The House Restaurant

Last night we went to a new restaurant in the Gramercy Park/Union Square area. It was located in a small, converted,house (hence the name). It's a very attractive, comfortable, place with a bar and a few tables on each floor. The menu is Italian-accented American with a focus on fresh ingredients. It's only been open four months and they are still getting their act together.

I started with a martini made with the Plymouth gin that was voted best gin for a martini in the WSJ. It was very good and so large that I never got to have a glass of wine with dinner. Chris had a nice glass of Tuscan red also a generous portion.

Chris ordered a Yellow Fin Tuna "Crudo" served with olive relish. It was quite good and attractively served. My order of "Mediterranean Seafood Salad" was a disappointment. Oddly, the only seafood was boiled shrimp and red potatoes. It was not what I imagined, in fact, pretty ordinary.

I followed with the daily special Rotisserie - Barbecue Amish Chicken with a side order of spring vegetables (ramps, morels, fava beans and fiddle-head ferns and peas). The chicken was the way I like it, on the bone. The BBQ sauce was a little too sweet for my taste. The vegetables were very fresh and tasty - a real highlight. Chris had Garganelli Pasta with Spring Vegetables (similar to those I had), The hand-rolled egg pasta was reminiscent of penne. It was quite good and attractively served.

We tried a Key Lime Tart for dessert. It was awful. The cracker crust was heavy and soggy. The selection of coffees did not disappoint.

Overall, a little disappointing, considering how attractiveness of the restaurant. Prices were moderately expensive. It might be worth a revisit in a couple of months.

The House

121 East 17th Street (between Irving and Park)

212-353-2121