Two visits in, I’m completely smitten with Neutral Ground Lounge, the cozy but sophisticated restaurant and bar tucked away in The Marilyn boutique office complex on Thomas Road and 46th Street. I love the assonance of “ground” and “lounge” as well as the New Orleans-centric history behind the term. See, in NOLA, “neutral ground” denotes the grassy median that separates opposing lanes of traffic, but long before cars superseded horses, the term was used in that city to describe the Canal Street divide between the rivalrous French-speaking Creole and the English-speaking Anglo populations. In our own politically fraught times, neutral ground sounds like where I want to be.
The venue is tiny but charming, maybe even a bit feminine, thanks to curving green velour booths and a gorgeously wall-papered entry wall of trees in muted colors. The latter provides the backdrop for a romantic tableau of wall sconces and two high-top bistro tables. The black granite-topped bar with comfortable chairs is the best place to get the 411 from staff about what to order – which, from what I can tell, is pretty much anything and everything.
Who, I wonder instantly, is behind this place that feels elegant but unpretentious, timeless yet completely current? The answer is Kevin Ehret, a guy who spent formative years with Gio Osso at Virtù Honest Craft, as did his ultra-talented chef Ryan Jeisy, who makes dishes that I remember fondly days later…