In Venice, where I come from, mealtime is that time of the day we get together with friends and family to chat and enjoy ourselves, while we eat. Whether it’s a quick lunch break in the working neighborhood, or a long holiday dinner, what matters is that we Venetians always want to make sure it’s a pleasant dining experience. Well, that’s what it was like back when I called Italy home, before I came to New York City to pursue a career as an actor. Now, however, as a sudden and exciting change in my life, I’m going to be writing about eating well in this great city, where I have been enjoying myself very much. My intention, as a brand-new writer for Viva! Lifestyles, is to write in a different style than you may be used to – perhaps my own style –, which are my restaurant reviews of some of the nicest dining places the city has to offer.
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The first restaurant I chose to review is The Garage Restaurant & Café, located on Seventh Avenue and W 4th Street. A couple of weeks ago, I met with my new publisher for brunch, Lucas Eller, and the vice-president of the Drama Book Shop, Allen Hubby, who gave me some helpful insight on dining at excellent restaurants in the city. And our brunch was “Jazz Brunch” at The Garage, to be exact.
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Upon arriving, the outside tables right on the sidewalk of Seventh Avenue looked like a great place to enjoy the live music playing on the inside by a live band, while observing an authentic frame of the west village lifestyle. The inside, on the other hand, seemed to be the perfect place to experience the pleasant soundtrack, therefore offering two slightly different settings in the same place.
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Though the restaurant is rather busy, the professional staff managed to have us seated with menus within a decently short amount of time.
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At this point, we took advantage of the six dollar, one hour, unlimited cocktail offer (valuable only with the adhesion of the entire party) and had a cocktail each, which was not bad. And we ordered typical American food: the Garage benedict and the Caprese omelet were very good choices. Eggs prepared in various ways, bacon, bagels with salmon and cream cheese, and burgers, including an excellent and healthy tuna burger, all served with mashed potatoes or the tasty “Jazz-brunch” potatoes (on demand).
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This classical and tasty meal was served by a professional and pleasant waiter, who checked on us regularly without being invasive, and always had a smile to spare.
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Bottom line is, if you are looking for a nice place to relax, have a typical American brunch, listen to some music and interact with nice and professional restaurant staff, pick up your phone and make a reservation for next Sunday at The Garage.
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Location: 99 Seventh Avenue S (cross street: Barrow)
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Closest subway: Christopher St – Sheridan Sq (1, 2)
W 4 St (A, B, C, D, E, F, M)
14 St (1, 2, 3)
Setting: business casual
Cuisine: contemporary American, steak, seafood
Price range: $26.95 – $32.95; brunch: $16.95, add $6.00 for unlimited brunch cocktails
Phone number: 212-645-0600
Website: http://www.garagerest.com
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EXCELLENT RESTAURANTS by Lorenzo Pozzan
