We had a very methodical process for choosing this spot for dinner before a concert in Manhattan on a Saturday night; it was in the right neighborhood and it had a cool name. Alright, maybe it wasn’t so scientific, but that’s kinda how we roll.
Ichabod’s NYC is in the Union Square area located east of Union Square on the corner of Irving Pl. & 15th St
Although we didn’t use any intricate equations to end up at this spot, it really couldn’t have worked out better for us. Although the outside has a very Sleepy Hollow vibe with stone walls and a cool vintage sign; don’t expect a gimmicky headless horseman themed experience here. (Although the Headless Horseman happens to be their sister bar right next door, we did not make our way in there because we were crunched for time).
There was no wait around 7 PM, which was not the best sign given the neighborhood we were in, but we were still more than happy to grab two seats at the bar because we had a show to get to and also because… well, we’re always happy to sit at the bar.
The bar was dark, you’re pretty much forced to rely on candlelight, but that didn’t bother us. We noticed they had an ice bin behind the bar filled with raw oysters and although this is one of our preferred snacks, we didn’t opt to slurp any down on this occasion. Of course we scanned the cocktail menu, C quickly decided on the Volstead, which was a strawberry, vodka and Prosecco concoction that was deemed by her to be the quintessential elegant, girly drink. B opted, not surprisingly for a whiskey cocktail, the Ryes and Shine. Whiskey cocktails can tend to be sweet, but this mixture of Rittenhouse Rye and lemon/coffee syrup gave just enough unique flavor to not drown the desired boldness of the whiskey.
Even though it was too dark for our trademark half-faced cheers selfie, we were already sold on this spot and perfectly content sipping away on some perfect signature mixed drinks. Little did we know things were about to get much better. We are not traditional dinner patrons, we often opt to sample as many small plates as possible and typically split one entree so we can gain a more complete sample of what a restaurant has to offer.
Maintaining our small plate philosophy did not go unrewarded. We selected the flowering kale caesar salad, fried oysters (not featured on the Yelp menu), squash dumplings and the seared wild striped bass entree. Our breakdown goes as follows:
Kale salad – light, healthy and definitely tasty. We thought kale was a unique twist on the classic caesar.
Fried oysters – the batter was absolutely perfect and the remoulade was dream worthy.
Squash dumplings – this was the first thing that jumped out at us and we were not disappointed! They were so decadent and after you bite into them they just melt in your mouth. We agreed that this was one of the best appetizers we have ever tasted and contemplated ordering a second… possibly a third order. If you check this place out, they are a must-have.
Striped Bass – the perfect mix of a rough char complemented perfectly by the savory green curry that had just enough kick.
At some point between finishing our first round of drinks and becoming totally enamored with our small plates; we ordered more drinks. As much as we loved the first batch, we felt we owed it to ourselves to try something different. C didn’t get too far down the list as she selected the very next drink, the pear 75, which was a pear and almost as tasty version of the volstead. B went, no surprise, for another whiskey drink – the spiced old fashioned. This drink packed a punch, it left some serious but not overwhelming heat on the palate from the hellfire bitters while maintaining the familiar soothing whiskey mellowness.
Chip, our bartender was excellent at analyzing our tastes, making suggestions and was extremely willing to alter the signature cocktails to meet our flavor preferences. He even mixed us up a specialty off-menu dessert drink that we won’t mention; but if they’re not slammed at the bar, ask around and you won’t be sorry.
The final bit of not-so-secret information we will share (if you checked out their Yelp review) is the vanilla ice cream sundae. We are not huge dessert people, B doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth and C only dabbles if the mood strikes her. We would prefer to tac on an extra app than order a sweet finish to our meal most days. But when this sundae was presented to us, we were simply drawn to it. It should also be noted that they do not have a dessert menu, so you have to hear the sweets described to you which makes an interesting selling point.
Dreamy ice cream sundae in a mason jar.The sundae was a mason jar (bonus) drizzled with caramel, filled with creamy vanilla ice cream and pretzel nuggets and topped with marshmallow that was flamed just enough on top to create a crunchy barrier that you have to break through to get to the rest of the goodies. It was borderline orgasmic.
We can’t say enough great things about this place, it far succeeded our expectations and we went on to have an awesome night seeing the gritty southern rock band Blackberry Smoke at nearby Webster Hall. When the show was over, as hard as they rocked NYC, we couldn’t help but reflect on our awesome meal at Ichabod’s. If we had one qualm it would be that it was slightly pricier than we anticipated, so if you aren’t used to Manhattan prices, pack your wallet a little tighter before heading there, but take our word that it is worth every penny!
Here is Ichabod’s website, it’s pretty basic, but you can see from the pictures how sleek yet rustic the interior is. Also find useful information like happy hours and menus.
Here is Ichabod’s Yelp review. To comment on a few negative comments you may come across, we do not recommend coming here with a large group; take a date or a few pals and get ready for some awesome fare. As far as the rude service in several reviews, we tend to always ignore those as people love to vent on Yelp, in our opinion the service was top notch, especially thanks to Chip!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ichabods-new-york
Here is a concise biography of Washington Irving who wrote the short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Interesting guy who wrote some truly haunting tales. But if you eat at Ichabod’s the only thing you’ll be haunted by is how bangin’ the squash dumplings are!
http://www.biography.com/people/washington-irving-9350087#profile
The Drunken Duo 
