bar, we were surprised to see the bartender pouring drink mixers out of recycled Ocean Spray containers.

The dining room design is a bit peculiar, with the kitchen between the tables and the view. But what made the experience so much less appealing than it should have been at a high-end restaurant ($380 for two) was the staff's detachment. Our waiter seemed rushed and dispassionate about the food, and never inquired about our dinner or experience. Even the sommelier, although charming, needed a lot more direction from us than I would have expected, and seemed to lack conviction. The sommelier told us that she used to work for B R Guest Restaurants, not surprising because apart the food and high price, the entire experience felt like dining at a B R Guest restaurant.

• Pros: Interesting menu
• Cons: Service, Value