A fixture of the Meatpacking District since back when that neighborhood’s moniker was merely an unimaginative descriptor, Old Homestead is precisely what you think it is. As such, there’s a comfort in knowing—from the name alone—what it offers before setting foot inside.
According to the restaurant’s site, Old Homestead’s co-owners, “…will be the first to admit that not much has changed…since their family took it over 70 years ago.” Indeed, the palette of auburn, bronze, and chestnut dates the triple-decker establishment’s last refresh circa 1950. If this carpet could talk, it would wheeze. But the room is tidy and comfy and there are pretty stamped-tin ceiling recesses.
The servers are pros. Highly capable, quick, and friendly while forgoing any syrupy ingratiation. Reluctance to let much time pass without offering service is a type of efficiency that, considering the restaurant’s location in a tourism nexus, is wholly unsurprising.
The menu features a handful of cocktail classics with little to no mixological faffery. Who needs it when the old school Moscow Mule and Old Fashioned were both precisely as expected? There is a wine list and a few beers on offer as well, but those remain unexplored.
The meal started with a crab cake the size of a mason jar lid–delicious with discernible hunks of crab meat. It arrived in period costume: encircled by halved cherry tomatoes, atop squiggles of balsamic and some kind of tartar sauce. An order of “tempura” shrimp was actually just fried and served in a nest of crispy rice noodles. Fine with me–who quibbles with fried shrimp?
The house special 16oz herb and spice-crusted ribeye ($69) and the Wagyu strip with cippolini onions and mushrooms ($73) were each well-temped and well-seasoned (the Wagyu was sauced). Creamed spinach and mashed potatoes were under-seasoned, but with salt and pepper shakers at the table—problem solved. For dessert, a slice of NYCheesecake was creamy and not oversweet–sure to ring the bell of expectation, but any tintinnabulation recedes upon paying the bill.
The Old Homestead acts its age. But does tiredness, scruffiness, or obstinacy prevent you from loving your grandparents? If your visiting folks are allergic to modernity and willing to shell out, this is a nice option after watching the sunset over the Hudson. If mom and pop are apprehensive, soothe them with the knowledge that everything they need to know is all right there, in the name.