Gator
American restaurant · Greenpoint ·
Seasonal American dishes including a standout burger & mac & cheese
Seasonal American dishes including a standout burger & mac & cheese
"On one hand, it's another seasonal, contemporary American restaurant. On the other, it serves a burger topped with a tempura-fried mushroom (not unlike Shake Shack, if we're being real), and that burger is one of the juiciest in town. Boring as it might sound, Greenpoint's Gator is actually pretty interesting. We're not saying you have to call out sick and sprint to the nearest G train—especially since the liquor license has been delayed—but if you've exhausted all the spots serving little gem salad on your block, and you want to feel something, stop by for some short ribs over coconut grits. As of right now, the little dining room with marble tables and steel-framed chairs, is very quiet." - Will Hartman, Willa Moore, Neha Talreja, Sonal Shah, Tiffany Yannetta
"A Seasonal, Small Plates Restaurant Grows in Greenpoint might just become standard reading for the next generation of high-schoolers. Gator is the latest, and it's located in the old Le Fond space. Check this out as a potential early-in-the-game date spot, where you can eat cheeseburgers with fried mushrooms, and a pork chop in a cozy dining room. " - Will Hartman, Willa Moore
"Seasonal, local, sustainable, contemporary American. It isn’t a Nobel prize-winning concept, but Gator pulls it off without being boring. In a tidy dining room with marble tables and gator-themed wallpaper, this Greenpoint restaurant serves fried chicken paillard, radicchio with spiced nuts, and glossy short ribs that dissolve over a pile of coconut grits. It’s not all 100% successful—the focaccia needs work, and some dishes get overambitious—but at least this place is doing something different. If your life is starting to feel monochromatic, bring a date, and get a cheeseburger topped with a tempura-fried mushroom on a brioche bun that acts like a sponge, soaking up all the juices. Just keep in mind, there were delays with the liquor license. Call ahead if you want to be assured that there’s booze." - Bryan Kim
"The first restaurant from Allyx Seemann opened on December 13 with a menu listing a cheeseburger with miso tempura mushrooms, crispy chicken paillard, sticky short ribs with coconut grits, and bruleed bread pudding; there is currently no liquor served as the license has yet to kick in." - Emma Orlow
"After Le Fond’s keys were handed over, Allyx Seemann—an early-days waiter at Le Fond who later worked in the kitchens of Jean-Georges and Nura—opened her first restaurant, Gator, on December 13 at 105 Norman Avenue, at Leonard Street; the opening menu lists a cheeseburger with miso tempura mushrooms, a crispy chicken paillard, sticky short ribs with coconut grits, and bruleed bread pudding, and there is currently no liquor served because Gator’s license has not yet kicked in." - Emma Orlow
