"Inside, we were greeted by a pleasant hotel reception area, followed by a stylish bar. Our table offered a clear view of the open kitchen, where a variety of clothesline bacon appetizers were being prepared. The ambiance was modern rather than the traditional charm I remembered from the Manor, but it was still inviting. Overall, the food was quite good, and our server was exceptional. The cocktails were fantastic as well. The clothesline bacon was flavorful, though it had a few burnt spots—something we’re not particularly fond of, but the taste was still impressive. My son declared it the best bacon he had ever tasted.
Unfortunately, the margherita pizza was a letdown; it came out as just a plain cheese pizza. Our waitress explained that they typically don’t add basil for kids, but we requested extra basil. After trying it, we decided to keep it to avoid wasting food. The flavor was fine, but it seemed to have been made with shredded cheese rather than fresh mozzarella, lacking the delightful pools of cheese surrounded by sauce that I expect from a margherita pizza. Additionally, we were accustomed to fresh basil leaves, rather than the pesto sauce they used.
Things improved from there, as my cocktail was outstanding. I chose the Quattro Quattro, made with Old Forester 100 proof bourbon and Cynar Italian bitters, which provided a fresh and delicious twist on a Manhattan. The 20 oz dry-aged ribeye, while possibly slightly smaller than advertised (perhaps around 15 oz?), was delicious. The sides we ordered—potatoes and asparagus/mushrooms—were excellent, although the Brussels sprouts were a bit overcooked but still packed with flavor. The steak was cooked closer to medium than the intended medium rare, but it remained tender. It came with a memorable tangy sweet sauce known as B1, a patent-pending steak sauce by David Burke.
As mentioned earlier, our server was fantastic—very attentive and even removed the pizza from our bill, which I assured her was unnecessary, but she insisted it was the right thing to do since we weren’t happy with it. Overall, we enjoyed a lovely meal for the three of us, with plenty of leftovers, all for under $200."
Green Beans
