New York City: Crimson and Rye (May 2018)



My spouse and I visited Crimson and Rye on a Monday evening in late April 2018. Crimson and Rye is open for drinks and dinner only from Mondays through Saturdays (closed on Sundays). You can make a reservation using the online Open Table system.

Crimson and Rye is located in Midtown East/Turtle Bay on East 54th Street near 3rd Avenue. Chef and restauranteur Charlie Palmer created the cocktail bar in a street-level space in the Lipstick Building in July 2014. (The building gets its name from its shape and color, which resembles a tube of lipstick; in addition, it is famous because it is where Bernie Madoff operated his $65 billion Ponzi scheme on the 17th through 19th floors.) 

The 2500-square foot space offers several seating options for about 90 customers at a time, either at its large oval bar, at a few booths, at regular tables, or at some leather armchairs with small cocktail tables adjacent. In warmer months, a sidewalk patio (with overhead protection from the telescopically projected building) accommodates about 40 guests. The lounge area in the building’s 30-foot high lobby creates a more intimate nook with the aid of partial walls, a lower ceiling, soft lighting, vintage carpets, and polished dark woods. 

Crimson and Rye serves upscale American cuisine in snack, small plate, and larger plate sizes. We shared a prosciutto and parmesan flatbread with truffle salt as an appetizer, followed by the mini pork tacos (served in three hard mini shells filled with spicy salsa verde and pickled onions) and the shredded beef sliders (also served three to an order, with meat and cheese piled on tiny buns, and served with sides of grated horseradish and sliced dill pickles). The menu also features a selection of oysters, cheese, and charcuterie. The bar does not offer desserts, but our server recommended two nearby establishments where we could order a sweet ending to our meal. 

Food service was incredibly slow, so slow that we joked that the food might be prepared in an alternate location and then messengered over with Uber Eats or a similar delivery service. The restroom scenario is also odd; you must exit the restaurant, enter the office building lobby, take the elevator to the basement level, obtain a key from the elevator attendant, walk down a deserted basement hallway, then use a key to unlock the appropriate door.

The food at Crimson and Rye was tasty and the drinks were interesting, but the slow service and the bathroom situation would prevent our return.










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