The Grange Bar and Eatery

The boy and I get excited when new places open up in our neighborhoods - his moreso than mine, since Hamilton Heights, ever so abundant with fast food and fried fish (which are delicious!), lacks for some nicer fare.

Enter The Grange Bar and Eatery, open for maybe a month or so now, fully cooking with gas (they initially opened with a "Coned menu" that required no heat).  The place is rustic and adorable and evidence of more gentrification of the neighborhood, including their price point.

 

Some complaints have been made on Yelp and Facebook regarding their pricing.  The cocktails range from $10-$13 or so, beers come in tall glasses for $8, and the menu tops off in the mid-$20s range for the steak and fluke.  These prices are typical for anything in lower Manhattan, but are a bit upscale for the area.

The best bang for your buck on the menu is the hamburger, a grass-fed blend of brisket, short rib and sirloin, topped with mega-fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles all on beautiful brioche buns.

Lately, we've been eating a lot of burgers that fall apart under the weight of meat juice and cheese, but the brioche held up like a champ, and the boy completely cleaned off his plate with real satisfaction.  "It's a really good burger."  Now if only the fries, which look clean out of a cafeteria freezer, could be a little bit better!

The crabcake shows up on the entree, but honestly should be considered for an appetizer, coming one to a plate, with only a small pile of purple house cabbage slaw on the side for the same price as the burger.

The crabcake had tasty flavor, an impeccable crunchy crust, and bits of celery for more added crunch throughout. The spicy mayo was delicious with the crab, but the whole plate left me wanting for more vegetables? Just something else to really finish off the plate to make it a true main course.

Ever-intrigued by donuts when I see it on a menu, we ordered them here.  A set of four freshly fried fritters are drizzled with chocolate and sidled by a small ramekin of condensed milk.  Yes.  My two favorite things in the whole wide world !

Though the crust is crisp, the interior is quite dense and borderline undercooked.  Not fluffy as proclaimed on the menu.  Still, any reason to sop up condensed milk. 

 

One small strawberry also came on the plate, and that dunked in condensed milk was incredible - far more satisfying than the donuts.  Maybe that should be their dessert, I told the boy.  He said, "You can't serve just strawberries with condensed milk!  Who would order that?"  I would.  It's amazing.  The Grange take note!

Han's Nonsensical Rating: We are happy to have you in the neighborhood, The Grange - surprisingly tasty eats.  If only your pricing made more sense.  Two fried green tomatoes on a plate for $10?  Yeah.  No thanks.  Burger, yes please !

The Grange Bar and Eatery
1635 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10031