Elite Event: Gran Morsi

It’s not always a treat being someone else’s «plus 1», but when it involves a Unilocal Elite event, you know you are in for something special. The first Elite Event of the year, hosted by the Gran Morsi, was the perfect way to kickoff 2015 and test those New Year’s resolutions I’m sure everyone «started tomorrow.» From the moment we walked into the space we were transfixed by the intimate and earthy atmosphere, with its muted tones, natural wood, and vegetation adorned exposed brick walls. Once we snapped back to reality, we realized there was food to be eaten and plenty to go around. At any given time, there were at least 4 different varieties of pizza for the taking (I tried them all and each one was more delicious than the last, so I tried them all again), passed hors d’oeuvres, including lobster croquettes with a chorizo aioli, chicken, meatball, and lobster parmesan sliders, potatoes topped with short rib, and sweet spiced nuts available at each high-​top table.
Once you rolled yourself out of the backroom and made it up to the bar there were plenty of libations available to wash down all the tasty treats… IF you were willing to wait out the suited bartender who looked like perhaps he had already enjoyed one too many. You know there’s an issue when the signature Wodka Vodka, OJ, and Basil cocktail tastes completely different from one bartender to the next, but free is free and who am I to complain! Aside from the signature drink, the bar also offered a variety of Wodka Vodka cocktails, red and white wine, and their entire menu of draft beers, which includes Blue Point Toasted Lager, Six Point Sweet Action, Ommegang Witte, Left Hand Milk Stout and other notable brews.
We had a chance to check out the full menu and everything sounds delicious and inventive, and if the offered bites were indicative of the quality you can expect, then the Gran Morsi is a homerun. Thanks again to Ruggy for this awesome event and to the Gran Morsi team and Wodka Vodka for starting 2015 off right! Who knows, maybe next year I’ll have my own «plus 1» :)

So for the first 2015 Unilocal Elite event, Ruggy made us all feel so special by inviting us here.
Décor is beautiful here, exposed brick walls, love the lights and the greenery on the wall. Swanky affair in downtown Manhattan. I would’ve never known about this place if not for a Unilocal Elite event here. So thanks Ruggy for always finding «diamond in the rough» locales for us to have new adventures.
I got to chat up Vip, and little did I know, he is the owner of the place. He was ever so sweet, unpretentious, down to earth and oh so polite.
The place kept our bellies full and kept the drinks coming. I did have one cocktail, but for me, I’ll stick to beer (in this case Blue Point toasted lager) and strong drinks. I’m not really a girly girl when it comes to alcohol…
At some point, I was even lucky enough to try the lobster parmigiana on a roll. Good looking out, you know who you are :-) Wink wink!
Thank you for having so many non-​meat options for me and I enjoyed having a few slices of the Forest Mushroom pizza, a few bites of lobster croquettes, and some Frito Misto shrimp.
Interesting part of the evening is that I found myself using the men’s bathroom on both occasions when Nature called (the women’s and unisex bathroom both occupied). And when you got to go, you got to go. Dean Martin was staring at you in the men’s bathroom. I had a hard time figuring out who it was. I was dumb enough to think it was Andy Griffith, sigh I am hopeless.
And even though it was chilly cold out, this place brought so much warmth into my heart and my belly.
Great way to start off 2015! Yea again to Unilocal crew and Gran Morsi for having us.

Shout out to Ruggy and all who helped plan this event. It was in my first of 2015 and surely a great way to start off the year!
Absolutely loved the orange juice and basil cocktail, a unique twist on the orange and vodka combo. Also, all the food was amazing, my favorite had to be the fried shrimp and the mushroom truffle pizza. Plates of antipasto everywhere, little slices of bread and cheese were a great starter. Unfortunately, most of it had disappeared by 7, so note to self: when an event starts at 6PM, it means almost everyone will be there by 6PM!
As for the atmosphere, they had a bar out in front and comfy seats and tables in the back (it surely is larger than I had imagined!). The walls were decorated nicely, especially with the framed art and the green plants! The lights were really pretty too, right?!
The staff was so nice and helpful, especially in taking away our plates and napkins and such. Although the bartender was a bit slow, that didn’t take away from the event at all. Will certainly be coming back here, thanks again Gran Morsi!

