Commodore Grill

Took a client out for lunch after some meetings at our Chrysler Building offices. Standard upscale grill menu so I went for the Burger… which was nice. Comfortable and good service. Nothing really memorable but a good spot for some lunch.

they have this mix that makes for a slightly-​better-​than-​liquid dinner
they have this clientèle that makes for disneyland-​like people-​watching
they have this bloody mary mix that the bartender believes is the best
and, i think, that’s about it

When you are Midtown and you are gasping for a drink you could do a lot worse than stumble into the Commodore Grill in the Hyatt near Grand Central. After being too early for the elusive Little Branch and too late for the Oyster Bar, we figured a hotel bar might be better than simply dying of thirst in the subway. Turns out, the Commodore Grill was a genuine Fort Awesome.
Fort Awesome (as defined by Rose): A plush swanky, expensive place to hang out and have a drink, often in a fancy hotel that you probably couldn’t afford to stay in. Other Fort Awesomes: Montelione in New Orleans, Cosmos in Graves Hotel in Minneapolis.
On our quest find the perfect Manhattan in Manhattan (which was really more of a couple hours of cravings rather than a quest) we found a version of the drink that kicked the ass of any Manhattan I’ve ever been served in a bar before. I can make a pretty decent Manhattan at home, but this one used different booze (Seagrams Select – yeah, I was surprised, too) that was tasty but not quite so powerful with just the right amount of sweet vermouth, bitters and melted ice to round it out. Sweet, smooth, warming and surprisingly thirst quenching. The latter property was important since the Grill’s bar food was more towards the sports bar end of the spectrum. The crab cake was good, crisp on the outside creamy and crabby on the inside, but it was a tad small. The calamari was just the opposite, too much, too greasy and overdone. We ended the meal with a tower of strawberries and pound cake with dipping chocolate. It was a showy elaborate dessert. Where they found such delectable strawberries in late November, I’ll never know, but they almost didn’t need the chocolate, which is a huge compliment.
The mood and décor of the Commodorer is nice and subdued. Plush comfy sofas beckon you. Low lights make you feel relaxed and able to ignore the table full of English people next to you ordering Pinot Grigio. What’s wrong with them? Pinot Grigio is a nice refreshing white wine, but damnit, where’s your thirst for cocktails? You can have a glass of white wine anywhere, at any time. Obviously the Grill employs a very excellent bartender who is just wasted on people who order white wine by the glass. My husband deliberately avoided Pinot Grigio at a liquor store later that evening just to protest those people. Come to think of it the lighting could have been more subdued at the Grill, cause obviously those people got to us more than we let on.
Also some of this might be a touch of self-​loathing on my part since I was annoyed with myself that for my first drink I got a champagne cocktail. It was delicious and refreshing, but it’s kind of a no-​brainer drink. If you use good champagne you really can’t screw it up. Once I tasted Graham’s Manhattan I was kicking myself.
Anywho, to finish the review: the wait staff was attentive and helpful without being obsequious and the prices are as you’d expect at a pricey hotel in midtown. $ 12-​$ 20 for a cocktail; $ 8-​$ 15 for an appetizer; $ 20 for that crazy dessert.