My husband and I ate at Gage & Tollner in the late 1970s. I remember asking the waiter if they had anything with garlic or spices (as the menu looked rather bland to me) and he said, “We don’t serve Italian food.”
We still laugh about it.
1
Is the Covid hysteria pushing back the launch date? So much work and cost for a delay, especially all of the perishables. Ugh! If I were in BK I would make a point to visit. Social distance another time? Very cool space with tons of history. I look forward to going someday.
Nice seeing it come back to downtown Brooklyn!
1
My wife and I have been dining out together for 40 years, which probably includes over 1000 restaurants. Our one visit to Gage & Tollner, in the early 80's, is legendary to us as the worst dining experience we've ever had.
Of course it's returning, inequality is rampant and thus far only getting worse. Check out the prices on the menu, this restaurant is for the 1% crowd. 10% for special occasions.
Tavern on the Green? Not exactly something one would want to brag about on their resume.
I did enjoy many meals there when I was a medical student residing in Park Slope back in the day when nobody living in Manhattan would deign to cross the river unless they were purchasing illegal drugs. ("Call us when you're back in the city," anything outside the island was deemed akin to living in a foreign country requiring a plane ticket and passport.) Prices were rather cheaper even factoring for inflation, and doctors from Long Island College Hospital were usually paying the tab as a way of thanking us for a month or more of unpaid labor. Even nearby Junior's where I was a regular seems like they've raised their prices to reflect the wealth that has decided Brooklyn is hip and fashionable.
Some caveats- old-fashioned food, and this menu is pretty staid and retro, might not be the best bet with all the changes swirling in the food world. A cauliflower steak for twenty four bucks doesn't change that calculus. And opening on the Ides of March when the coronavirus might seriously curtail folks wanting to gather in public places with strangers might be a really bad time to open. Aside from that, the proximity to the Barclay's Center will guarantee a steady stream of customers with ample disposable income.
1
It does employ people you know.
4
I'm so glad to see that the Times read up on the prodigiously talented Mr. Shepard. Yes "not your average chef de cuisine, indeed!" The new G & T may have some of the old favorites on the menu, but you can be sure that when Adam has a hand in it, the old will become new. He is one of the best there is and I am so excited to go to the new G & T.
2
I am so looking forward to this opening, I will be bringing my family and friends, how wonderful!
I moved to Brooklyn in 1989 and ate at Gage & Tollner. Such an impressive place. I watched with sadness (but not surprise) as it slowly faded out of fashion, until it became the unthinkable: an Arby's.
Things never stay the same in NYC, that's a lesson everyone needs to learn. I am thrilled it's coming back in whatever form, and not the least bit upset that it's not the "old" Gage & Tollner. The building alone is worth a visit. I wish the new owners success!
5
I loved the old G&T, and enjoyed many things off the menu, where each section was an encyclopedia of choices. How many ways are there to serve oyster, clams, quahogs, scallops, crab, lobster? I never figured out what some of them were. i loved that the waiters wore hash marks in their sleeves to show longevity of service. I loved the blue cheese vinaigrette. And the nesselrode pie.
But the new menu misses the gestalt of the old place. Merely moving into the building and using the old name does not make it G&T. And it is incredibly overpriced. $24 for 6 oysters? $24 for cauliflower steak? I heard been thinking of a visit when i first learned of the restoration, but, nah. It’s NY, though, so there will be plenty of people willing to fork over too much $$$ for food.
1
Oysters are expensive and cost the same everywhere, whether in Brooklyn or Nantucket where I live. $24/6 isn’t a terrible price. I’ve paid a lot more for oysters and I’ve paid less. It’s 2020; everything is expensive unless you eat fast food.
1
As an Irish Brit- G&T- with it's evocative (for us) initials was a must visit for almost every one of my 6 times a year visits to NY through the 70's and 80's...Sure there were better places to find hi falutin cheffy food...but for ambiance, an enjoyable feed - even some interesting wines...I and my mostly music business guests, loved the place. OK I was a bit steeped in Damon Runyon nostalgia so the taxi journey 'to Brooklyn' through icy cold but steamy streets always set me up well. Although my hotel was just up the street from Gallaghers-conveniently placed for a music man opposite Birdland, it had become too slick and quick...In another twist of nostalgia my Warner Bros chums always insisted on feeding me mega lobsters (tasteless )at Patsy's...If I recall- and forgive me if this has already been posted- many of the staff at G&T had previously worked as stewards on the US railroads... and I seem to remember being shown lapel pins denoting such service. I post this from Thailand where I'm supposed to be writing another book...so I wish the new owners and the diners of today well...and as the sun sets here on a part of Asia that was never in the British Empire-I will have a Gin and Tonic and hope to see you soon-at G&T's...Corona Virus permitting.
