The Gander

I went to the Gander after dinner to grab some drinks with friends. We sat at the bar and had 2 extremely friendly bartenders who were willing to recommend and make new drinks. They even made my friend different mocktails to try and made her feel really special. We had the most amazing wine — orange wine from Italy. I had never heard of it but it’s more similar to a winter version of a rose. I would definitely recommend the wine and the bar!

RESTAURANT WEEK REVIEW
When I come to a restaurant during RW, I only judge taste since clearly the wait staff have other tips to make. That being said, they were extremely attentive here and didn’t look down on us for ordering from the prix fix menu. Everything was delicious, but as expected, the chocolate on chocolate dessert was what cinched it for me. It’s in a really convenient location, and I’ll consider coming back here in the future.

Take advantage of restaurant week if your not certain about dropping $ 70+ for a lunch at this spot. And if you missed restaurant week… The $ 70+ you will spend will be worth every cent. The interior is elegant, sophisticated and pretty. Food portions are very decent and most exceptional. The crowd is a little on the corporate side and you can see some serious businessman sharing a lunch and talking «important business»… If that doesn’t turn you off, get there! And if it does turn you off — the food will be a sure thing to turn around your feelings about this place!

Came in with the Gilt City Voucher the day after Jonas and they were open like the snow storm was nbd because New York. Glad we kept our reservation — we got good brunch fuel to walk/​climb through the the city.
Generous glasses of mimosas to start off, plus the assortment of breakfast pastries, which included a chocolate coconut scone, cinnamon bun, carrot cake muffin, and apple cinnamon muffin. All were delicious, buttery, fluffy, and served warm (noted and appreciated).
Confit Duck Hash was so delicious… majorly crunchy potatoes, crispy duck skin, poached egg, elevated hollandaise. Super rich and filling. They offered lobster instead of shrimp and grits, which was pretty tasty as well. It was more dainty — a shallow bowl of not overly creamy grits topped with 2 lobster claws, sprinkled with something crunchy (my guess is fried mushrooms).
Presentation and taste were solid, however I think it’s a bit pricey. I also wish the menu had more light options — the lone omelet sounded too basic to order (and the steep $ 6 supplement for egg whites?).
Modern-​rustic décor + natural lighting = ideal brunch date environment if you don’t mind paying a bit more.

Came with a friend and a gilt city voucher. I got the bloody mary and liked it quite a lot. The pastry basket was delicious and had 4 really good pastries. For my entrée I got the omelet, which wasn’t anything extraordinary but was still pretty tasty. I had to ask for Ketchup though. Regarding the interiors of the restaurant, they were pretty nice. It has a pretty fancy vibe. It’s a big space (a handful of tables in the bar and then a large dining room in the back) and the light fixtures especially are really cool.
I would go back, but only if I had a voucher. For regular brunch those prices are definitely too high.

Hmm been there wasn’t that great
Small baby portion of food
They have a good salad though, I had the steak
The food just over priced for me
Ohh the bread is good
I won’t go back there

I would say 3.5 so I rounded up. The service is very attentive and fills up your drinks/​water/​tea very timely, which during brunch on a weekend is hard to find! The food was good but nothing crazy amazing. I really love the décor and atmosphere in here. It is really what you want when you are looking to have a quaint brunch with a few girlfriends. I didn’t find it too noisy to talk or too overwhelming to order my meal. I would come back and have drinks but probably not come back for the food especially for the prices. Maybe happy hour is a better bet for this spot!

The gannnnnndahhhhhh.
Do it, do it, do it. Own it, love it, work it.
I love this place. The drinks are amazeballs, the food is spectacular, the ambiance is exactly what I look for when I eat, drink, socialize, decide to write an email. Doesn’t matter, because it’s all being done at the gannnnndaahhhhhh.
You have to call it that too. You can not say, «Oh the Gander.» You have to say, «I’m at the gannnndahhhhh,» in a yiddish/​southern/​Asian accent. Trust me, it’ll make you giggle twice over.

Dined here for lunch at the bar. We tried the burger and the calamari salad. Both were delicious and well priced. The bar service was great and left nothing to be desired. So why 4 stars– because I want to try their dinner service at a table first.
I would definitely come back here for lunch if I’m ever in the area.
Also, I believe their happy hour starts at 2:30pm and runs until 7pm. When we dined they had two cocktails and a few beer specials; among other things. Happy hour menu can be found on their website.

