pretty much this. i remember going when it first opened and loved it. very fun scene, excellent service and the food was great for what was essentially a steakhouse. their black label burger is pretty famous even after all these years of excellent burgers. their cote de boeuf was great albeit very pricey.
we went maybe 7-8 years ago after the buzz died down and it was fine and while the food was good, it wasn’t the same. the chefs who made the place famous, riad nasr and lee hanson left the mcnally empire several years ago and opened frenchette…another restaurant that was awesome when it first opened and now i wouldnt go.
mcnally has a good track record of opening restaurants and reopening restaurants in unique spaces and still manages to do it well. this one feels like a cash-in but he deserves it.
as for his comments that people find offensive, i wont defend him as he is smart enough to get a sense of the current environment but i find him to be honest and interesting and id have a glass of wine with him if he ever asked me.
Clients always want me to take them there - ate about a month ago. Was a little difficult to get a table before 9 - booked about a week and a half out. People tend to gravitate toward the black label burger, but to be honest the Minetta burger, for me, is perfect. The burger is always good - though a little on the undercooked side. If you want it rare, medium rare may do it for you. The fries are worth the price of admission - and they give you a ton. Drinks are always solid as long as you dont get too exotic, and the wine list by the glass tends to be pretty decent. Go if you can - worth at least one visit.
Thanks Jay …I remember it from my childhood when my parents once a year would go into NYC to the Metropolitan Opera and to dinner there. It was their biggest treat each year.