Lunch at the Fraunces Tavern, Pearl Street, Manhattan

When we visited New York City this past week, I decided to treat my daughters at the historic Fraunces Tavern for lunch. As history buffs, the Fraunces Tavern on 54 Pearl Street is near and dear to our hearts. This was the place that the New York Sons of Liberty met, planning their agenda against the invading British during the Revolutionary War. And this is where, in 1796, George Washington chose to address his generals and gave his farewell address to his long years of public service. The downstairs of the tavern has a dining room and bar, and two of the upstairs floors are a museum. I did not know this until after our meal, but if you dine in the restaurant, admission to the museum is free.

The atmosphere is OK. We chose the dining room over the bar, for obvious reasons. The dining room has several tables, some very long, and an assembly of cane chairs and very rickety benches. The seats were rather uncomfortable. I was surprised at how flexible the furniture was, lol. I guess they were going for the “colonial” look which accomplished the feat very well. The ceiling is low and has tin tiles. A bright copper duct extends from the front of the room to the back. Very quaint. The floors were creaky oak hardwood strips, not original but still very old. I love the old windows and trimwork. The place looked like a room Sam Adams or old James Otis would frequent. I was going for “atmosphere,” and this room seemed to fit the bill. It was a little cramped, a little uncomfortable, a little old. I wish the bench had been more comfy for my old bones, but I was happy enough.

The lunch menu stays true to tradition, too. With sumptuous fare like “bangers” and “raw oysters,” I really felt like a time traveler. We opted for safer meals– I got the turkey avocado sandwich; my daughters chose the barbeque chicken sandwich and the tavern burger. Looking back, I probably should have gone for the fish. My turkey sandwich was not very enjoyable, although I did try to be a good girl and eat it all (seeing it set me back $15). The turkey was simple deli meat. There was avocado and a slice of lettuce… and that was it. The roll was horribly crusty. I could barely sink my teeth into it.

Overall, the sandwich was bland but the contents were fresh. The fries were exceptionally good. For all the food cooked on the premises, the dining room smelled surprisingly fresh. I am sensitive to cooking odors, and was very pleased that the dining room didn’t smell bad or greasy. I think in NYC, smoking and stuff like acid cigars online is forbidden in public places? Not sure. Come to think of it, I never saw or smelled any smokers and never saw one cigarette butt on the street. *marveling*

My older daughter had the tavern burger, a simple hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato. She said it was OK, rather bland. Again, the fries were very good. My younger daughter got the best of it, I think– chicken with bacon and onions and a sweet barbeque sauce. She didn’t like the caramelized onions (thought it was cabbage slaw) and se she and I swapped half our sandwiches. Her sandwich was not bland and I enjoyed it. She, on the other hand, couldn’t chow through the crusty roll, either, and ate the turkey and avocado without the bread. The iced tea was refreshing.

The service was OK. Our server was polite when he was in attendance. I don’t know how servers are taught to serve in Manhattan– in Upstate, servers are constantly glancing over at the tables for a sign from the diners. My husband has had many jobs as a server and so I am familiar with the job. This server walked by a dozen times with nary a glance. Still, I tipped him 15% (hoping that was more than the required 10%; again, I’m unfamiliar with NYC’s customs). Here in Upstate, I usually tip 16%to 18% if the server is especially good.

So the experience was good until…. well, the bad experience. I don’t know why it bothered me so, it was an honest mistake on both parties… but the owner came to me in such an accusatory manner that I will probably never go to Fraunces again.

After the meal, I went to the cash register with my bill. The girl there (who seemed a little loopy or out of it, she was unusually perky) asked me how everything was, etc. She seemed very distracted, perhaps the young gentlemen next to her had her heart all atwitter or something. I said it was OK, and I’d also like to see the museum, and where do I go? She got all excited and handed me a card, a “free pass” to the museum because we’d had lunch. Wow, great, I thought. I asked her: so where do I pay? And she said, oh go right on up! and then turned her attention to the young man. I was a little surprised that I’d have to pay my bill upstairs, but OK, lots of strange things happen in NYC, lol.

So we went up the creaky stairs to the museum. At the desk, I met the lady there and handed her my bill and the restaurant card. Oh, wonderful! she said, and immediately waved me into the room where a movie had just begun about the history of the museum. My girls were eager to see the movie and so they settled down on the bench. I figured What the heck?! and thought perhaps I pay the bill on the final exit… whatever…

About 5 minutes later, the restaurant manager storms into the movie room, shoves my cash tip and the bill under my nose and loudly says “You didn’t pay your bill!” I was speechless. I’d tried TWICE and here was this guy accusing me in front of my daughters and other people in the middle of the movie. Hey, maybe the guy has been “had” by schiesters before, but HELLO I was waved aside twice! It was a very uncomfortable moment. I said that I was told to come up here to the museum after my meal. He said, “Oh no! The restaurant and museum are totally separate!”

Well. HOW WAS I TO KNOW THAT?!

Anyway, he asked me when I wanted to pay the bill. I looked around and, just to get the doofus away from the movie so my daughters could enjoy their first time in NYC, said “I’ll do it now.” So he gave me the bill and left me to go downstairs. Sheesh.

The remainder of the museum visit was a little prickly. I just felt unhappy. It was an important day for my girls and I feel the manager was very rude. I am very careful about my character and reputation, so I was feeling a little morose. As we left, I checked with the loopy girl at the front desk. Am I OK? Can I leave now? Is everything paid? I admit my questions were tinged with a tiny bit of smarm, but sheesh. Oh yes! Thank you so much for coming! she oozed.

I’m racking the entire thing up to just a bad day. Maybe the manager was having a bad day and was testy. The young lady was probably distracted and not paying attention. I was touchy because this was an important moment for me and my girls and therefore I felt unusually sensitive to adverse circumstances. And when I think about it, we still had a good time. We are blessed to have been able to visit NYC and see such important historic sights. In the eternal realm of things, this circumstance was just a tiny blip.

Still, the manager could have been a little more… human. It was an honest mistake.

Fancy Breakfast in Soho

Now THAT’s a fancy breakfast.

Oooo la la!!

I stayed at the Soho Grand Hotel last week, and ordered breakfast. I opened the aluminum tray cover (wow, just like in the movies!) and that is what I saw. I believe it’s called Eggs Benedict. It was an English muffin sliced into halves, with a sliver of smoked salmon, a soft-cooked egg on top of that, and melted butter with parsley. It was incredibly good. It also came with hash browns, which were good but rather mild. The smoked salmon was a little too pungent for me that early in the morning, but it was good. I will have to make some of these sometime for the family (when I have a kitchen again, soon!). I also got coffee… but it was just ONE cup in the carafe. The complimentary New York Times was nice. Not much to read in it, though, except some weird ads for best eye cream and Broadway shows. It went to serve its more important use as papers for the doggies. Guess how much this breakfast cost, total? $35.

O_o

Oy vey. Such is New York.

It was nice getting pampered a bit. Don’t worry, it didn’t all go to my head. I’m back into the daily grind of pounding the keys for work by day, and drilling and wiring for the new kitchen by night…