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Location: 256 3rd Ave New York, NY 10010
Cuisine: Classic Americana/ Lite Italian
Items: 2 Entrees, 1 Appetizer, 1 Salad, 2 cocktails
Cost: $84 (20% tip Included)
Best Dish: Exchange Salad w/Grilled Shrimp
Overall: Good local bar, with the potential for greatness!
Exchange Bar and Grill owned by Levent Caker and Damon Baer is but one of over 20,000 bars located in the city that never sleeps. We at JSD were lucky enough to be invited to a private media event back in April, you can check out that article here. Located in the Gramercy section of Manhattan, it is surrounded by many competitors. So, what makes this place special? This is the only bar in New York with a Stock Exchange ticker that shows the rise and fall of drink prices, as a result of supply and demand. The more a drink is ordered the more expensive it becomes. Consequently, the prices of similar beverages plummets, going as low as $3 (for well drinks). Falling prices may sound like a dream come true, but constantly rising prices are a patrons worst nightmare. The business savvy duo behind this pub have it under control. The prices only change in 25 cent increments, just enough to keep it interesting, without having to take out a loan to settle your tab.
The only bailout you’ll find here comes in a martini glass. A signature drink at Exchange “The Side Car Bailout” is a pretty concoction of Remy VSOP and Cointreau with a twist of lemon in a sugar rimmed glass. It may look like a pretty little thing but it packs a wallop! I was feeling the effects after just a few sips. I admit it, when it comes to booze I’m a lite weight, but if you’re a dry martini, anything in a snifter type of drinker this may be the one for you. If you’re a sparkling wine drinker try the “Golden Parachute”. Made with Champagne, St Germain, Liqueur and a hint of lemon, it’s a smooth easy drop from sobriety. If you haven’t guessed already, the menu also has a stock exchange theme. In keeping with the theme, the burgers/sandwiches were all christened with amusing names, like “The Boiler Room” and “The Market Maker”. Aside from the ticker and the themed menu, one other noteworthy quality here is that the Exchange stays on the lighter more health conscious side of bar food.
While there are several burgers on the menu and quite a few fried items, nothing we ordered came to the table greasy or heavy. There is a fresh light taste to just about everything. We started with the fried calamari, portioned to share, it was tasty and not a speck of grease on the plate. We paired this with the “Exchange Salad”. Sans the usual salad greens, this was a tasty little dish of fresh cucumber, tomatoes peppers and strawberry slices tossed with olive oil and vinegar dressing. We added a bit of grilled shrimp and it was perfection. Healthy and refreshing this makes for the perfect summer meal, especially for the sticky humid days ahead. Though the owner suggested the burgers, we figure a burger is a burger. I for one have never had a really bad burger, and with all the interesting options at Exchange it was hard to pick just one anyway. So in keeping with our health conscious theme we went with the “JT Marlin” a pan fried tilapia sandwich, served with French Fries and the “Exchange Pasta” a dish of Linguni tossed with sautéed calamari and shrimp.
The Marlin was tasty and as with everything else lite and fresh. The soft roll went perfectly with the crisp lettuce and meaty fish. French fries may not be a “health food” but somehow here they seemed less greasy. The only thing missing from this dish was a signature tartar sauce. Though tasty and moist a sauce would give this sandwich give this more flavor and add to its appeal. The Exchange Pasta proved to be another good dish, with the potential to be a great dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly, with generous portions of calamari and shrimp, but the sauce fell a little flat. A dash of salt later and we were head over heels.
Overall, Exchange Bar and Grill is a nice spot to have a drink and grab a bite. It’s only been open a short time and improvement/changes are imminent. On our visit we were pleased so find out that new signature cocktails will be added to the menu as well as the introduction of a DJ from Thursday-Saturday. A friendly, fun, neighborhood bar with good food Exchange is worth a visit. If you’re lucky you’ll witness one of their “Market Crashes” and enjoy a great drink at an even better value, what more can you ask for?
Special thanks to the wonderful staff at Exchange. Visit Exchangebarandgrill.com for more information.