Eighteen of our ex.expat group stopped at Bryant Park Grill for lunch before our two private docent-led tours at the New York Public library.

They set up a large table near the rear of the restaurant with the park as our backdrop. To ease the often chaos at the payment of the bill for a large group, we requested one bill for every four diners. They happily accommodated. They also delivered all of our food at the same time. Impressive.

Some of the tasty meals included their Tuscan tomato & white bean with shaved parmesan cheese, toasted croutons, dill & truffle oil ($11.50); wild mushroom ravioli with a grilled artichoke, cherry tomatoes, spinach, edamame and truffle oil in a Parmesan broth ($26.50); crispy calamari with arugula, tomatoes, avocado and a garlic aioli sauce ($17.95) and chopped avocado, tomato & cucumber salad with Israeli tabbouleh, Greek feta & pita chips ($16.50).

One group ordered a plate of cookies ($12) with coffee ($5.75).

I’d highly recommend Bryant Park for a group meal.

The restaurant handled the multiple bills quickly and got us to the Stephen Schwarzman Library on time for our tours. The first about the history, architecture and the collections of this Beaux-Arts building and the second about the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures. The latter included the viewing of an original Bill of Rights, Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the bill of rights, the earliest printed version of Mother Goose, an original Winnie the Pooh with friends, the first edition of the Star Spangled Banner and the Gutenberg Bible among countless other precious items.

Be sure to give yourself lots of time if you go.

Bryant Park Grill
Midtown
25 W 40th St
New York, NY 10018
(212) 840-6500
www.arkrestaurants.com