We decided to try the Gander using my Git City voucher so one starting caveat is that I don’t know if i would return back without one due to the price for food. I’d say the review is closer to 2.5 stars but will round up to 3.
The deal included a three course meal with a drink. I chose a glass of red wine, which was fine and my date chose a beer. We booked on Open table for a Wed evening reservation. Service was good in the beginning and throughout most of our meal, but the restaurant was very quiet. We each ordered an appetizer of the seat trout tartare and hamachi crudo. Both were fine but nothing really stood out. Our mains were slightly better and I remember enjoying the duck breast, which was cooked medium rare and done quite well.
Despite the quiet restaurant, it did take a bit before we could get the check so wonder if we may have gotten forgotten being the only table in the back area. I probably won’t be back… just too many other great places to try for not-​so-​memorable dishes.

Reviews are mixed on this. We tried a ton of options: lentil risotto, gnocchi, flank steak, octopus, burrata, cauliflower entrée and brisket tots. Nothing blew me away and I could tell quickly that these dishes need to be eaten with all flavors in one bite. Makes a big difference but makes it tough to share as well. Wine and beer selection were good. The place didn’t have a high demand on a Saturday so maybe just too new? Anyway, don’t think I’ll try it again to be honest.

I’m still raving over this place after having visited it 3 days ago. My friend whom is friends with the chef, Jesse Schenker recommended that I try this place out during my visit to New York.
Although it was a bit pricey you will find yourself being in tune with the hip and casual ambiance. As you enter you have a casual bar area and toward the back you have more of an upscale dining area that is great for couples or groups.
As a recommendation by my friend I went ahead and tried the following: Brisket «Tots» w/​potato mustard, «Buffalo» Sweetbreads w/​Blue Cheese and Celery along with the Branzino as a light main meal to follow. For dessert I tried the Carrot Cake Ice Cream. I have to mention that this was the most perfectly made carrot cake that I have tried thus far. Everything was absolutely exceptional!

a nice 3 course deal at this place.
On the fence with the décor, it can be either casual or somewhat fancy. Good ambiance.
Food:
Appetizers were only okay. The calamari was fried to medium perfection.
The pasta is what stood out most at this restaurant for me. I had ordered an octopus pasta and it was absolutely delicious.
The main course was only okay to my taste.
The desserts were different from your classics. Interesting, but not my favorite.
Overall, decent 1^st time experience, but I don’t think I would return for a second.

The Gander is a solid place to eat. Located by the flatiron district, you’ll find this spacious yet chic restaurant nestled right along 18^th street conspicuously. Classy service and yummy food. This is a perfect scenario for brunch with friends.
I definitely will come here again for more.

A bit pricey given the portion size, but fairly tasty.
We stopped by as a party of five on a weekend with a reservation, but it was fairly quiet and half empty, so the reservation was probably a bit unnecessary. I split an order of the biscuits and gravy dish and the confit duck hash, the former of which was very good with a tasty biscuit and delicious sausage, while the latter was also quite good, the potatoes prepared with a nice crisp and with nice flavor to it. The dishes were a touch expensive given the size of the dish, but it was still enough for serving one person.
The ambiance is very subdued and quite nice, good for conversation with small– to medium-​sized groups. I’d come back to try some of their other dishes or for other meals.

Lapin and I came here on Saturday for brunch. We had reservation for 2pm but arrived around 1pm. The place was pretty much empty. We sat in the back area to dine. The décor and ambience was resplendent. Our waiter was polite and efficient but most of the time he left us to ourselves — sometimes with an empty glass.
We ordered the assorted pastry basket ($ 9) to share. The basket came with 5 different types of mini pastries from scones, cinnabons, muffins, etc. Most of the pastries were tasty but some tasted a bit stale. It would also been nice if they provided an assortment of jams/​jellies/​preserves, honey or butter as some of the pastries are a bit dry.
I ordered a bloody mary, which was okay. It had too much black pepper for my liking. Although, it was very filling and I couldn’t eat most of my entrée. Lapin ordered three mimosas, mostly because each one came with a half pour as each glass had more empty space than mimosa. He liked it but wished they pour an actually pour and not a 3 oz pour.
Lapin ordered the confit duck hash ($ 18) and he loved it. He said it was one of the best tasting dishes he had. He was so enthralled with it – he immediately decided he was going to find places that sell duck. I ordered the mac and cheese (casarecci, buffalo taleggio, mushrooms — $ 21). I was greatly disappointed when I saw the portion size for this meal. Granted it was tasty and rich but the portions — I could easily get more mac and cheese from a cup of EZ-​Mac. Great tasting food, bit on the pricey side especially with the portion sizes.
The reason why The Gander is a four star place instead of a three stars is the effort and attention that was put into each detail. For example, they offer complimentary still or sparkling water. Everywhere that would be $ 7+ for a bottle. Each bathroom is it’s own private room. Which means, no lines waiting or smelling unpleasant scents while waiting. Which brings me to my next point. The bathrooms were fairly clean and was pleasantly scented. The bathrooms are also stocked with Beekind soap and lotion. Yup, they also included lotion. How awesome is that?