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I live in the sticks and hope to visit Brooklyn soon. I had no idea that straight sided martini glasses were out of style and the coupe had taken over the land. Ha, it is kind of fun getting old as there are so many small things you just don't care about! I think I might like to take some martinis in a thermos to a picnic and drink them out of paper cups! It's possible, it's even likely.
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@Sues What a wonderful comment! Enjoy your martinis - wherever you drink them and from whichever receptacle. Salut!
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I ate there when Edna Lewis was cooking, in the 1980s, and the place was a tired war horse then, long overdue to be put out to pasture. She-crab soup tasted like it came out of a can, and the whole place seemed, well, dead. It was like spending the night at a formerly grand hotel, down on its luck, and down at the heels. Years later I walked by it when it was an Arby's. What a shame. A&S was shutterd, downtown Brooklyn a shabby forgotten wasteland. I'm glad it's all being turned around, and I wish the new proprietors the best of luck in their new endeavors! I'm going to find my way there one day soon to celebrate their pluck and ambition and drive, and guts in investing in this landmark to bring it back to life for the betterment of Brooklyn and our dining pleasure. Thank you!
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@Craig A&S or Abraham and Strauss was taken over by Macy's. The former had their style with old-time elevators operated by an elevator operator. That's gone with A&S.
3
Seems like a promotional piece written by a publicist. A puff piece. Please some critical reporting....
@G
The place hasn’t even opened yet and already you want it panned? Yeesh...
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@G Seems like a crabby old man who owns a restaurant in the same neighborhood.
4
My wife and I had our wedding reception in the upstairs "dining room" on St. Patrick's Day 1979. It was a stretch for us at the time, my pay had been frozen by the city and my bride was just starting law school. We walked from our apartment on Orange Street and ate and drank until my mother informed me that my bride was sick in the bathroom.
We celebrated our anniversary there as often as we could afford to until it closed.
I was just about to try to get a reservation for March 17th, until I saw the menu, but now that we're both "voluntarily unemployed", I don't know if we could swing it. ( I mean $8 for rolls and butter...Really?)
7
As a young, struggling couple just beginning our careers in NYC and with little money to spare ( saving for a down payment on an apartment ), we saved and celebrated our birthdays and anniversaries at Gage and Tollner.
What a treat! Such atmosphere! Wonderful food and service.
Seven years later, we celebrated a new baby, my husband making partner and a new ( tiny ) apartment at T&G. And splurged on champagne and the works. What an amazing evening with the staff making sure it was special.
Delighted to hear about the reopening. Thirty-five years later, I can think of a few more big occasions worth celebrating at T&G and many just-because evenings.
Simply can’t wait to see what this spirited and talented new team have in store for us.
7
Please include Gage & Tollner's amazing lobster bisque on the menu - which had the added benefit of making lunch there affordable.
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@ miriam brooklyn
I hope you will agree with me that a top-of-the-scale lobster dish is lobster newberg/thermidor or lobster flesh, boiled or slightly grilled.
1
I love Fort Defiance so I’m excited about this new venture.
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Check out the menu on their website. Fried chicken for $27. Give me a break. Astoundingly high prices for simple food.
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@jeff
They spent two million dollars renovating the place? What do you expect them to do?
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@themodprofessor perhaps not spend $2,000,000 to renovate a restaurant. Seems rather excessive to me but then, after all, I am only a member of the hoi polloi.
Couldn't believe "no one could remember what they ate". Sure, the space is wonderful, but who doesn't remember the clam bellies?
4
@Willa ...or the Welsh Rabbit
$24 for six oysters. What kind of ripoff is that?
3
@Nat It's called "recouping the cost of renovations."
3
I don't think the chef is tapping into something we didn't know we needed by selling honest-to-goodness mutton. At $5.25/ounce.
The incongruent signage seems to suggest a horror house. Hope the food is given more thought.
