Mesa Grill, Flatiron District, NYC

Design: Whenever I walk down lower 5th Ave in the evenings, which used to be very often bc of the former location of my day job, I'd pass by Mesa Grill and wonder how it is nowadays. I'd first and only been in the late 1990's, when I'd just moved to Manhattan, on a date with a guy. (I'd lived on the UES at the time and I remember him saying "I'm taking you downtown for dinner.") I'd been awed by the buzz, the mushroom columns, the double-height loft space. Today, the columns and loftiness still remain, but the buzz has certainly died down. Yet Jim Biber's design from when the restaurant first opened in 1991 is still largely intact and surprisingly current. What's weird is that the mini renovation, or flame-ovation, done by Rockwell Group in the early 2000's is what dates it. You see it in the canopy above the bar, where Biber had installed huge ahead-of-their-time industrial fans, and in a few other spots. Apparently the flame theme carries through to the Mesa Grills in Las Vegas and the Bahamas. Billy, the bartender, has been at the NYC outpost since it opened and is a font of MG info. I recommend eating at the bar to chat with him and to try to comprehend the flame-ovation.

Vintage industrial fan from Jim Biber's original 1991 design

Original waxed-vinyl banquette upholstery that's kinda cheeky/ironic now

The flame-ovation above the bar

Dish: Fortunately, the food is still good here. I wouldn't say amazing enough to go out of your way for it, but dependable and tasty if you're in the neighborhood. We had the Gala apple salad, fresh & tart (in a good way), and the shrimp tamale, which, even though an appetizer, is big enough to serve as an entree. The bread basket included a mini muffin that was half yellow corn and half blue corn, like a Southwestern ying and yang.

Yellow & blue corn mini muffin

Gala apple salad

Shrimp tamale