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Spoon Table & Bar (CLOSED)

  • Restaurants
  • Midtown East
  • price 2 of 4
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
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Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

Forks jab and knives stab; spoons are the gentlest of utensils, so Spoon Table and Bar is aptly named. A cozy little nook nuzzled onto a desolate block abutting K-Town, Spoon is a surprisingly delightful New American eatery, featuring unfussy, seasonal comfort food. The host’s greeting could use a little work, but the otherwise cheery, brightly smiling staff makes up for any irritation immediately.

The room is spare but lively, a convivial energy warming the elemental decor. Concrete floors and raw timber columns complement blonde wood table tops and white-washed walls, all illuminated by some of the most flattering lighting possible from woven cylindrical fixtures. The effect is like looking through a real-life blur filter, creating flawless complexions with zero unsightly shadows.

The ambiance combined with the restaurant's modest prices, danceable retro soundtrack and plates conducive to sharing makes it a great date spot. Start off with a little pickle plate full of sprightly preserved vegetables to get your appetite up and running ($10), or picnicky snack of creamy deviled eggs spiked with bacon and chives ($8). Salads are categorized as entrees for a reason: they’d be difficult to polish off on your own as a starter, so either order them to split or add a grilled protein to make them a main. Heartier options include rustic skillets like four-cheese mac, meatballs with garlic bread and a homey pot pie (each $15). The mains are slightly elevated in culinary finesse, cost and size: they're almost big enough for two. Branzino en papillote is served whole, its delicate flesh perfumed with rosemary and thyme, lemon and garlic and accompanied by expertly roasted cauliflower ($30). A meaty Berkshire pork chop tastes juicy and robust, slathered in grainy mustard and served with a garlicky tumble of flash-cooked greens ($30).

You must save room for those flour-and-sugar miracles called dessert. A skillet apple pie served in a miniature cast iron skillet didn’t harbor the cranberries and orange the waiter described, but tasted excellent nonetheless, crowned with a buttery, flaky crust sprinkled with crystalline sugar ($11). A milky scoop of Ronnybrook vanilla is an extra three bucks, but the pie isn’t the same without it. Or stray from Americana with banoffee pudding, an English treat replete with bananas, toffee and a chewy stroopwafel ($11). The abundant portions stay consistent throughout the menu, so share your dessert if you plan on squeezing out the narrow room. Spoon Table and Bar may not be breaking any new culinary ground, but it serves the kind of lovely, craveable food you’ll want to cuddle up to, spoon in hand.

BY TIME OUT COMMUNITY REVIEWER: DEBORAH FENKER

Details

Address:
40 E 33rd St btw Park and Madison
New York
10016
Transport:
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 33rd St
Price:
$30 and under
Opening hours:
Mon–Fri 8:30am–11pm; Sat 5:30pm-11pm; Sat–Sun 10am–4pm
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