Excited for my next trip to NYC!!
3
Best of luck to the new Gage & Tollner. I haven't been in the restaurant in decades, and would wince when passing by its stints as a fast-food joint and cheap diamond store. Glad for its revival!
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So when does it open? I will be in Brooklyn in early June.
4
@Milton Lewis Match 15! They start taking reservations on the 11, I believe. You can sign up for their mailing list on their website.
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All good news, but what a pity that the Tuscan Style lettering of the original sign was replaced by a mid 20th century sans serif. Talk about cold and inappropriate.
8
Take a look at the menu. You can have the privilege of ordering Parker House Rolls for eight dollars! They are probably imported from the Bronx so the value is there.
8
I hope they bring back the hash browns in cream.
4
I'm familiar with the existing places owned by these three, and have been looking forward to this for years now, both as a photographer and a diner. But reading this article worries me, because I'm also vegetarian. Will there be any options for me, or will I be stuck with a side salad and a roll?
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@David Dyte
If you are a vegetarian, why would you possibly want to go to Gage and Tollner?
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@David Dyte https://gageandtollner.com/menu-1 !
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@SR - everyone has to eat. So, where should the many vegetarians and vegans go? And if you don't drink alcohol, stay out of the gorgeous bars?
1
This is the best news ever! It's such a beautiful dwelling and I'm so glad it's receiving the love it deserves. I can't wait to go there when I visit New York!
4
As a young attorney, the partner at my firm would take his client's there for lunch when he was on trial in Brooklyn. When I second seated him, I went too! I just loved the place. So much so that my husband and I would go on our anniversary. The interior was/is beautiful and the food excellent. My favorite dish shirmp scampi.
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What a lovely idea. The menu looks exciting and the place is beautiful, but do these folks ever look outside their bubble? The prices are so prohibitive that this old New Yorker won’t ever get to dine. Looks like it’ll be another Peter Luger’s with its clientele divided between the elite and the tourists out looking for that authentic “Brooklyn” experience.
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@Jenna A steak house and the renovation of a landmark has real costs. If you can't afford to be a regular, go for the special occasions in your life. It is a piece of history after all.
1
Any hints on the prices? Smells from here that it will be in the Per Se plus category.
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What a lovely story! I went to Gage & Tollner for lunch with my parents (both sadly gone now) in 1984 right after being admitted to the bar as a brand new lawyer that morning. Welcome back G&T!
15
That must have been the coolest Arby's on the planet. The sad thing is that these awesome interiors have become so rare. I love the paneling in old places like this. How many cigars must have been smoked in there over the years? I hope they can get that hideous paint off the exterior. This place is on my list. Innovation does not always mean improvement, especially when it comes to food and drink. Don't mess with the classics.
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@Sean
I recall that the first tenant of the space was a TGI Friday's. Given their predilection for faux fin-de-siècle décor, it probably worked well. At least by looks.
For significance I came across this quote at Wikipedia "In 1975, Gage & Tollner became NYC’s third landmarked interior, after the New York Public Library and Grant’s Tomb."
I moved out of Brooklyn in 1990 and probably have not been there since 1989 but I have great memories of the nostalgic atmosphere. I will be happy to sit down to a meal there again.
9
No one has mentioned the anthracite coal grill, which was never shut down and produced what to me seemed the special flavor. Could it come back? Would it even be legal?
10
What a wonderful story to read this morning! Of all the landmark restaurants I saw close in NY, few made me sadder than Gage and Tollner. Now it’s back! The world may survive after all!!
23
What did I eat? Chicken and vegetables in parchment, circa 1990-91. I feel many an A&S reunion may in the works!
7
Now that Downtown Blkyn is filled with pricy apartments,I hope the restored Gage &Tollner enjoys its rebirth with young dinners . We ate there years ago but I also don’t remember the food we ate. I will never forget the ancient waiters who wore what looked like war metals on their jackets .I think the metals were awarded for their years of service. Oh and those brass chandeliers.
Peggy Herron
15
Just have to root out the remaining people in the neighborhood who can’t afford apartments in the sky.
1
Sohui and Ben are class acts, and the food at their restaurants up to now has been top-notch. I can't wait to eat at their newest spot!
5
Up next: the farm to table revival of Mamma Leone’s.
20
I'm going to vote with my wallet and make a dinner reservation asap!
