Another bad week, another perfectly good reason to find a steakhouse. Tallow just opened inside the old Lord and Taylor building, and word got to me about a happy hour running ten dollar martinis from five to seven. I did not need to hear anything else. I headed down, relatively close to the trains, no complaints there.
The Shaver Hall
I walked in without much of an expectation and the Shaver Hall itself is genuinely beautiful. Eleven different spots to eat, live music playing while I waited, and honestly that alone told me this was not going to be a bad night. I got there a little early, caught some music, grabbed a martini at The Layover, the bar sitting right in the middle of the hall, and waited for happy hour to actually kick in.
Walking Into Tallow
Five o’clock hit and I made my way over. Staff was immediately friendly, and the restaurant itself is gorgeous, modern, classy without tipping into pretentious. They had launched a brand new menu that same day, new dishes across the board, so I got to see the place at its freshest possible moment.
The Happy Hour
Ten dollars gets you a martini here, and the menu covers more than that too, shot and a beer, vodka martini, gin martini, a Toki highball, red wine, white wine, an Aperol spritz, a Hugo spritz. Something for basically every kind of friend you would ever bring along. They shake the martini right in front of you, which never gets old to watch. I went with my standard extra dirty, blue cheese olive, made with their well vodka, and for ten bucks it hit exactly where it needed to. I would go back for the happy hour alone without even thinking about it.
The Prix Fixe
I ordered the fifty nine ninety nine prix fixe, which comes with an Italian salad, steak, and fries, and lets you pick from three cuts, a seven ounce tenderloin, a ten ounce picanha, or an eight ounce hanger. Smart move on their part, letting people choose their own fat content instead of forcing one cut on the whole table. I went tenderloin and would order it again without hesitation.
Deviled Eggs and Bone Marrow
I added the deviled eggs and bone marrow, bone marrow was a extra twelve dollars on top of the prix fixe. The Italian salad and the deviled eggs came out first, salad hit the spot, I moved the pepper aside because arugula and I are not on speaking terms these days, age does that to a man. The deviled eggs landed exactly right too, light, soft protein, the kind of bite that keeps happy hour from hitting your stomach too hard too fast.
The bone marrow, less impressive. Lackluster is the honest word for it. I have had a lot of bone marrow in my life and this did not crack the upper tier, and they did not even have the right spoons for it, which in Midtown Manhattan feels like a detail that should already be dialed in. That said, this is a brand new restaurant, so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. My advice, skip the bone marrow for now or give it a few months before trying again.
The Steak and Fries
Tenderloin delivered, cooked well, exactly what I wanted. The fries are cooked in tallow, which fits the name, but I am a crispy fries guy through and through and these did not hit that mark for me. Nothing against the kitchen, just a personal preference talking.
Dessert
Closed out with a raspberry lemon dessert, and I genuinely could not tell you the name, did not even take a photo of the menu so I could pretend to remember it later like I usually do. Rich, creamy, not too sweet, heavy on the tartness in the best way, lemon and raspberry playing off each other well. Solid way to end the meal.
Final Verdict
Tallow earns a recommend, particularly for the happy hour. Staff was great, most of the food landed, one dish fell short, and that is a completely reasonable outcome for a brand new restaurant still finding its footing. Ten dollars for a martini or any of those drinks is a steal in this city, full stop.
One real complaint though, the bathroom situation. Food halls have this issue where you have to leave the actual restaurant, walk through the maze of the hall, and eventually find your way to a bathroom somewhere else entirely. After a couple of martinis, navigating that maze is not exactly what I am looking for. A bathroom inside the restaurant itself does not feel like too much to ask.
As always, what do I know? I am just a fat guy from Brooklyn trying to survive the week, one martini at a time.
Looking for more NYC restaurant reviews? Check out my Best Steakhouses in NYC, Best Burgers in NYC, and Best Restaurants in NYC lists.