Hotel Griffou
Photo: Adrian Wilson
Located in a West Village townhouse that was once a 19th-century
lodging stop for the likes of Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe, Hotel Griffou is the product of a dream team of restaurant vets from
Pastis,
Balthazar,
Freemans and
Waverly Inn. Last Wednesday saw the first night of reservations, and the Buzz was there to check out the scene.
The Food: Throwback American by Jason Michael Giordano (ex Spice Market).
The Design: Five distinct dining rooms, including the homey Salon, with its classic dishware and fireplace; the Studio Room, a boisterous Village atelier outfitted with long, wooden beerhall tables; the more subdued library, strewn with fur pelts; the leaf-laden Palm Terrace; and the cavernous wine vault, for private dining up to 14.
Sample Dishes: Duck a l’orange with baby beets ($27); classic steak Diane with whipped potatoes and haricot verts ($35).
Sample Dessert: baked Alaska for two, ($12).
Sample Drinks: Mexican Rose Cooler, tequila, agave nectar, fresh strawberries and cilantro ($14); the Iceberg, absinthe, yellow chartreuse, lime zest and crushed ice, ($14).
The Crowd: 30-something cocktail culties; townhouse locals; NYU grads; long-legged women in short summer dresses.
The Tunes: ’70s and ’80s-era chart-toppers, from Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Money Changes Everything.”
Cool Antiquity: During construction, partner Larry Poston unearthed an 1892 menu from the hotel, which provided a dish for the current menu, “Marie Griffou’s Sauteed Pork Cutlets.”
The Deets: 21 W. Ninth St., (646-448-4632).
– Kathleen Squires