The Grey Dog — Restaurant in New York

Phew! What can we say about the Grey Dog? We came around eight thirty in the evening to have a bite and a couple of drinks. When we arrived the waitress passed in front of us three times without asking if we wanted a table, and it was far from being crowded. We had to ask her if we could be seated.

While ordering our food, the server informed us that the kitchen would be closing soon if we wanted anything more from the kitchen. We ordered 2 beers, a cocktail and 4 side dishes. When the plates arrived we had finished our two beers so we asked for two more beers. The waiter told us that the bar was closed. It was 9 o’clock.

If they had told us on our arrival that the place was closing in half an hour, we would have chosen another place. Now we wanted another beer to go with the 4 plates we had on the table. We had to argue and talk to the manager to finally get two beers poured. They were kind enough to finally offer those beers on the house.

And what about the food? When we arrived we noticed that a couple was leaving with their plates almost full on the table. We joked about it. Either they were in love and not hungry or the food was really bad. So how was it? It was tasteless and boring. Making nachos, corn salsa and tater tots is simple, it is not culinary science but everything tasted pretty… gray and reheated! Very disappointing. Despite the fact that we were VERY hungry, we barely ate 1/4 of our plates. And we usually looooove to eat!

To top it all off, were finishing our beers when a huge cockroach came out from under one of the plates on our table. OK, we were on the terrace, so it’s possible that the cockroach did not come from the restaurant’s kitchen. But when we mentioned it to our waiter, it looked like his didn’t give a damn even if other clients told him they witnessed the incident. His passivity and his couldn't-give-a-damn attitude just pissed me off.

I went inside to pay, because we had eaten a bit of their tasteless food. Inside the restaurant at the front desk, I simply couldn't hide my disappointment, so I highlighted the cockroach and the bad food. Radio silence! It seemed they just didn't care. I said to the manager: You don’t seem surprised by my comments? No answer. Then I added: You know the food is really bad right? His response: I’m not aloud to say that. Wow! Then I asked another employee and he told me he never tried the food. 😂 It’s speaks for itself.

The place was cute and the menu simple. At first sight, it looked perfect for a hang out moment. We had no excessive expectation, we just wanted casual food and drinks that taste good and fair...

I come here about twice a year, hoping every time it will surprise me and make me happy. However, most of the time I feel I get subpar food for above-par prices, and yes - I know this is SOHO.

First - the positives: the staff is always lovely and friendly. The decor is also fun. Once I tried their hot Gluwein (spiced Red Wine) - delicious. I will go back for that.

Second - music - super loud. Usually indie rock. Once I blissed out at the Erykah Badu they were playing, which was from a staff person's iPod. Never heard it again.

The disappointment that has gotten me to write this review is my $12 Nashville Noodle dish - the recipe card (they will show you a card that breaks down every dish into every single component) showed parsley and at least one other ingredient that I cannot recall but there was definitely no parsley (my current favorite herb/vegetable). It's also described as fresh fusilli "Calabrese" but there is nothing spicy about this dish what-so-ever, so I'm not sure why the nomenclature.

Lack of ingredients is one thing, but the dish just tasted like a dinner one tries making at home, unsuccessfully, and eats with a shrug because, well, you're not going to throw the dang thing out.

The pasta was completely flavorless; it was difficult to eat because each fusillo (singular form of fusilli! Just googled that) was so long. It is fresh pasta (homemade), but maybe due to the need to make it from scratch the maker got lazy as there was only one twist in each piece. Finally, the pasta became quite soggy after about 7 minutes. Yuck.

You definitely tasted bursts of lemon here and there, and there were some breadcrumbs tossed over the pasta (but they also had little flavor and looked more like a garnish), but nothing tied the dish together.

It did include spinach, but the portion was insulting - about three bites then no green left.

I have also been disappointed with the mac n cheese, veggie burger, granola and oatmeal for what you pay - mediocre food that you can pretty much make at home. Numerous spots within a single block offer tastier food for cheaper prices (the Granola dish at Spring Street Natural kicks butt, veggie burger at SOHO Park is cheaper and tastier). This is SOHO, and yes, it can be pretentious, but at the same time, we neighborhoodies demand high quality food for...

Winter Bear and I came here for a catch up lunch. The restaurant had both indoor and outdoor dining available. It was snowing and raining during our visit so, we opted to sit indoors. They took our temperature and asked us for our names. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was wearing a mask.

I ordered a lemonade ($4.75) which was tasty. Personally, I would have preferred it a bit sweeter and a Coke ($3). WB ordered a Sauvignon Blanc for $12 and noted it was a small pour.

We had a plate of nachos to share and it was tasty but, the meat was disappointing. ($17) The chicken was cold and cut in huge chunks. The chicken was dry and a had a strong poultry taste like it wasn't fresh.

We ordered the Grilled Cheese Poppers ($14) which was a grilled cheese sandwich accompanied by a small container of tomato soup. The tomato soup was delicious and definitely the winner of all the things we ate. The soup was soul - satisfying and it paired perfectly with the grilled cheese.

The Four Cheese Mac and Cheese ($15) was disappointing. It lacked any nuanced flavor. The black pepper was overwhelming and it was really the only thing you could taste.

The Fried Chicken Sandwich ($14.50) was tasty but, the breast was smaller than the bun. So, there were bites where all I ate was bread and filling. It also looked like someone cut the breast in half to check if it was done. (I do this when I am frying or reheating at home.) I liked that the dish came with a heap of fries.

Most of the food items were okay but, they looked like they were hastily prepared by the taste and presentation. We didn't get a chance to ask for any dessert or pastries because a bill was just dropped on our table.

The service was okay. They were friendly but, more often than not you had to flag them down for something. They were persistent though when it came to ordering and dropping off the check. Otherwise, they hung out in the back and talked among themselves. They prefer credit card or exact change only.

They do have happy hour specials for nachos and drinks. This place is definitely a college hangout as we were the oldest people there by a decade or two. I am not sure if we would visit here again as nothing was noteworthy to warrant...