We were looking for a place for dinner on a Friday evening and were looking for reservations, when we stumbled upon Fraunces Tavern. We knew this place after going there years ago with our friends Jen and Gary for brunch, but never went back, the Financial District not being an area we consider often. Until now. This place has a lot of history, as I wrote previously:

“ Fraunces Tavern is said to be the oldest surviving building in Manhattan per the Sons of Liberty who are the lucky owners since 1904. This building is filled with history! According to the Fraunces Tavern Museum website, the current building was built in 1719 by Etienne "Stephan" Delancey, a French Huguenot who married the daughter of New York's Mayor Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Delancey's heirs then sold the building to Samuel Fraunces who decided to open a tavern called the Queen's head. It is in this tavern that, before the revolution, gathered regularly the Sons of Liberty, a political group of American patriots that was formed, pre-independence, to protect the rights of the colonist from the rules set by the British government.

But, one of the most famous story about this place lies in the dinner that took place on December 4th 1783: the "Turtle Feast". After British troops evacuated New York, the General (soon to be President) George Washington organized a farewell to his troops and said, in the long room: "with a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable."

After that, Samuel Fraunces became Washington's Chief Steward and, after the war, at the time New York was the Nation's Capital, the place was rented to the Government to house the Departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs.”

One thing I missed when I went the first time was their bar with more than 200 different whiskies. Not as much as the Flatiron Room, but still a quite impressive selection. So, of course, I could not resist trying one of their flights called “very rare fine bourbon” that was compose of (in order of preference):

- Woodford Reserve, Master’s Collection.

- Blanton’s Single Barrel.

- Michter’s 10 years, single barrel.

I liked the fact that they brought the corresponding tasting notes of each whisky so you can compare what you smell and taste as you try each of them.

Food wise, they had few vegetarian dishes like the jumbo pretzel that came with mustard and a delicious beer cheese sauce (I could not stop dipping the soft pretzel in it), or the grilled vegetables flatbread that had tons of veggies like broccolini, zucchini and arugula, but could have had a bit more fontina cheese.

Grilled Vegetables flatbread at Fraunces Tavern in NYC, NY

But the best for me was the filet mignon on a stone that is apparently their signature dish: it came on a very hot lava stone, so hot you could hear the meat sizzling. The concept is that you cook it the way you like. So I did, trying to keep it medium rare. The filet was amazing: tender, they put just the right amount of coarse salt, allowing the meat to form a nice crust. It was served with truffle mashed potatoes (could not really taste truffle), cherry tomatoes and pearl onions.

Filet Mignon on hot stone at Fraunces Tavern in NYC, NY

The meal ended with a fantastic dessert: a sticky toffee pudding, served with vanilla ice cream. Not too sweet, I could not stop eating it although full.

Sicky Toffee Pudding at Fraunces Tavern in NYC, NY

This was an amazing dinner and my only regret is that we waited that long to go there for dinner. Just thinking about that meal, I cannot stop drooling!

Enjoy (I really did)!

If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share it or post a comment. Merci!

Fraunces Tavern - 54 Pearl Street New York, NY 10004

Dinner at Fraunces Tavern in NYC, NY

I Just Want To Eat!