I recently headed to Gramercy Park to check out the new menu from Adalya mediterranean plates. Located directly beneath Dear Irving, on 17th and Irving, this newcomer to the neighborhood is serving up Mediterranean inspired cuisine from Chef Derek Miles, formerly of Salinas. Miles has created a unique menu of small and large plates ; serving fresh and gourmet cuisine prepared with health conscious small plates. Also interesting to note, Miles cooks all of his dishes without using butter, which will have you leaving Adalya feeling satisfied and lighter than your average NYC meal.

Happy Hour at Adalya

Adalya is also serving up quite the happy hour, with specialty cocktails, draught beer and larger format beer bottles. But what got Meredith and I most excited was the cocktails. It was Monday after all… so of course it seemed appropriate to order the Cellar Door; Tequila, Mezcal, Lime, Cassis, Ginger Beer. Some might argue it was a bit too strong, but we thought it hit the spot.

As for the space itself, there is a large bar, plus plenty of tables at bar height towards the front of the place, which creates a more casual vibe. The back of the restaurant, with larger round tables, as well as two-tops, makes this place perfect for dates and large groups. In back, you’ll sit amidst modern art and elegant chandeliers while dining to an enjoyable soundtrack.

For our appetizers we asked our waitress for recommendations, and without hesitation she said the Octopus is hands down the best. In addition to the Octopus we ordered the Butter Pears salad with toasted almonds, watercress, and frisee, as well as the Fried Calarmi and Artichokes, which came with a lemon-ginger aioli dipping sauce. The salad was quite refreshing and light, which made for a nice preface to the heavier calamari. The Octopus was a favorite of mine, hearty and grilled to perfection, with the black garbanzos and English peas accompaniment really topping it off well.

The Main Event at Adalya

For our entrees Meredith and I decided to share the Hanger Steak and the Duck Breast, which was highly recommended by everyone we spoke to. As someone who eats meat sparingly, it was definitely a bold decision on my part, but since Adalya utilizes locally sourced meats, I felt good about the order. Plus I was craving it, and I’ve always been told to go with my gut. And in this case, my gut was on point. Both were presented beautifully, and exceeded my expectations.

And we couldn’t say no to dessert. With only two offerings, it wasn’t hard to pick, especially once I saw the Rosemary Olive Oil Loaf with Pistachio Gelato. Sounds strange? Imagine your favorite piece of pound cake, infused with rosemary flavors, moist from the emphasis on olive oil, sweetened on top with sesame caramel sauce, and accompanied by a scoop of delicious pistachio gelato. This dessert had all of my favorite flavors and I highly recommend it.

With the arrival of Spring, the menu over at Adalya will be changing, so be sure to head over soon to try all our favorites from the tasting. For more information and reservations, check out the Adalya Website.