10
If the gas lit chandeliers don't work Im not coming in. Watching the staff light each one was ceremonial and added to the flavor. From the picture it seems they are electrified. Please say it ain't so.
4
Everybody has their own memories. My mother told me that she celebrated there after getting her naturalization papers back in the early 1950's. I remember it because of Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce breakfasts that I had to go to. The best one was when the speaker was Murray Kempton. And I did see them lighting the gaslights one evening on a date. My other notable memory was that when Ed Dewey had it, he kept a 19th century menu under glass near the front.
6
My family and I had lunch there after my college graduation in 1989. I had a swordfish steak, which was memorably not that good. Nevertheless, I'm excited to see a come back for G & T and I will likely go again.
3
I dined here sometime around 2000. It was, alas, not memorable other than my recollections of the space itself, which was grand fin de siecle. It takes a lot to get me out of Manhattan these days for a meal but once this place gets on it's feet, I think it could well be worth a trip to downtown Brooklyn. I'm glad that it's stint as a (god awful) Arby's is well in the past!
4
Went to Gage & Tollner must be close to 30 years ago. Still remember the she-crab soup I had there. Best of luck.
11
Best of luck to them. Sounds like a great resurrection.
10
Hope part of the modernization of the menu includes having real plant based options. I always wanted to go to the original G and T but never did because there was nothing for me to eat!
7
Nobody,
Here's your entree...
Twice Cooked Cauliflower Steak
Salsa Verde
9
@Nobody
Cows eat plants. They are plant-based. All animal life is plant-based.
5
I was a 21 assistant buyer at A&S having lunch with the buyer I worked for and a vendor. The professional wait staff, elegant atmosphere and sophisticated menu of its day was my entree to the adult world. I wish the new owners all the best and hope to get in on my next trip back.
23
@Chef Dave
When my A&S buyer invited me to join him and the vendor for lunch at “Gage” I also felt like I joined the adult working world. It led to a 30 plus year retail career! I have wonderful memories of lunch there eating beautifully prepared fish and asparagus in season
3
I dined at G&T in the early 50's, don't remember what I ate but do remember the gas lights and especially the waiters, with rows of stripes on their sleeves for years of service, and some with stripes and an eagle - the eagle was awarded after 25 years. That impressed me, I hadn't been around that long yet. The sun shines differently in Brooklyn.
37
@charlie The signature dish was clam bellies- one went to G&T for the seafood and the atmosphere of the old gaslights, the waiters. Edna Lewis came to G&T long after it was a famous restaurant and then in its dying days.
Hope it hits its old high notes.
9
@ MHM Metro
As a far away reader of the food scene of New York, I fear the commingling of the multi-national culinary talents of the owners of the revived restaurant. But, all the best to them and their clients!
1
@Tuvw Xyz What is there to fear? Perhaps the "commingling of the multinational talents" will bode very well for the new establishment's food. The myth that one's ability to produce good food of a certain nationality is predicated on being of that nationality has long since been discredited. Cooks from anywhere can make food from anywhere, and make it well. Japanese chefs make outstanding French food; Mexicans cook splendid Italian. Even Pim Techamuanvivit, who used to rail against anyone but a Thai presuming to understand Thai food, has non-Thai executive chefs at her restaurants.
I never ate at G&T in the Edna Lewis days, 1988 to 1995. But I remember a sinfully rich and delicious she-crab soup, probably a remnant of her menu, in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, I also remember ill-advised Asian-inflected dishes from the same time. Times, and cooks' training, have changed, thank goodness.
7
@Tuvw Xyz We must not pre-judge the place. Anyone who seeks out real mutton chops is ok in my book. Not one dish or drink mentioned has a hint of the dreaded "fusion." If they can serve a great steak I don't care if they're from Mars.
7
Glad to see Fulton St regain some shine w the reopening of G&T. Bravo for Brooklyn.
I disagree with new owners opining that diners fondly remembered the room but not the food. We have very fond memories of meals served by Edna Lewis, the renowned southern chef who reinvigorated the menus in the 80's and 90's.
30
@MHM, what a pity that the inestimable Ms. Lewis wasn't mentioned in the article, so thank you for this comment.
9
@MHM Now you'll remember the prices. They're astronomical.
2
@Mabato She is mentioned. The new owners named a room in the restaurant after her.
5