David Burke Tavern — Restaurant in New York

Ambiance (5/5): The establishment has both an indoor and outdoor dining area. The first floor is a casual experience with high top and bar seating. The upstairs is the main dining area but exquisite decor that feels like a rustic library mixed with a speakeasy. I love the life-sized stuffed penguins! The place is moderately lit, low music volume, and overall comfortable place for a comfortable meal. Service (5/5): On a Sunday evening, the place was probably at 25% capacity. We were asked if we wanted to dine downstairs or upstairs and am glad we chose upstairs and in a corner with the stuffed penguin. We were able to sit intimately side by side this way! We were attended to throughout the meal and the manager/owner also came to check in on us. Food (4.5/5): There is an option for the fixed price menu for 3 courses indicated by a little grain icon. We opted to choose our own courses. Pisco Disco cocktail (1/5): it was extremely tart and not good Tuna and Salmon Tartare (5/5): I loved the combo of the seaweed salad and avocado with the ponzu. More importantly, the fish tasted really fresh. The spices melded with the avocado made each bite taste creamy. Dry-aged 34 oz porterhouse for two (4/5): This cut’s seasoning is patent-protected! The dish had a great presentation of the bone standing upright with a couple slices of onion rings, and the meat pre-cut laid around the bone. Half of the dish had meat that was cooked more medium than our ask of medium-rare. I’m being picky with their choice to provide blunt knives instead of a steak knife since without the serrated edges, it was a little more difficult to cut tougher meat. Sadly, I felt like the meat’s crust wasn’t seasoned enough! The crust was salted but did not have the thick crisp that I was hoping for. Perhaps the layer of marbling and crust wasn’t aged for long enough?? Otherwise, the flavoring was great! There was an optional au jus to complement the steak, which I felt helped to moisten some of the well done meat. Mash Potatoes with garlic confit (5/5): Perfect creaminess and savory taste that a mash potato dish should be Brussel Sprouts (5/5): These were amazingly charred and had a fully packed flavor in each bite! The creamy sauce added an extra layer of taste that the Brussel sprouts already had on its own! It’s almost like there was a marinate to it that allows each bite to be rich. Chocolate Mocha Dome (4/5): The dome was a work of art! Inside the dome is a chocolate mousse. I loved the raspberry drizzle and it went well with the vanilla ice cream. Overall, loved our experience! Definitely interested in coming back to try their...

Well the food was pretty good, in fact some dishes were great, so this review will not be about the chef. Instead this review lies squarely on the restaurant manager’s shoulders who was passive aggressive and perhaps even abusive. So prepare yourself for a story!

Our server had an emergency apparently after she served our drinks and took our order. We sat. And sat. And sat for well over 25 minutes before anyone checked on us, wine glasses empty, water glasses empty and clear confusion on our faces as we watched all the tables around us get served. We had tickets to an event so we started getting nervous.

Finally we mentioned something to the staff and our food was delivered minutes later, cold. Clearly sitting in the pick up waiting for its party.

Nothing like a $50 wagu beef cold, for a birthday dinner.

We ate quickly and prepared to run out the door when the manager finally came to ask how we enjoyed the food. We were honest, the wait was long, the lack of reassigning our table was shortsighted but instead of apologizing he became quickly defensive, raising his voice and screaming about a family emergency, as if we were at fault. It was so odd. He told us he’d comp the meals, which wasn’t necessarily what we wanted - really we just wanted accountability. Then as we are roaring to get out the door he suddenly comes out with chocolate cake and a single fork for our table of 4 (clearly not hearing that we were late to an event) but then, he slaps my husbands back so hard as he sets it down, sort of loudly and rudely wishing him a happy birthday - but more in an act of veiled aggression. It was a loud hit. Perhaps more amplified by his leather jacket, but it was clear even to me that was no pat on the proverbial birthday back. That was an angry manager who lost sight of his job and was serving only a party of one, HIMSELF.

Needless to say, we won’t be back. Nor will it end up on our list of recommendations for the area. It’s a shame too, because the chef was not bad. One star is too many after...

We had a reservation for a party of 4 on Christmas Eve. My father had been raving about his experience at another David Burke location and we were excited to spend Christmas Eve there. We stopped by the bar beforehand to get a quick drink and the bartender couldn't have been nicer + the drinks all came out wonderful. We then get sat upstairs on the left side of the restaurant. The atmosphere was very nice, we were looking at all the decor and ready for our dinner. Then we got introduced to our waiter, RICHARD. The look of despise on his face couldn't of been hidden. Not a smile or joy in his voice at all. He hands us the menus and gives us sometime to look it over. The prices being on the higher end, my father asked Richard for his recommendation in which he replies "It always puts the waiter in a tough spot because if we recommend the most expensive item people don't know if we really like it." Who says that? Especially when entrees are $30-$40+. He proceeds to say he'll give us a minute to look it over and doesn't come back for 10 minutes. Once we finally got our food Richard checks on our table and asked how everything is. When we started to say how good the bread was he immediately walks away and doesn't say anything. How about asking us if we wanted more? Which we did. Once we finally finish up our food we get the bill which is close to $400.00. Richard made the whole experience unpleasant when it should've been a nice Christmas Eve dinner. Instead, it was an awkward encounter with someone who clearly didn't want to be there. For Richard to get 20% ($80) for his terrible service wasn't deserved and I hope his managers bring this review to his attention. Maybe retrain Richard on his hospitality because he either lost it years ago or never had it.

Would I return? Yes Will I ever want to be served by Richard...