Maysville: More than Just a Whiskey Bar

I have a great affinity for Southern foods – I will devour anything with bacon, grits and corn bread.   Maysville, the newest addition to the Nomad neighborhood, offers a modern take on Southern cuisine in addition to stocking one impressive selection of American whiskeys.  Even though I am sure many will flock to Maysville for their bourbons and whiskeys, the food menu was what really drew me inside.

The first thing I noticed walking in was the tall ceiling.  This made me nervous as the bar started to fill up with the after work crowd.  Good thing we had an early reservation – we were well into our entrees before the ruckus from the bar meandered over the dining area.

Dinner at Maysville starts off with warm mini corn muffins with soft butter.  They come out to the table two per person and even though it is really tempting to finish both, some restrain is needed though if you want to make it through the rest of the meal.

An order of the crispy grits from the “for the table” section is a must.  Golden cubes of creamy grits are topped with a bourbon aioli and delicate slices of country ham.  They come five to an order and you will likely want to order more than just one for the table.

From the raw and chilled seafood section, the pickled shrimp offers both heft and refreshing taste.  The shrimps come tossed with thinly sliced fennel, celery and sourdough.  Pickled jalapeno add a tiny bit of heat to the tart dish.

And of course, like all of the moment restaurants, there is a brussels sprout dish.  At Maysville, this came in the form of fried brussels sprout leaves with crispy pig ears, soft boiled quail eggs and topped with pillowy shredded parmesan and a lemon buttermilk dressing. Even though I gave it my best effort, I could not find the promised pieces of crispy pig ears.

For a lighter appetizer option, you should opt for the poached egg with country ham consomme, grits, and pickled turnips and white mushrooms.  The pickled turnips and mushrooms offer a nice contrast to the smokey broth and creamy sweet grits.  This is not the easiest dish to share and a spoon is necessary to make sure you sop up every bite.

In terms of entrees, you can’t go wrong with the smoked trout.  The whole smoked trout might seem daunting but don’t worry, the fish has already been deboned and all that is left is beautiful tender white meat.  Even though you might be tempted to discard the charred onion, mushroom and watercress, they are quite delicious in their own right.

For a heartier entree, the duck breast with white sweet potates, roasted kale and shaved foie gras hit the spot.  Two small pieces of well seared and perfectly pink duck breast will do just the trick and the sweet potatoes offer both the starch as well as the sweet element often paired with duck dishes.

And with that, onto dessert.  You can’t go wrong with a pecan bread pudding.  The tender piece of bread pudding is paired with a classic vanilla ice cream and sit atop a pool of dark caramel.

Finally, two salted caramel pieces to conclude the meal.  I know it’s a small but it’s all in the details that make me eager to return to a restaurant.

Maysville | 17 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010 | http://www.maysvillenyc.com/