What’s Under That Bun?
Good question! I’ve been exploring some of the iconic restaurants New York City – and one of the most iconic of them all is the legendary Minetta Tavern!
When I looked up a list of the most difficult restaurant reservations in Manhattan, Minetta Tavern was high on the list – even after 85 years! Yes, this is one of the city’s oldest restaurants….here is how it is described:
“A Celeb-magnet hot-ticket tavern with upper-end French bistro fare & reimagined vintage decor.”
When a reservation popped up at the last minute, we grabbed it – and since my wife Alex’s sister Lauren was in town, we took her with us!
A little more about the restaurant:
“Founded at the height of the prohibition era, The Minetta Tavern became a popular speakeasy for many literary legends, most notably Joe Gould, who frequented the pub so often that he was said to receive his mail there.”
Joe Gould managed boxers like James J. Braddock, dubbed “The Cinderella Man,” who in 1935 upset Max Baer to become the world heavyweight champion.
The restaurant opened in 1937 in the Greenwich Village, and it has hosted notables such as Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O’Neill, E.E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, among others – and the walls are filled with drawing and characters of many of their famous guests.
Now, when a restaurant is a hip celeb hangout – and impossible to get into, I was nervous: if they are that popular, would they be stuffy and off-putting?
I started to ponder things like this: were we only able to get a reservation because Lady Gaga had a toothache?
Time to find out!
Cheers To Minetta Tavern’s Staff!
So, let’s get right to it – as one of the hottest, most difficult reservations in town, were the people at Minetta Tavern stuffy? NO!
It was exactly the opposite: from the front desk team to our Waiter, everyone was incredibly friendly and engaging – it was literally like hanging out with friends for a meal…they were so nice and fully engaged!
Once settled in with a glass of wine, we ordered our food….want to see what I started with?
Behold The Roasted Bone Marrow Over Grilled Baguette!
Not many restaurants serve bone marrow, and some people aren’t fans…well, if you are one of those then you are missing out on a taste treat, and no one makes it more deliciously than Minetta!
There were three meaty, roasted bones on the plate, and when you scooped out the marrow and set it atop the crusty bread, it was a bite of heaven:
That is a very filling appetizer, but since we shared it we were ready to keep going.
Time for the main dishes:
Alex and Lauren shared a beautiful roasted Halibut topped with pancetta, served over smashed pea puree and whole peas – they also shared the Minetta Burger, which comes with cheddar cheese and caramelized onions.
As you can see, the cheddar was very “melty” on the right side – lettuce pickle and tomato were alongside and a pile of French fries as well.
My menu choice was also a burger, but a very famous one in New York – their special “Black Label” Burger!
Minetta Tavern’s Iconic “Black Label” Burger!
That’s right, it’s one of their legendary dishes – a burger!
It’s called the “black label burger” because it’s a mix of prime dry-aged beef cuts, served only with caramelized onion, and a pickle and tomato slice on the side…and of course pommes frites!
The carmelized onions were rich and silky and the beef: it was sublime! Both Alex and Lauren said they could really taste the difference between their burger, which they loved, and the intense umami feel of mine!
Clearly, the meat was dry-aged, with that depth of flavor, a hint of smokiness, and a rich mouth feel were sublime…I ordered it medium rare and here’s how it looked when I cut it in half:
Perfect.
Look at the juice oozing from the pink center..it was perfectly cooked, and while the other burger came with cheese if requested, the Waiter told me the flavor of this meat didn’t need anything else – and he was right….
Even though we had French fries served with our burgers, Alex is a “lover of potatoes” so we ordered one last side dish as well:
A VERY cheesy side of creamy mashed potatoes completed the meal. Here’s just how cheesy good it was:
If you listen to the clip, you will hear Alex talk about our Paris potato adventure…more on that in a moment.
We ordered a great Burgundian wine from Bouchard Pere et Fils…a winery that Alex and I had toured earlier this summer!
Bravo to Minetta Tavern: terrific food, a very engaged and delightful staff, a mind-blowing burger and those creamy potatoes….oh my!
As you heard her say in the potato video, Alex and I searched out the best potatoes in Paris, and look at this picture I took there:
They could be from the same restaurant!
We also had them in a tower and covered with caviar as well – click here to see our delicious culinary adventure in Paris:
Our exploration of New York’s great restaurants is just beginning but we’ve already had some incredible adventures:
This one was truly “crab-tabular!”
Click here to see how many different preparations come from this crab at Wu’s Wonton King!
We also had a very memorable gospel choir brunch thanks to Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s terrific “Red Rooster” restaurant in Harlem..here’s a listen:
You can see what we ate and some more great performance as well by clicking on my story here:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Burgers, Cheeseburgers, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, Wine, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
I love the interior vibe of the place, and I’m thinking that I would that burger and those potatoes
I need to go there! That’s my kind of burger – thick and medium rare. I’m sorry, but no smash burgers for me! I’ve had one, and it was good, but just something else than what I think of as a burger. The aligot looks like perfection. Can’t wait!
Thanks for that! Smashburgers are the rage here in New York…I like them, but if they are not done right they are grisly and dry and no one wants that!