I moved to The Village June 2004 and New York was overwhelming. I was still recovering from leaving my wonderful little Bates bubble and the city was big. I quickly found Grey Dog's Coffee just a block from my apartment. The people were welcoming, the food delicious and the surroundings quaint and an island of relaxed in the zoo that is 6th avenue. It became a weekly trip when both Liz and I had quit our jobs to start our companies. We had weekly meetings on Carmine Street where we would both bring our new ideas and sketches to discuss over cobb salads –no bacon, no blue cheese with asian dressing-she with her raspberry iced tea, I with my mint. We trekked there in snow storms and transit strikes. In some sense Dakota Martin and Linda and Harriett were partially born there. It is there that Liz told me she was getting married and bought a house. We warmed up there in the winter shaking snow off our boots, and pulling off our wool hats and cooled there in the summer, plopping our sweaty selves down in the air conditioning and good tunes.
There isn’t an out-of-town guest I don’t bring there, and each has begged me to take them back. I get there a little less now that Shannon and I have an office in midtown and Liz moved to Brooklyn – midday trips aren’t quite as easy, but I still get there for certain. Their PB&J – seven grain, crunchy and grape-has become my favorite pre-long run dinner during my marathon training.
Dave recently opened a second location at 12th and University. I’ve been waiting to congratulate them until I made it in. Well, I went for brunch with Annie and Julie yesterday and was passed this note as I ordered at the counter. Dave has always welcomed me on Carmine Street (he even put a concerned hand on my sister Jen’s back and inquired if she was new to the neighborhood when she visited 3 times in 24 hours during one visit to NYC). This note put a smile on my face all day and is a reminder of what real customer service should look like. Grey Dog will always be on the top of my NYC restaurant list for all factors – food, people, ambiance, and service. Congrats on the new location! It’s every bit as great as the first-and that is no small feat.