When Ruggy writes in an email it’s going to be an epic event, it’s in your best interest to RSVP.
Great way to kick off the Manhattan Unilocal year!
Gran Morsi is a beautiful new restaurant in the heart of Tribeca. They pulled out all the stops, or slides, for this event.
Wodka Vodka was keeping us warm on a chilly January night, and the food here kept our stomachs content.
The first things being served were a meat and cheese plate. Fine cut Italian meats, delicious cheeses, and an eggplant purée which was amazing! Spread some of that onto the crostinis and I was good. However, I knew there would be lots of more food, so I had to use my will power to stay away from that eggplant.
The pizzas were great. My favorite was the spicy meatball. Easily my plus one’s favorite as well. The margarita was basic, but still quality. The truffle one was a good runner up.
I have to say, I’ve never eaten so many different sliders in the course of the night. How good your slider was though, may depend on which round you got. The first chicken parm slider I was tremendous, but the one I tried later was a bit rubbery. Still I was more than satisfied. The lobster slider was the best. The burger was juicy. The meatball one however, was a little small for the bun. That could have just been that batch though.
The lobster and potato croquette might have been the star of the show. This place knows how to do lobster. The rice balls, short rib and spicy shrimp were all tasty, I unfortunately only had one of each though.
With so much food in my stomach I switched over to white wine. It probably didn’t enter my blood stream till I was half way home. It’s not like I had to be up at 5:45. Oh wait…
Don’t worry, I got up.
Thank you so much Gran Morsi. You are being bookmarked immediately. Huge thanks to Ruggy for starting this year out with a bang.

Burrrrrrrrr Unilocal elites found refuge from the cold in this cozy chic Italian restaurant/​bar in TriBeCa, steps from WTC. Already full house at 6:05pm. Whoa.
A shady coat check later, I was seated, catching up and chatting with the usual suspects. Truly intimate environment not conducive to meeting new people but surely the right place to have an impromptu date. Look into my eyes baby. These Unilocalers are crazy.
Helloooooo drinks. Going up… On a Tuesday. Yeah right. No turnt up time for me. Besides, there was no cocktail menu and the bartenders were too cool for bartending school (and a smile too). I should’ve opted for red wine but Instead had some surprisingly good concoction created by the emotionless droid. Two was enough.
Pizza was… Well, the margarita was good. Sometimes simplicity is best. This was simple and good.
Cheers to the 2015 elites!

I came here as a plus one – shout out to Dana M., who graciously brings me, a Unilocal elite wannabe, to these events. The atmosphere, as many of the other reviewers have said, was one of the nicest parts of this event. The space is small, but put to good use.
I was excited to see that I actually recognized some faces from Unilocal,and of course there was plenty of Unilocaler swag – bottles of hand sanitizer in Unilocal koozies, a sweatband that had a clever phrase about Unilocal and Blood, and of course, those wonderful little bottle openers that come in handy all the time.
I work in the area, but do not usually venture that far down to Warren St. Gran Morsi’s exterior is one that might be easily overlooked because it’s buried between so many other shops and restaurants, but I’m glad that this event could highlight a fine little dining spot. Its proximity to the subway also didn’t hurt, considering the unforgiving winter chill.
I hadn’t planned on there being so much food! I’m glad there was – a platter of meats and cheese were on a bunch of little cocktail tables, along with a bowl of nuts (just the right amount of salt). The lighting was subdued, and highlighted the place’s inventive décor. The ivy squares were a nice touch, and went well with the strings of lights that framed them.
The featured drink specials were very good – there was a vodka basil drink that I really enjoyed, although my second was not as good as my first because the bartender was rushing a little to serve everyone.
As for more substantial food items, waiters walked around with plates of Wagyu beef meatball sliders, lobster balls, and shrimp. All of it was good. They also brouht out pizzas cut into tiny slices, which was perfect for the occasion. In particular, i LOVED the forest mushroom (I believe that’s what it was called) pizza, which smelled amazing from the moment they brought it out until one sad slice remained, only to be snatched up by another hungry Unilocaler.
One thing that really stuck out to me was Sophia Loren’s portrait in the women’s bathroom… At least, I’m pretty sure it was her. Either way, this beautiful face staring at me as I washed my hands was a little eerie, but I suppose it’s one of those idiosyncratic things restaurants do to make themselves memorable. it worked, although perhaps that was not supposed to be my main takeaway.
Overall, I’m happy that this event introduced me to a chic little Italian place, and I would definitely consider returning.

