Cookshop — Restaurant in New York

Cookshop 'til I drop!

SO GOOD! We had made reservations for brunch - and I highly recommend making reservations. This place is booked fast! When we arrived we actually had a little over an hour to kill before our reservation time but we checked in with the hostess anyway. She was kind enough to move us up ahead and let us know that she can probably get us in within 30 minutes. She took down our number and told us to wait for a message - which worked great! She did what she said she would, and we were seated within 15 minutes and almost a full hour prior to our original reservation!

It was a hot day, so for drinks we each ordered something on ice. I got their bloody Mary, and my date got a watermelon margarita - each were refreshing and tasty!

For food, we ordered a plate of their almond flour pancakes, and a plate of their huevos rancheros (without the huevos.) So good! I'm not big on pancakes, but we figured to have one sweet and one savory option - because balance =P. The pancakes were fluffy and came with a good helping of whipped cream and strawberries on top, with the maple syrup on the side.

The huevo rancheros was our favorite! Great flavor, perfect portion, and left us fully satiated! The textures from the cheese to the chips were hitting all the right notes!

The service was great, our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and was nice to give advice on which drink items he would recommend with our chosen food items. He was quick with serving and refilling water, along with bringing out our food (which is always the best part of any sit down meal!)

Overall, awesome experience and would definitely come back...

From the moment the first dish arrived, it was clear that I'd be happy with the place So... My culinary journey began with the green salade, a seemingly simple offering that sang with freshness. The greens were crisp and the dressing light yet impactful and I loved the vinegar dressing. Next came the artichokes with young potatoes, a delightful pairing. The artichokes were tender and flavorful, and the young potatoes, cooked to perfection, provided a lovely earthy counterpoint. The fish, the star of the main course, was undoubtedly the highlight. Cooked flawlessly, it was moist, flaky, and bursting with natural flavor. Now, let's talk about the pistachio dessert Oh. My. Goodness. This dessert was nothing short of extraordinary. The perfect delight with the rich and nutty pistachio filling. The sweetness was perfectly balanced and the texture was divine. However, even if you're not looking for a full meal, this place is worth a visit for their drinks alone. The Dirty Martini was expertly crafted – perfectly chilled, briny, and potent. And the Negroni? Absolutely out of this world. The classic bitter-sweet balance was achieved with precision. So, while the portions might be on the smaller side, the food is undeniably amazing – well-balanced, fresh, and utterly delicious. And those cocktails? Simply divine. I think our server's name was Moe. He was the perfect combination of attentive, friendly, and efficient. He really made our evening special. Conclusion - Go for the food, stay for the drinks, and prepare to be blessed by the sheer quality of it all....

This is just over-complicated classic American diner fare. The service and aesthetic are excellent. The coffee is great, too.

The seasonal ramps pizza (ramps being a relative of leeks, something new to me) was incredibly delicate and had an excellent depth of flavor given the simple construction. Plus, it was cool that the waiter could so knowledgeably recommend seasonal items. But for $24, if this had been my entree, I’d have been left feeling hungry for more. My coworkers and I split the dish.

The tuna melt was also apparently seasonal, coming sandwiched between two slices of cranberry rye bread, and next to a plate of entirely unsatisfying vegetation. I don’t remember what it was, maybe radicchio, and I do love a good bright, fresh, crisp salad side dish. But the sandwich was small enough and didn’t at all live up to the aesthetic or bougie, im-better-than-your-usual-spot energy that the restaurant radiates with, and the bitter purple leaves didn’t necessarily help make me feel like I made the right choice.

Don’t get me wrong: the food is good by all objective standards. That’s fair. However, given the prices, lack of creativity, and the need to “fix something that ain’t broke” mentality of the menu, I have a hard time recommending it to anyone. If you really want a taste of what the restaurant is trying to serve you, just go somewhere like Bubby’s in Tribeca.

It’s not fundamental enough to go there in lieu of any other diner or bodega in the city and it’s not upscale enough for a special event. It’s just kind of there when it doesn’t...