Minetta Tavern: A look at the 1930’s

Credit: Minetta Tavern

Just the name Minetta Tavern is reminiscent of 1930's New York City. The tavern was named after the disappeared Minetta Brook, a two mile long water stream that ran from 23rd Street to the Hudson River. Minetta Tavern is one of the city's biggest treasures, centrally located in the heart of the Big Apple.

Tomorrow the restaurant will offer a Thanksgiving menu in addition to their regular dinner menu: A Turkey dinner (available a la carte) which will include breast and leg meat, a sausage-chestnuts stuffing, roasted fingerling sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and cranberry sauce.

Want to learn more about this renowned restaurant? Here is some of its history: The restaurant opened in 1937 in the Greenwich Village, and it has hosted notables such as Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O’Neill, E.E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, among others.

Minetta was recently closed and renovated, but according to MICHELIN’S inspectors, it managed to keep its essence. “This quintessential New York tavern is still surrounded by dark wood, checkerboard tiled floors, and those framed caricatures,” reads the MICHELIN review.

Credit: Minetta Tavern

Today, aside from holding one MICHELIN star, Minetta serves one of the best burgers in the world: the Black Label Burger. The secret, according to VinePair, is the Pat LaFrieda beef, a blend of NY strip, skirt steak, brisket, and dry aged ribeye.

Minetta is interestingly considered one of the best restaurants to sit at the bar, since its owner, renowned restauranteur Keith McNally, is known for having great bars as hallmarks in his restaurants.

It is safe to say, hence, that this restaurant gets better as it ages. As the New York Times perfectly summed it up in its 2009 headline, Minetta Tavern represents “Beef and Décor, Aged to Perfection.”