Day 550: Drinks, Nibbles and the such at Columbus Tavern

Living in New York City as the years go by, restaurants come and go, just as the people who frequent them do -- an ever changing social and cultural landscape of one of the world's greatest metropolitan melting pots.  For the past fifteen years, City Grill was the Upper West Side neighborhoody joint to go to for burgers, beers, and a relaxed time and then at the end of 2010, the management announced that it would reopen as Columbus Tavern. 

Earlier this year, Columbus Tavern reopened with a new American menu -- dressed up pubbish food, a relaxed atmosphere, and classic cocktails -- the 21st century version of City Grill, same sort of feel but new.

The other night, I ended up there later in the evening with a few friends for some cocktails and nibbles, a quiet place where we could all hear one another talk in NYC can sometimes be tough.

So what did we all split?

Their grilled flatbread with grilled zucchini, artichokes, caramelized onions, arugula and goat's cheese. Summery, light, flavorful, and perfect with the cocktails. And at $9, it was a pretty good deal!

We also had their crispy artichoke salad with Parmesan and arugula, a riff on the classic Italian carcofi style dishes you find on all menus in Italy. These were crisp, dainty artichokes, not overly fried so that you didn't feel the fry grease.

Lastly we had a classic shrimp cocktail -- the shrimp were fresh and delish.

Overall just some snackies to go with drinks with old friends. A nice place to be able to hear one another chat without any fuss!

Columbus Tavern

269 Columbus Avenue