Grand Banks - NYC

Brace yourselves for an unbeatable Sunday Funday restaurant review. When Brad and I were in NYC a couple weekends ago we decided to check out Grand Banks.

At Pier 25 sits a wooden boat upon which resides a fabulous bar and restaurant. According to it's website the establishment is "inspired by the floating 'oyster barges' that lined Manhattan's waterfront in the 18th and 19th centuries, Grand Banks features sustainably harvested oysters, nautically inspired cocktails, and awe-inspiring views", and I can vouch for all of the above.

Grand Banks takes mostly walk-ins and is busiest in the late afternoon-early evening time frame. They do take some reservations, so being tourists and having no idea what to expect I decided to make some, originally for Saturday. This is one of those restaurants you have to put down a credit card to reserve space and that threatens fees for cancelling last minute so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, it was raining on and off all day Saturday. According to their website they would only close if there were thunderstorms, so we took an uber down to the Pier and walked all the way over. Only then did we realize they postponed opening until later in the day. This was my only compliant. You'd think a restaurant who only took a limited number of reservations and required a credit card to secure a spot would call its guests to inform them that they were not going to be opening. But we came back Sunday when it was sunny and spectacular and could not have been more impressed. I will say, now that I've been, I'm very glad they did not open on that rainy Saturday. The weather Sunday was perfect, however the wind from Saturday remained and we were in for a rocky ride even while docked. I'm not sure I could have made it off in a straight line if I had more than a few drinks. LOL

The views from our table were absolutely breathtaking. From where the boat is situated in the Hudson River Park we could clearly see the Freedom Tower and surrounding skyscrapers.

We could even see the Statue of Liberty off in the distance.

We each started off with a Bloody Mary. I appreciated the simplicity of its presentation. More often than not when you order a Bloody out the over the top garnishes distract (and sometimes even cover up for lack of flavor) from the drink itself.  This Bloody was one of the best I've had. The homemade mix had a punch of flavor and did not skimp on the horseradish (I mean just look at it!). We were both impressed.

Next I ordered one of each of the raw oysters on the menu. They included Navy Point, Silver Fox, Black Duck Salts, Big Rock, Island Creek and Kusshi. They were prepared beautifully. And of course I paired them with a glass of rosé, because duh.

Brad ordered the lobster roll which was Maine lobster with herb, fennel, lemon, dulse emulsion, and pickled cucumber on a bun with a side of mixed greens. The greens could have used some dressing, however the roll was phenomenal. The lobster warm, the bun toasted and the melody of flavors balanced perfectly. We also ordered the fries which are served with seaweed salt, sage aïoli and spiced ketchup. I expected them to be a little more extra than they were but you can't go wrong with fries.

There was even an adorable little sunning deck you could order drinks and relax on. When we were leaving a woman was soaking up the sun with her champagne and Pomeranian so they must allow dogs. The service was also extraordinary. Our server and the rest of the wait staff were extremely attentive, friendly and took the time to chat and joke around with us. I found their nautical-themed uniforms charming without being over the top and cheesy. I cannot wait to come back and work my way through more of their cocktails! Thanks Grand Banks!