This little event definitely shook off the winter blues .
Love the ambience and lighting, I want those light bulbs in my apartment. Whoever thought of putting a garden growing up the wall was pure genius .
Have to say Tribeca is constantly evolving and becoming its own little food and drink mecca and this is yet another great addition to the neighborhood.
Food, food glorious food, I have never seen so many trays come out of the kitchen Cold meats, cheeses, sliders, pizza, feed me Seymour feed me now !
5 stars to all the staff at Gran Morsi for executing this event so well .
Thanks to Ruggy and team Unilocal for yet another memorable experience.

Thanks Gran Morsi and Ruggy for a great 2015 event!
There was more than enough food to go around — and it just kept coming! I loved the little friend shrimp (that was a typo but it stays!) and it was nice to have so many pizzas coming out to sample.
I switched from the cocktails to red wine in an attempt to be responsible, although it was delicious and flowing so freely that I still ended up with my usual post YEE hangover.

What a fantastic event to kick off 2015! Cause really, who doesn’t love Italian?! It’s events like this that make me thankful to be Elite! I rarely go to lower Manhattan and would have never known this place existed. The restaurant had a very cool rustic-​modern feel with dim, romantic lighting. Everything, including the bathrooms looked brand-​spanking-​new.
As usual, an excellent turnout by the Unilocalers and of course everyone came hungry. It was awesome that they had plates of meats/​cheeses out on tables when we arrived, along with the bowl of roasted nuts, which were awesome. Then the food started to come out:
Chicken parm sliders (all bread, teeny tiny piece of chicken),
Burger slider (YUM and perfectly cooked)
Mini potato with short rib topped with cauliflower purée (amazing concoction and they said they have a bigger version on the actual menu)
Pizza (there must have been at least 5 different kinds and I did not try them all but the ones I did were great.)
There was not a food shortage, to say the least.
My one issue was the attitude and lack of caring that both bartenders had while serving us. I am certain they were aware of the event and specifics and when I ordered the special drink of the night, he almost rolled his eyes in disgust that he had to make another one! When I opted to switch to a beer I was given the «hold on, 1 minute finger» instead of something more considerate. I can’t imagine he was mad given that the tip container was overflowing, but I hope they are not like that on a normal night.
As always it was good to see my fellow Unilocalers and catch up. Thanks Ruggy and Gran Morsi for hosting a great event. I will certainly spread the word!

Are you E-​LEEET. Andre?
Did you get your BADGE ?
Hell yeah I did. Two Thousand Fifteen Elites entering Morsi, and what did we find? A very cool bar in Tribeca that doesn’t have a million TV’s hovering over its bar. Nope instead the bartender creating my drink did not have a nod of emotion. I believe he was a Vulcan creating my Morsi house drink One part Vodka, some orange juice, add tonic, and secret 7up-​basil leaf. He moved ever so gently creating each drink. I shall call him a Mixologist. I believe he was creating art. Allison C. called him Gus Fring. After googling it, that was an uncanny observation!
The Morsi of food from rice balls, lobster balls and a wide assortment of pizza, hit the spot. However love was in the air at Gran Morsi
The elite couple sitting next to me I speculate was on a date. The couple next to them was holding hands staring into each other eyes. I think its the atmosphere Gran Morsi set. This new place on the block has a rustic charm with hints of modernism. I can foresee Gran Morsi will have everyone in lovey-​dovey state of mind. Chic and hip I like this place.

