Grim Reaper: Devin Tavern, Archipelago, Greenwich Burger

Update: Devin Tavern actually did not close at the time of this story, but it finally did about a month later. Archipelago claims it will re-open.

Yesterday, Eater.com reported three restaurant closures downtown: Devin Tavern, Archipelago, and Greenwich Steak & Burger. I have strong opinions about these restaurants, as all three are within walking distance of my office.

It’s easy to blame these failures on the economy, but that would mask the real story. Even in a booming economy, restaurants fail all the time. If there were no recession, perhaps one or two of these places would have hung on a while longer, and perhaps ultimately survived. Still, you can’t ignore management mistakes that led to their demise.

When I visited Devin Tavern on a weekday evening two years ago, there was no recession, but even then the large space was nowhere close to full. They fired the chef the following spring. An Eater Deathwatch came in June of last year, when the place was still not packing them in. I liked the place, but it never caught on with the neighborhood crowd—recession or not.

Archipelago was simply awful. Most of this town’s critics didn’t review it, which I assume was an act of kindness. I am not a believer in cursed restaurant spaces, but Hudson Square is not a neighborhood that attracts much foot traffic. People have to want to go there, and Archipelago didn’t give them a reason. Neither did the previous occupant, Dani.

The failure of Greenwich Steak & Burger is harder to explain, as it was comparatively inexpensive, and I thought the food was at least decent. But in a restaurant-rich neighborhood, perhaps “decent” wasn’t good enough. In the first few months after I posted my review, it got a very high number of search-engine hits (by my standards), so apparently people were interested in the place, but it never caught on.

We’re going to see more failures after the New Year. The economy naturally has something to do with it, but you need to look beneath the surface to see why. Every failure is its own story, and usually conceptual mistakes or poor execution are at least partly to blame. 

Greenwich Steak & Burger Co.

[Bottomless Dish]

Note: Greenwich Steak & Burger Co. closed in December 2008.

*

It’s always nice to see a respectable casual dining option in TriBeCa, a neighborhood with more upscale restaurants than most. Greenwich Steak & Burger Co. opened in late February at the corner of Greenwich & Franklin Streets, where the TriBeCa Studio Deli had been.

It’s a much more attractive space than a such a casual restaurant would need to be, with tables generously spaced, high ceilings to dissipate the noise, and large windows looking out on Greenwich Street.

Although “steak” and “burger” are in the name, the menu is dominated by other things. Appetizers ($7–12) span a wide variety of cuisines, such as Tempura Mussels ($8), Lobster Quesadillas ($10), Smoked Salmon Pizza ($10), and Crab Wontons ($8).

There’s an assortment of soups ($6), salads ($9–12) and pastas ($12–15). Ten different burgers ($9–10, except for a Kobe Beef Burger, $18) offer not just beef, but also crab, tuna, salmon, turkey, and lamb, with seven sauces to choose from. Among eight entrées ($17–25), only three are steaks, the others being chicken, seafood and duck. Side dishes are $6.

The most expensive steak, New York Strip, is $24, and it comes with mashed potatoes. I would guess that a steak this cheap won’t be a meat-lover’s dream.

 
Warm Chips with Truffle Oil; Tuna Tartare

I ordered two appetizers. While I waited, the server dropped off a sleeve of warm chips coated in truffle oil. They are hard to resist, and if you’re not careful they could easily spoil your appetite.

It seems that almost every restaurant has a Tuna Tartare these days, so I was a bit skeptical when the server recommended it here. But this version was as enjoyable as any in town. Equally refreshing was the price: just $10. Yet another helping of warm truffle fries on the side didn’t add much.

 
Kobe Beef Sliders; Sweet Potato Fries

Kobe Beef Sliders were a bit over-cooked and under-seasoned. They came with a batch of Sweet Potato Fries, but by this time I was far too carbed out to enjoy them. Once again, though, one can hardly complain about the price: $12.

Greenwich Steak & Burger offers a more ambitious menu than its humble name would suggest. There’s probably an equal measure of hits and misses, but at low enough prices that one is happy to come back and try more.

Greenwich Steak & Burger Co. (369 Greenwich Street at Franklin Street, TriBeCa)

Food: *
Service: *
Ambiance: *
Overall: *