5/5 Charles L. 4 years ago on Google
I've
made
several
visits
to
The
Bar
Room
over
the
past
couple
of
years
and
I've
never
been
disappointed.
The
classics
(Tarte
Flambe,
Charred
Avocado,
Steak
Tartare,
Carrot
Rillettes)
are
obviously
great
choices
and
worth
having
if
you
only
get
to
make
one
visit.
But
on
my
latest
visit
I
was
astounded
by
just
how
great
everything
was.
If
I
have
a
meal
where
one
of
the
dishes
is
a
Religious
Experience,
I
consider
myself
lucky.
But
when
I
have
a
meal
where
dish
after
dish
after
dish
is
an
R.E.
(Yes,
the
Bar
Room
delivered
on
that)?
I
must
have
died
and
gone
to
heaven.
Appetizers:
The
Shaved
Fennel
Salad
(smoked
salmon
and
grapefruit)
was
dressed
perfectly
and
demonstrated
solid
taste
and
texture
complexity
in
every
bite.
This
is
not
just
some
fennel,
salmon,
and
grapefruit
thrown
in
a
bowl
and
tossed
with
some
dressing.
It
is
ultra
refinement
of
exactly
the
right
pieces,
sizes
and
quantity
of
fennel,
with
exactly
the
right
pieces,
sizes
and
quantity
of
smoked
salmon
(with
equally
top
drawer
execution
of
the
smoking),
with
exactly
the
right
pieces,
sizes
and
quantity
of
grapefruit...
dressed
perfectly.
That's
a
lot
to
say
about
one
little
salad,
right?
Yeah,
but
it
was
one
heck
of
a
salad.
An
R.E.
White
Asparagus
Soup:
ultra
refined
tastes
and
textures.
Yes,
I'm
saying
that
about
a
mere
soup.
Morel
Mushroom
Fricassee:
each
bite
was
different:
Sometimes
subtle
sweetness
from
the
corn
and
sometimes
interesting
acidity
from
the
pickled
shallots,
but
always
beautiful
textures
on
the
palate.Caviar
Soldier:
maximum
indulgence.
But
every
appetizer
always
has
ultra
refined
tastes
and
textures
(are
you
sensing
a
common
theme
here?).
Entrees:
I'll
skip
the
entrees
because
they
were
all
great.
That's
not
to
undermine
them
either.
They
are
all
worth
having.
Desserts:
the
menu
seems
to
change
fairly
frequently
with
no
one
recurring
signature
dish.
But
trust
me
that
this
is
a
good
thing,
not
a
bad
thing,
and
I
don't
mean
that
in
a
negative
way
either.
Every
dessert
I've
ever
had
at
the
Bar
Room,
bar
none
(pardon
the
pun),
has
been
excellent.
So
why
is
it
a
good
thing
that
they
change
the
dessert
menu
relatively
frequently?
It's
simple:
It's
practically
a
sport
to
see
what
incredible
creations
the
evil
geniuses
will
come
up
with
next.
Most
recently,
the
Rice
Pudding
(rhubarb
and
jasmine
ice
cream)
was
mind
blowing
with
ultra
refined
tastes
and
textures
(I
know,
I
know,
I
sound
like
a
broken
record).
I
recall
a
Sweet
Potato
Parfait
some
months
ago,
which
on
the
surface
sounded
mundane,
but
was
a
religious
experience.
These
are
not
sloppy,
in-your-face
sweet,
throw
it
down
on
the
plate,
desserts
cooked
up
by
some
pastry
chef
who
is
not
the
equal
of
the
Executive
Chef.
These
are
ultra
refined,
complex
tastes
and
textures
that
are
the
equal
of
every
dish
you've
had
leading
up
to
the
finale.
Service:
excellent
of
course.
You
wouldn't
expect
anything
but
warm,
attentive,
down-to-earth,
sincerely
friendly,
and
knowledgable
from
a
place
of
this
caliber.
The
wait
staff,
Somms,
bus-people,
runners
were
all
consummate
professionals.
Tipping:
I
have
to
say
that
although
it
has
taken
some
getting
used
to
on
my
part,
and
although
I
know
the
front
of
the
house
doesn't
like
it,
Danny
Meyer's
"Hospitality
Included",
No
Tipping
policy
at
all
of
his
properties
is
a
big
bonus
for
the
customer.
In
a
traditional
tipping
environment,
it's
always
awkward
to
know
how
much
tip
to
leave
on
the
wine
portion
of
the
bill
vs
the
food.
And
should
one
include
the
all-too-many
state
and
local
extras
(e.g.
SF's
living
wage
tax)
in
the
calculation?
It's
much
easier
if
the
restaurant
just
tells
me
how
much
to
pay,
end
of
story.
The
staff
clearly
understands
the
idiom
of
"the
customer
is
always
right"
and
never
bats
an
eyelash
when
I
make
seemingly
goofy
requests.
The
scene
in
the
Bar
Room
is
casual
and
quite
diverse
ranging
from
the
midtown
locals
who
come
in
for
a
high
end
whisky
with
friends
after
work;
to
the
tourists
who
bring
their
2
year
old
and
stroller
just
to
get
a
rare
whack
at
some
New
York
City
Michelin-starred
food;
to
the
jokers
like
me.
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