We frankly don't know how we missed it. Maybe life has been too busy; maybe we spend too much time in the country; maybe we're just reawakening to exploring the food of New York City. Whatever it is, it's unforgivable. How have we gone so long without getting to know this great restaurant? We're sorry; but we're so happy to know it now.
Last night we sought out and found an amazing dining experience at Freemans Restaurant. It's located down a not-that-easy-to-find alley but easy to recognize once you spot the small white lights and European style outside (even though the restaurant's theme is rustic colonial American, it brought us back to our searches for gourmet treats in the small streets of France and Spain). The service was terrific. We're in no mood to give our time or money to snobs or folks who could care less about our patronage. This was not the case at Freemans. Every person we passed there, from the host to the manager to the servers, had a smile on his or her face, each said thank you and please and each seemed happy to have us there. Our server was knowing, confident, fun and approachable. After finding this cool spot, being greeted by the wonderful staff and showed quickly to our cozy spot in the Tavern Room, we got the chance to peep around and take in all the cool taxidermy/colonial tavern design. We could have stared at it all for hours...in fact we almost did...except the food was so good we had to stop to discuss. My reasonably-priced gruet in a short champagne glass was bubbly, perky and delicious. Our artisinal cheese plate with grilled 7-grain bread and fresh tart apples lives on in my memory still. Finally the pan roasted pollock with white beans and escarole was filling, hearty, warm and tasty. And thankfully we had room for the Bananas Foster afterwards. Not often does being bad feel so worth it afterwards. Delicious! This restaurant is worth finding and trying if you haven't before. And since it's been around since 2004 we'd suggest going back again if you've already dined with them. It's time to revisit!