Let me start by thanking the great people at Gran Morsi for inviting us Unilocalers to come and try their great dishes and pizzas.
The lobster cod balls were very crispy and actually the taste was not overwhelming. I really enjoyed them a lot. Another big surprise was the pizza, you could really taste the truffle on them. It was fresh and delicious! Together with the meats, cheeses, the veggies, sliders and the very fresh basil vodka drinks!
I asked the bartender if the drink is a house cocktail and I was told they change up around, so am really looking forward to seeing what cocktails they can prepare that pair up with the food! :)
Love the atmosphere, and the servers were very friendly and knew their food very well.
The space is perfect for after work dinners or events! As I work in the area, we are always looking for nearby places to hang after work, and gran Morsi definitely offers a great environment!
Thanks Ruggy for organizing the event! Always great to find new great places!

The first YEE of the year and a spectacular one at that: Gran Morsi showcased their italian hospitality in their beautiful TriBeCa space — with several passed appetizers and sandwiches as well as various brick oven pizzas. The bartenders served select beer and wine in addition to vodka cocktails made with Wodka Vodka. The environment was truly gorgeous with greenery and vintage lights lining a few of the walls, and the waiters were super friendly and pleasant.
Out of the many pizzas they served — like margherita and the spicy diablo — my absolute favorite of the night was the mushroom and truffle. And while it was in fact a little heavy on the truffle oil, it was delectable. :) Even though the bartenders had a bit of a challenge keeping up with all of us and not the most amazing personalities, they prepared some great drinks throughout the evening. Personally, I stayed with the vodka-​basil-​orange cocktail, which was so good and popular they started running out of some of the ingredients about an hour into the evening.
After peeking at the full menus they had around the restaurant, it made me very interested to return for a normal night of service as many of the choices on the menu looked pretty tasty. Gran Morsi made us feel right at home with their simple, warm ambience, and a big thank you to them for inviting us to experience their delicious food and cocktails — and Thanks to Ruggy and Unilocal for coordinating such a chill and awesome night.

What a way to kick out the year 2015 for the Unilocal NYC Elite Events.
I arrived a little after 6:30 and noticed that the hungry Unilocalers devoured the first round of food, I got a mojito to start the night, the mojito was not bad but I had better. When the second round of food arrived, I went immediately with a plate to attack everything there. It was so nice seeing a lots familiar face in this event.
The drinks:
There were a large variety of drinks.
The food options were:
There were at least 5 type of pizza, for the meet lover, veggies lover and one that only like cheeses.
Chicken parm sliders all bread, teeny tiny piece of chicken.
Burger slider was very juice and a yummy taste.
Arancini: creamy and piping hot!
Spicy Shrimps: I only had the chance to taste one but was very good.
And more.
The staff was so attentive and efficient all night.
Thanks to Ruggy for organizing another great event and special thanks to the staff at Gran Morsi for being such wonderful hosts.
PS: Congratulations to all who got the elite badge

Unilocal Elites returned to TriBeCa after a long period between then and the last event held in the neighborhood (Haus). Great start to 2015! I love this neighborhood as I grew up here and in the LES. It was certainly one of the most bitter cold nights in recent memory… the last of which was roughly a week ago. Happy to have brought along a +1 for this one. It was definitely fun
When we arrived, we were greeted by none other than Ruggy himself! High energy as ever, he welcomed us and checked us in.
Inside is a beautifully adorned Italian bistro, lighted in amber hues and bordered by a plants along the wall in the rear (a trellis of vines to evoke memories and character of a garden in Italy)
Glad to see familiar faces and new Elites too. Congrats to all. A big ups to Ruggy and Gran Morsi for making this happen!
There’s coat check and a full bar up front and a good sized dining area in the rear (probably good for 16 – 20 tables). The event had us pick from among their typical hand-​held foods like pizzas (margherita, etc), and sliders.
They also had runners walk through with samplers from their menu. Among them were meatball sliders, lobster sliders, chicken parm sliders. These were wrapped in a ciabatta bread which have it a nice chew, perhaps too much chew. Of the appetizers, i think the second or third plate of chicken parm was tough or rubbery. Something to look out for Gran Morsi.
Drink selection was good, based on the vodka that was made available to mix with. There was also a special cocktail infused with basil up for grabs. These were delicious if not laden with plenty out seltzer. You could choose a house white or red if carbonation isn’t your thing.

