The Milton — Restaurant in New York

Just for a bit of background, I was born in the Yorkville neighborhood 40+ YEARS ago and grew up directly across the street, and have seen many businesses come and go. "The Milton's" for dinner isn't half bad for your basic grilled cheese and Irish themed food, however what I have an issue with is the treatment at the bar, from a bartender named Ethan and lack of accountability upon management to do anything about him. I was a former bartender myself for SEVERAL years, and I know a thing or 2 about regulars and good patrons, however Ethan has an issue with anyone in authority or an arbiter, to the point where he cannot do his job. It lessens the amount of patrons that come when he is behind the bar and through my observation the bar isn't a lively atmosphere when he is tending. I KNOW most patrons who are familiar with the atmosphere of the bar life, would agree as well. His anxiety is through the roof, and he plays bad songs (my opinion) and interacts with the patrons in a very distasteful way (fact), which I'm not sure is racism or just plain nasty. Myself and others have complained NUMEROUS times to management and several different staff members, and it seems like NOTHING is done. Think of Geoffery in the Game of Thrones. That is Ethan's terror. A FEW other staff members have agreed as well, however it seems like not much movement is made regarding him. I will say, I have positive interactions with Thomas and others, however it seems like Ethan has a chip on his shoulder so please BE AWARE. I am not saying this with malice, more so with a word of caution, as I am a white collar professional in digital marketing and have NEVER encountered a personality with anyone quite like Ethan. Hold your horses...

Have come here twice for dinner and enjoyed our experience both times!

The ambiance is spacious between tables (just watch out when crossing the street’s bike lane lol)

The first time we came, we noticed there were a lot of appetizers we wanted to try, but opted for entrees (figuring that we’d come back to try the appetizers). We ended up getting the chicken sandwich and fish and chips. Both were pretty tasty - the chips (fries) are great. When they give you dips / condiments like ketchup, they’ll give it to you in small plastic containers (which is not great for the environment, but obviously have to be safe with Covid). I did wish that my fish and chips came with the small side of mashed peas that typically come with this dish.

The second time we visited, we order a bunch of appetizers including the chicken nuggets, grilled cheese with tomato soup, side of chips (fries), and the Mac and cheese. My friend wasn’t a huge fan of the chicken nuggets (he prefers McDonald’s biggest 🙄 haha) but I enjoyed them. The Mac and cheese was also pretty good and the bread crumbs on top were the perfect addition. Our favorite appetizer was definitely the grilled cheese and tomato soup though. The bread used for the grilled cheese was thin but perfectly lightly browned. Although the cheese itself wasn’t a blend or anything fancy, it was that perfect grilled cheese when you want some comfort food. I would definitely come back and order the grilled cheese.

For drinks, we tried the mojito, mango margarita, and strawberry margarita. The strawberry marg was definitely the winner (but could’ve been stronger).

Would definitely come back again to try more...

Lovely atmosphere. I love heading here for a cocktail. There are some problems which prevent it from being better, namely, consistency. The cocktails we ordered came with different garnishes than last time, and different quantities. These are their specialty cocktails, mind you.

They want to have an elevated pub experience, but their lack of knowledge and handling the food as if it were a pub holds them back. The server couldn't answer simple questions about the cheese, and even when she came back with more information, it was very basic still. The garnishes the cheese plate came with were not done extremely well, but were a nice addition. The oysters we're fantastic, but shucked incorrectly, leaving us with shell in our mouths. We kept trying the next one to see if it was just one or two, but they were all done poorly.

The server apologized, and took the oysters off our bill.

When it comes down to it, it is an elevated pub experience, but it is just that. It's got the elegance, craftsmanship and consistency of pub fare, but with fancier foods.

Not a bad thing at all, just a place with room to improve. Perhaps simplifying the dishes, and providing really spectacular meals could help them out, but they always seem to be busy, so maybe...