Gramercy Tavern Turns 30

Gramercy Tavern turned 30. To celebrate, they are bringing back the chef alums to cook or bake for one evening. They are also collecting memories from the patrons, which is very cool.

We went with our friends the other evening, and stepping into GT brings back many memories. Here are some of my memories.

From 1997-1999, I ran revenue for Silicon Alley Reporter (that is a whole other story). Gordon Gould and I would hold court at the bar benches in GT. We would come for lunch, move into the afternoon cookie plate, switch it up with cheese, and then have dinner. We didn’t have an office, and I was coming in one day a week from the burbs (gasp!). Scott, was the maitre’d and was there the other night and we watched him eventually manage the place. We all go way back. I sent Gordon a picture asking him “where am I”? His answer “our dining room!”

My Mom and her best friend loved GT, and they would go a few times a year. Every year, on the day of her death, I return with her friend and my sister and drink a glass of crisp chablis to celebrate Judy.

When the kids were young, Fred and I took our first vacation without the troops. We flew to St. Martens and realized quickly this was not for us. I woke up to Fred sitting in a chair, waiting to tell me that he had taken matters into his own hands. We were flying back to NYC for a staycation at the Mercer Hotel, and the night we landed, we would be celebrating our anniversary at GT. They took such great care of us that evening, with a beautiful cake. Our love for the city and need to return from the burbs was sealed that weekend.

Fred met Danny Meyer there, and our relationship has continued through the years. My kids have been there countless times. The front room is my favorite, and the food is always good. Those stunning floral presentations and the painted mural frieze around the room make me smile.

So many people there that evening had ties to GT, Scott included. In a city of over 8 million people, when you are at GT, you are part of the GT community. It is what makes NYC, NYC. It was indeed an epic New York night.