Cafe Gray

04/21/08

Good food but way overpriced

by lbraverman at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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

05/22/07

This cruise ship should sink

by dotnet at Citysearch

I took my wife here for her birthday off a friend's recommenation. It was horrible. First we expected the "great view" but the view is blocked by the kitchen. Why put the kitchen between the dining room and the windows? Next the food was bland, cold, all around horrible. It was like we were dining on a second-rate cruise ship. The steak tartare tasted like catsup, the short ribs were cold and overseasoned with nutmeg, the key lime pie was an oreo soaked in lime juice. Awful. The staff was courteous but hovered over us, making us feel unrelaxed. The diners were mostly retired, elderly people, so I guess if you're used to lime jello and want to waste $100 on dinner, this is the place for you. In a city with thousands of great restaurants don't waste one night on this place. AWFUL!!!

• Pros: Nothing.
• Cons: Everything.

04/29/07

fantastic tasting menu

by hautecuisine at Citysearch

Strongly recommended. I went with my boyfriend to celebrate my birthday and had the tasting menu, which was fantastic. Each course was like a piece of art, inspiring visually and with complex taste combinations. The wines that were picked to match each course were just spot on. The dessert was so impressive that I had to take a picture, which is something I never do. The service was friendly, professional and I felt very welcome. I also thought it was very novel to see the calm, coreagraphed action in the open kitchen. I can only remember this level of experience from Nobu London, Danielle and Jean Georges. My boyfriend and I had a great time. I will certainly come back to celebrate any special occasion I can think of, especially since the view beats the other high dining places that I've tried.

• Pros: inspiring food, warm service
• Cons: not keen on the brass details of the decor

04/29/07

Not a Grayt experience

by hollywoodjack at Citysearch

I'll go backwards:

-- had to flag down the "captain" for the check after we had been finished with our desserts and our plates empty for more than 10 minutes

-- empty entree plates sat on the table for 5 minutes while my girlfriend was in the bathroom -- finally the somalier (!) realized we were finished, which was obvious since there was no food on the plate -- and cleared the table.

-- waited 45 minutes between appetizers and entrees -- no apology, no explanation

-- service was uncomfortable -- captain seemed to have too many tables, we were "directed" to ask questions to his assistant.

the decor is hideous and the lighting reinforces the feeling you are eating in a Marriott in Vegas. The price point is absurd given the service and the fact you are squeezed in as though it were a bistro. The food is very tasty but hardly revolutionary and not worth what they are charging.

• Pros: Decent food
• Cons: Inferior services, cramped dinning room, horrendous decor

04/15/07

Sophisticated food and atmosphere. Excellent night out!

by ss4e at Citysearch

Had dinner with friends from out of town and impressed the heck out of them at Cafe Gray. Fun and sophisticated space. Great drinks at the bar (killer martinis). Dinner was outstanding. Risotto and Asparagus potage esp. great. Loved the Striped Bass and the Key Lime Pie . Friendly, upbeat service.

• Pros: Unique menu, friendly service, great drinks
• Cons: A little noisy

04/11/07

A great view and service alone just don't a great restaurant make

by eatinny at Citysearch

I took my husband here for his birthday dinner. There was a good crowd for a Monday night. We arrived early and were seated immediately, so we got a view of Central Park before it got dark. I must say that I like the concept of kitchen in front of view. It's like being at the theater - all eyes forward at the chefs or view. Asides from our captain (who looked bored if not snotty), the service was amazing. Attentive but not over-bearing. The appetizers we had were great (steak tartare for me, mushroom risotto for my husband). After that, it was a little downhill. My husband had the ribs which I thought were good and I had the striped bass. My dish wasn't bad, per se, but it was just uninspired. The sweet, fruity sauce and salty fish just didn't mesh well for me. For dessert, we asked one of the servers for recommendations. My husband had the key lime pie and I had the rum toast. The server went out of his way to have it prepared without raisins, and I truly appreciated his kindness, but again I just wasn't impressed. I love chocolate, but everything on the menu paired chocolate with fruit - not very creative. I might just go back for lunch one time because I truly enjoyed the service and the scene. The food just wasn't up to par.

• Pros: Pomegranate Margarita's, Service, View
• Cons: Unfortunately, the food