Hotel Griffou: Gourmet Underground

There was a palpable happiness in the air. It was Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the city was half deserted, and everyone was in a good mood. From the second we got out of the cab and were greeted by a handsome elderly gent at top of the stairs to our last bite and sip, the service at Hotel Griffou was absolutely splendid and welcoming. The space was dreamy, and, as in almost all cases nowadays, a throwback to the earlier days of New York, of speakeasies and secret hideaways. We ate in the Library Room, one of 4 rooms, which had a fireplace accessorized with a fox stole, and bookcases with lots of leather books and gadgets from days past and present. Brad Fisher’s paintings adorned the walls and were a sexy compliment to the space—powerful portraits loosely drawn  on gold backgrounds, screaming with personality. I did not enter with overly-high expectations on the food, but turns out I was dead wrong. All the dishes we ordered were exemplary, starting with green and white asparagus, crab cakes, and on to our fish entrees. Chef Jason Giordano has a way with a sauce, I loved the ginger broth that accompanied my red snapper, seen in the photo. Fantastic cocktails abounded as well, as sampled in the Ginger Reposado Margarita made with Milagro tequila. I highly recommend a dinner here. Click here to see more photos of the space and what we ate.