New year, good company, and tons of awesome food?! So much for that 2015 resolution I never made…
Gran Morsi was a terrific space, with a bright and vibrant front bar area and a more secluded seating area in the back. We were greeted with some light bites, charcuterie, etc. but after 10 – 15 minutes or so, out came the passed hors d’oeuvres, including lobster croquettes, chicken parm & meatball sliders, shrimp, and potatoes w/​shortrib. As if that wasn’t enough, they treated us to four different kinds of pizza, hastily putting out new pies along the side tables for all to enjoy. Needless to say, there was plenty of goodness to go around!
It’s hard to knock a place offering delicious (and free!) food and drinks, but I have to ditto the other reviews about the gentleman in the suit (@Allison & Yanill: Gus Fring indeed!). He seemed to be pacing back and forth, emotionless, sorta just absent from everything. I’m not sure if he’s a manager, trained assassin, or otherwise, but the service was slooooow and aloof. The other Ed Norton-​ish bartender was friendly and trying to do his thing, but was again slowed down by his pacing compadre who was needlessly taking laps back and forth instead of pouring those tasty basil drinks! Fortunately, they were also happy to offer up a choice of 6+ draft beers (Ommegang Witte, Left Hand Milk Stout, and Sixpoint Sweet Action, to name a few) along with some red and white wines.
The full menu looked great, and considering Gran Morsi is only 2 stops from me via the 4/​5, it’s an easy and definitely worthwhile return visit! As always, thanks to Ruggy, the Gran Morsi team, and Wodka Vodka for a great start to 2015 in Unilocalland!

What a pleasant YEE to kick off the new year! Absolutely splendid!
Arriving at 6, the party was already in full swing, and it was great to catch up with so many of my dearest Elites that I had not seen since 2014; it was kind of like going back to school after winter break. I ended up rolling solo; five minutes before arriving, the beau informed me that his cane broke on his way down to meet me. Awww! (He kind of needs it to WALK, needless to say!) Couldn’t help but laugh when those that know me asked me where my other half way. Haha. Glad I had plenty of friendly faces to keep me company in his absence. ;-)
There were many and plentiful food options. My singular food complaint would be about the rolls for the cheeseburger sliders: was I the only one who found them to be consistently dry? Regardless, that did not damper my evening, needless to say. The friendly staff gave me a rundown of some of the meats and cheeses, which was helpful. (It helped me avoid the spicier cuts!) The pizzas were all delectable, namely the Margherita, which was quintessential. Basil, melted mozzarella, and tomatoes go together like milk and cookies, just a match made in heaven!
The drinks were generally good; the star of the evening was Wodka Vodka mixed with 7-​Up, orange juice, and basil leaves. I’ll support Yanill’s statement about that one sour bartender, who bore a striking resemblance to Gus Fring. Dear Andre N. had informed me about him prior, saying that the bartender in the gray suit seemed distant. Sure enough, when my usual bubbly and happy self plopped down at the bar to get drinks, we had an extremely awkward exchange. When I asked what drinks the other bartender was making, he just stared at me. I tried prompting him, «…I see he’s adding basil to it?» He finally stated in a monotone voice what the drink was. I asked him for two, and he slowly shrugged away to make them. Hmmmm. Hope he was just having an off evening! (Sorry. I’m Little Miss Empathetic here. Haaa.)
I was peeping at the menu placed at my table, and I would definitely be interested in coming back here for dinner in the future. Very cute, sexy, and all that good stuff! That Rabbit Sweet Potato Gnocchi I spied? Yes! Make a plate and save it for me now!
This event was lovely and chill, yet boisterous and joyous. Thanks to Gran Morsi, Unilocal,and Ruggy for such a wonderful evening!
P.S:. Thanks for the Unilocal hand sanitizing gel! The infection control worker in me swooned! «Clean Hands Save Lives!» :-D

