There are VERY few places that I dine at and then run right home to blog about. In fact, this may very well be the first time (I left this place 15 minutes ago). Albert Hall Tavern is located at 508 9th Ave (between 38th and 39th Streets). Their site (www.alberthalltavern.com) isn’t yet live (which is hardly surprisingly, since they have been open less than ONE WEEK). Their phone number is 646-490-4803, however, if you want to get in touch.
I live in a neighborhood that isn’t well known for go-to dining establishments. Sure, there are delicious places in Times Square, and there are a number of Hell’s Kitchen restaurants that are go-to, but the area on 9th Avenue near Port Authority isn’t exactly known as a mecca for cuisine.
So when Mike and I noticed that a new tavern was opening up in a space that was recently a short lived velvet rope night club (non-sensical for this area), we checked out the menu. It looked great. Some really delicious sounding dishes (bone marrow, short rib ravioli, a Thursday special just called “pig”) and a nice looking inside (that we could see when we peered through the window) made us both say to each other, “we need to try this place.” (They opened on New Year’s Eve.)
So tonight, when my coworkers wanted to go out for happy hour, I suggested we try the new place. When we walked in, it seemed a little fancy, but with a great draft beer selection and some good rock music (the kind you just love to sing along to) playing.
We quickly noticed that they had an interesting selection of beers, most of which we couldn’t pronounce, but sounded promising. Our bartender (Brian, I think) mentioned that he appreciated our selections and quickly poured us our taps. We all tried our beers and made various “wow” type sound. We all mentioned how much we were each enjoying our various selections, however, one stood out; Adam chose a German wheat beer, Weihenstephan. Turns out, it’s the oldest brewery in the world (nearly 1,000 years old!) We all wound up ending with this beer and enjoying it thoroughly.
We also asked for the bone marrow appetizer, which included beets and braised beef. (SOLD!) It came and we all managed to give the bones extra scrapes, and commented on how delicious the braised beef was. It was heavenly. From start to finish.
We struck up a conversation with our bartender about visiting the south (where he’s from) and I think we were all taken aback by how “at home” we immediately felt in this place.
One of the managers came up to us soon after and brought us artichoke dip, compliments of the chef.
We were immediately impressed by the (obviously) homemade potato chips on top. While we all wanted to dip them, they were too fragile, so they acted as a perfect crunchy topping as we ate this with our forks.
I was thoroughly impressed. As someone that LOVES artichokes and has eaten artichoke dip in many restaurants, I was really intrigued at how fresh the artichokes were, how unique this dip was, and how it didn’t have any of that mealy texture that is so popular in artichoke dip. I’m not sure there was spinach in this. It just tasted like fresh artichokes and cheese.
FAN. tastic.
We wound up chatting with the manager and the owner, and found out the future plans include making the back into a “game room” where they plan to serve whole suckling pigs to private parties. They plan on making brunch a big deal in the next few weeks and plan on being open for lunch soon.
I was so impressed by this place. Fantastic beer selection, the food we tried was unique and delicious, and the staff was so hospitable and friendly. It’s the kind of place I can see finally becoming my neighborhood go-to.
They have shrimp by the pound where you can get a whole meal for about $10. And we were advised to try their oysters.
When Mike got home from work, I actually debated turning right around and going back for dinner.
I’m sure I will be back soon.
Go. Now. Before the secret is out.
Tags: albert hall tavern, artichoke, artichoke tip, best restaurant near port authority, best restaurants, bone marrow, hell's kitchen restaurant, new bar, new restaurant, new tavern, restaurant reviews, restaurants, times square, Weihenstephan, where to eat, where to eat in fashion district, where to eat near lincoln tunnel, where to eat near penn station, where to eat near port authority