Came here for brunch on a Saturday. They weren’t took busy and had plenty of tables despite prime brunch time. They definitely seem more of a dinner place. The décor is nice, but still kinda casual. Reminded me of the dining lobby of a nice hotel.
Service was great and very attentive. I split the assorted dessert pastries, which were great! It came with 5 different pastries, and was perfect to share. I ordered the burger medium rare. It was cooked perfectly and it was one of the best burgers I’ve had! It was seriously delicious! So juicy, and didn’t even require any ketchup or sauce (yeah, it was that good).
Fries were also very good, although they were wayyyyy too salty. All in all, a great experience and I highly recommend getting a burger from this place!

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. And what’s good at The Gander is… basically all of it.
I bought a Gilt City deal after seeing their menu, and decided I had to stop in for dinner. It was for a three course dinner with drinks.
The décor is wonderful. Somewhat vintage look with wood panels, tufted booths, and high ceilings. We sat all the way in the back, which was wonderful for taking in all the sights.
Started out with their sea trout tartare, which our waitress told us was one of their signatures. It was a very fresh take on standard tartare. Instead of ground meat, it was small pieces of trout. Instead of a raw egg, it had roe on top. And instead of toast points, there were pieces of crispy trout skin. And yes, it was all incredibly fishy. Definitely worth trying, but probably best to share it. The roe was salty and fishy (what did you expect?) and a bit overpowering, but fish was super fresh.
For my main, I had the scallops and veal cheeks with creamed kale. Yes, it’s a weird mix, but it worked so well. I love scallops and I love veal and I love kale, so it was a no brainer. The scallops had a nice sear on them and were pretty hefty. Very fresh too. The veal cheeks were so tender and you could cut it with a spoon. It melted in your mouth. Well, it melted in my mouth. The creamed kale (never had that kind of preparation before) was a nice, slightly bitter contrast. All of this was served over this orange cream sauce. Not 100% sure what it was, but I loved it. Maybe squash purée?
Was also able to try the duck breast, served with spring onion and morel mushrooms. Perfectly medium rare.
For dessert, I went with their chocolate custard egg cream. It really was like an egg cream. Chocolate at the bottom and fizzy soda all throughout. Definitely an interesting dessert. The banana parfait was also good. The coconut shavings and saffron were nice additions.
Also have to mention the drinks. I had one of their signature cocktails (the Spring-​Fashioned), which was on the light side (maybe to a fault). They also have a surprisingly good selection of beers as well.
It took a little while to get our bill, but service otherwise was responsive. A bit of time between courses though, but more time to talk.
A solid 4 stars for The Gander!

The service was spectacular! Not only they were so patient with our baby, the managers on duty were contestant checking on everyone’s table and making sure everything was okay.
The service was just outstanding! Although they didn’t have a changing station for the baby, but manager was so kind and directed us to their private dinning section for place to change baby’s diaper.
Food was great, we had a tuna skin and octopus as our appetizer! They were delicious and unique! Seafood were very fresh too. But probably the scallop dish as an entrée will not be enough for you as it only comes in two scallops.
great great great A++++ service! Highly recommended.

Who knew an open-​faced rotisserie chicken sandwich could be so good? OK getting ahead of myself so I’ll start from the beginning. I came here with a bunch of colleagues for lunch. We had to adjust our reservation to see if we could arrive earlier and they accommodated with no issues. The restaurant has a hip mixed with rustic vibe/​décor. The seating for groups are a bit tight but you make it work. Very cute table décor — almost feels like a rustic wedding! They serve you bread to start with and holy! That bread… is so good. It’s a pretzel bread and it comes hot/​warm with butter that isn’t cut like a hard rock. This already makes me a fan.
The table ordered either the aged-​cheddar burgers or the open-​faced rotisserie chicken sandwich. It didn’t disappoint. I heard those burgers were deliciously good and comes with super addicting shoestring fries. My sandwich was surprisingly really good! I didn’t expect the toast, salsa verge and rotisserie chicken to go so well, but it did! The toast was crunchy on the outside, inside was soft with salsa verde, topped with chicken. Came with an arugula salad. Thumbs up!
Good service, great food, comfortable seats even though it was tight. Good spot for lunch and recommended for groups.