Celebrating Elitedom at the first Unilocal event of the year! Now this was a nice way to ease into 2015 with a chill cocktail event down in Tribeca.
If I didn’t come here for last night’s Elite event I would have not even known this place was here. It’s one of the reasons why Unilocal CM Ruggy finds cool spots like Gran Morsi for us to check out.
Walking in I immediately enjoyed the laid back stylish vibe here. Beautiful lighting, artwork, exposed brick walls, live plants hanging in wall accents, long welcoming bar up front with a dimly lit dining area in the back. Very modern rustic chic romantic feel. Seems like it would be a great spot for a first date, or for a couple on the twelfth after the deal has been closed. Boom chicka bow wow!
We were immediately treated to a variety of cocktails and small bites from their menu. Tables were set up with an assortment of fresh cheeses and Italian meats, different kinds of pizzas, nut bowls, and servers coming around with rice balls, chicken parm, meatball, and lobster sliders. The booze of the night was Wodka Vodka and they were serving up a bunch of different cocktails made with it along with some decent beers and wines. There was no problem getting your drinking game on this evening! We also had more than enough bites to satisfy.
This event had a good mix of old and new Unilocalers. Fun catching up with a few after the New Year, and I met some others in person that I only knew from the site.
Thanks Ruggy, Unilocal,and the staff of Gran Morsi for opening their doors to us and hosting. It was a perfect way to spend a frigid Tuesday night. Before leaving I chatted with the GM and said next time we come by mention we’re friends of Unilocal and they’ll hook us up with a happy hour special. Nice gesture.
Oh yeah, Unilocal scored big time when the swag was hand sanitizer gels in those clip on sheaths. Perfect for winter cold and flu season. Yet, I think I drank enough vodka to kill every germ in my body tonight.

First YEE of 2015 and off to a great start!
I must have walked down this block a dozen times before and never noticed Gran Morsi. Anyways, after entering and shaking the icicles off my coat, I was greeted by the pleasant staff. Gorgeous bar and décor, simple and warm. Definitely a great spot for a special occasion. Huge turnout tonight but the place is pretty spacious so it didn’t feel stuffy.
Aside from the assorted bruschetta and antipasto platters, I got a chance to sample a handful of the selection tonight — assorted pizzas (mushroom was my favorite), arancini (creamy, and piping hot!) and a few sliders — a lot of stuff was fully distributed before it got to us so I’m not sure what I missed. For drinks, I sampled their house cocktail which consisted of basil, vodka, orange juice and 7up. It was quite tasty and strong and made my walk home later a bit more bearable.
Thanks Ruggy and Gran Morsi for hosting! The staff was so attentive and efficient the whole evening despite the madhouse. It was a great evening catching up with my fellow Unilocalers. Cheers to great food, great friends and another year of elitedom!

Good times. Great way to kick off the new year!
Gran Morsi was very well decorated and the place was dimly lit but lively. It was super cold outside but the inside was warm and cozy. I had been here for happy hour before but with the tables moved to the side, I really liked how the space was laid out for the event.
Managed to try most of the small bites. Favorites were the truffle mushroom pizza and lobster croquette. Pretty delicious. The food distribution was very effective with charcuterie and various nuts on the tables, and it never seemed like people were swarming for food. I mean, people were still swarming, but it wasn’t a madhouse to get to the dishes first. Everyone seemed to be happy and satisfied. Drinks were great, and very refreshing.
Great job by Ruggy and the Unilocal team for putting together another excellent event as usual. Major thanks for all their hard work and letting us partake in these awesome events!

Great 2015 Kickoff event. I was a bit hungry this time and relieved to come across so much delicious food all night long! My favorite was the spicy sausage pizza (not sure what the official name was.)
Wide variety of drinks and I got to meet some awesome new Unilocalers. Can’t wait to see everyone again. My only wish is that the main bartender (in suit) had been friendlier. He was not personable at all. Never even heard him speak or smile and it was a bit intimidating to order from him. He was not a happy camper! I heard many people mention the same thing. It was unfortunate, however did not take away from the experience. We all had an amazing time! Can’t wait to see all my fellow Unilocalers again. I love seeing everyone and the rest of the staff was beyond excellent. The food kept flowing. Thank you Unilocal,Ruggy and Morsi. Good Times.