Wannabe Rock Stars at The Waverly Inn New York

By: Finance Foodie

The second chapter in my NYC Foodie Weekend takes place at the Waverly Inn. This West Village restaurant, owned by Vanity Fair magazine's EIC Graydon Carter, has been touted as a secretive clubhouse for celebs and media movers and shakers. Although I am wary of such places - as an abundance of hype does not directly correlate with an abundance of good food - I decided to have dinner here on Saturday night. We arrived to a packed house - obviously the economic crisis has not affected the patrons of the Waverly Inn. My thoughts on the night as followed....


The Decor
This restaurant is separated in three sections: the bar, the dining room, and the garden (aka "Siberia"). Apparently, the mere mortals are set apart from the A-listers by seating assignment, with Siberia being the least desirable. I secretly (well not so secretly anymore) wanted to sit in Siberia, as it was close to the fireplace and looked warm, quiet, and cozy. This notion of thinking probably further enforces how mere mortal I am.

The Food
I ordered the tuna tartar with avocado as my appetizer and the cedar planked brook trout with glazed carrots for my entree. We were also given a basket of baked biscuits with honey butter. The food was classic and simple American homestyle - certainly not bad, but not out of this world amazing either. The honey butter was the highlight of the meal, as it was light, sweet, and a perfect complement to the biscuit. Prices were reasonable (for NYC) and the portions were pretty substantial.

So apparently, the Waverly does not allow photography in the restaurant, so no pictures folks.

The Scene
This was a sample of the conversation at the table next to ours:

Male #1: "I think I need a nose job. Do you think I need a nose job?"[Ed note: he did need a nose job]
Male #2: "(to Male #1) But we have the same nose...do you think I need a nose job?"
Male #1: "Hmph.....well......she needs a nose job then (to Male #2's female companion)"

I'll let you draw your own conclusions....

The Service
Given how busy the restaurant was, the service at the Waverly is not bad. We were seated immediately upon arrival and greeted by our waiter a few minutes later. Our waiter was friendly and my water was constantly refilled without prompting.

All and all, an interesting evening with decent but uninspired food. Would I go back? I think the more relevant question is am I allowed back after this review. Besides, I heard Graydon is not a fan of us finance types anyways.

The Waverly Inn and Garden
16 Bank St
New York, NY 10014