Gatsby Landing has been on my list for quite some time. The menu is reasonably priced, and it’s fairly close to my office and close to the 42nd trains. I figured today would be the day to check it out, since my options are running a little thin since I was looking for a walk-in restaurant. We arrived here around 5:30 PM on a Friday evening, and we were able to walk in easily for a party of 2.
Ambiance
The decor is interesting in that it has that vintage and contemporary vibe. The restaurant is inspired by Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby”, so it has some of that roaring 1920s glamour accents displayed.
When we arrived, the restaurant was very quiet, and they seated us at a 4-seat round table. But when we left about an hour later, the restaurant had many more diners, and the crowd level was decently noisy. Fortunately, it did not feel as noisy as Valerie nearby when it comes to sound ambiance.
The service was attentive and fast.
Food
The Caraway’s Coconut ($18 - left) came with Coconut Island vodka, coconut water, mint, and pineapple juice. My partner enjoyed this. It was smooth and satisfied their coconut desires.
The Pinot Noir ($16 - right) came from J. Vineyards, CA. This had a nice medium body to it.
The complimentary Foccacia bread came with olive oil and salt sprinkles on top. My partner said that it was too salty for them, but they have a habit of intentionally soaking the olive oil into the entire bread. I thought it was fine if you just dip it quickly.
The Crab Arancini ($26) came with 3 pieces filled with lump crab meat, mascarpone cheese on top of squid ink aioli. The arancinis had a decent crunch to them, though I would say the crab meat was a little scarce than I would have preferred.
The Brick Chicken ($35) came with slow baked half chicken, fingerling potatoes, and broccolini. The brick chicken was pretty good, but it cannot be compared to my all-time favorite brick chicken at Marc Forgione. The chicken was juicy, but it could’ve used just a tad more seasoning.
The Pork Chop ($38) came with a grilled Heritage double cut of Berkshire pork, wilted spinach, roasted sweet potato, and blackberry gastrique. The pork chop was a generous portion for the price and had a nice char on the edges. It was a thick cut, but it was very juicy and cooked perfectly. It did taste a bit under seasoned, and the blackberry gastrique didn’t have enough flavor coming out of it. The garnishes all tasted good as expected.
Final Verdict
Gatsby Landing is good for a Midtown New American-style restaurant. The food will likely not amaze you compared to other New American restaurants, but it is affordable and acceptable in the Midtown area. It doesn’t have a lot of traffic generally, so if you’re around the area, this restaurant could be a good option to check out for walk-in dinners or coworker get togethers.
Yelp Jabs
This place is stunning and beautiful. However as a vegan, I didn’t have the most wonderful experience… The problem was I ordered broccolini without any dairy, I requested oil. When the dish arrived I knew instantaneously that it was butter, I asked my cousin to try it as well, to make sure. She confirmed that was butter. I informed my server and he asked the chef who simply said “it was vegan”.
I’m probably naive about this, but is there such thing as vegan butter? Regardless, it does suck that they couldn’t cater to this Yelper’s needs for vegan dietary restriction. But then again, vegans are in their own niche breed of catering food to.
The food was horrible for the price, no flavor. The place probably has good potential, but it’s a fraud.
This Boston Yelper left a really bad review for some reason and neglected to mention how the restaurant did take care of their bad dish. Fortunately the business owner did respond to this Yelper in a more positive light. Yelpers should generally try better to tell the whole story if they are planning to lash out at a business.
Revisions
- Nov 4, 2022 - Initial revision.