This was our second visit to this Irish joint. (You can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/the-dead-rabbit-grocery-and-grog/). We took someone who would enjoy this restaurant and the Irish food, and I think we did an excellent job.
This time, we went all the way up to the third floor, to The Occasional Room. This room is described as a party or event room, and that it needs to be reserved. However, on the day we visit the restaurant, it was open to the public as a part of their restaurant space. With their popularity, it was so needed… Every floor was full, but we were able to get a table on the third floor after a short wait.
It was rather small space, with mostly high-top tables. I liked Parlor on the second floor with regular sit-down tables, but the Parlor was way too full, so we decided to stick with the Occasional Room on the third floor. And just the second room, the room was filled with interesting artworks on the walls, and lots of dark wood to set the cozy and warm atmosphere. I liked the exposed red bricks on the walls.
They have a nice, big bar on this floor. So, that means they have a bar on each floor…they are serious about serving you alcoholic beverages! LOL. And that was great since we had one drink in our mind…
I enjoyed looking at all the photos and drawing from a long ago. I wish if there was some kind of description of each piece, but then again, that will be difficult to do without making the wall looking cluttered. It also make them look more historic.
Another interesting thing I discovered was their coaster. Each coaster had a drawing of an old distillery, and on the back was some facts about the distillery. I thought that was pretty cool.
While learning about some interesting facts about some distillery and liqueur, we ordered the perfect drink that we have been waiting to have since the last time we visited this spot: Irish Coffee ($12). And it was as amazing as we remembered it. Sweet, strong, super smooth. Even a person who said “I don’t like coffee” and therefore didn’t want to try this drink was convinced of its awesomeness after one sip. Yes, it was that good!
Then we ordered an appetizer to share. We chose Lobster Deviled Eggs ($15). Pricey? Yes. Awesome? Yes. Worth the price tag? Oh heck yes! Just look at these beauties… Four pieces came, and a mountain of egg filling, with lots of lobster chunks. It was so good, velvety, flavorful and delicious!
There were four of us and we each ordered something different. The first one up was their Homemade Vegetable Soup ($8), and added chicken ($2) to it. It was creamy and had wonderful deep, warm flavor. Perfect on a cold day. This is an appetizer, so it is not a large portion. But, if you are gong to be sharing a sandwich dish with someone else, it is a good size.
Second up was a Ham and Cheese Toastie ($16). This one comes with Irish Cheddar, Raclette, and Smoked Ham. It also came with Hand-Cut Fries. And this sandwich went great with the soup, since they were sharing these dishes together. It is almost like tomato bisque with grilled cheese.
It was meaty and cheesy, simple yet flavorful and satisfying. The ham was nice and thick, and three or so slices in the sandwich to give extra volume. The breads were toasted just right, so that they are crispy on the outside without being too hard. I enjoyed the crunchy texture. The fries were really nice too, very addictive…
My hubby ordered from a special menu of the day. It was Fried Fish Sandwich ($20) and that sounded pretty good. And when it came to the table, I was surprise how big it was! It also came with Hand-Cut Fries (all sandwich items come with fries.
And it was really tasty! The whitefish (I think was a cod) was fried to perfection, without being greasy. It had nice slaw which gave great contrasting flavor and good acidity. The bread was nice too, high quality bread that was light with crunchy texture. I was so big that it was a bit hard to bite into it, but was so delicious!
Since I had such wonderful memory of their sliders from our last visit, I ordered a different kind of slider off the regular menu. I went with Short Rib Sliders ($21). Of course it came with their Hand-Cut Fries, and Garlic, Aioli, and Red Onion Jam. It didn’t look like much at first glance, but the aroma was wonderful.
After one bite, there was no question of its awesomeness. The meat was super tender and juicy, flaky and just melt in your mouth. The bread was soft and moist, gently holding the juicy meat in between. Each bite was a delight, my taste but was having a party with amazing flavors.
The bathroom is located near the door, and is narrow and small but clean and pretty. I liked the wallpapers.
This was a successful second visit, everyone enjoyed the lunch tremendously. I am sure we will go back again and again, and keep bringing others to share the awesome food! The only thing is that they do NOT take reservation… so it is not always easy to get a seat right away, but hey, they are worth the wait!
The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog – 30 Water St, New York, NY 10004