Chef/Owner Jesse Schenker Changes Things Up at The Gander

As The Gander approaches its second anniversary chef/owner Jesse Schenker has made some significant changes to the menu. "I have been listening to my customers over the past months" the chef tells Eater. "I noted a dichotomy between those that wanted bar snacks and those that wanted me to cook for them as I do at Recette."

Photo by Nick Solares

To address this, the front area will hence forth be known as the Bar Room at The Gander and feature a new, expansive gastropub menu. The dining room will offer a more formal experience, including prix fixe and tasting menu options. Reservations will be accepted in both rooms, but will be listed separately online. In a way these menus are a bifurcation of the original concept, which straddled the line between formal and casual dining.

The bar area has proven extremely popular as a drinking destination and the chef also wanted to feed his customers, in addition to plying them with drinks. While there was a limited bar snacks menu before, the updated version is designed for large groups to share several dishes, as well as offering single diners the ability to order an a la carte meal.

If the focus in the bar is to make The Gander more accessible, the rear dining room sees Schenker return to his fine dining roots and implementing a prix fixe option (three or four courses for $62 and $72 respectively), as well as a full blown chef's tasting menu (five or seven courses for $85 and $110 respectively, with optional beverage pairing). While the room itself remains unchanged both the service and the table settings are being elevated to match the cuisine and price point.

Here is a look at some of the dishes and the menus:

Spaghetti with clams; Pressed bacon with baked beans; Fish pot.

The Bar Room

Dinner Dining Room

Tasting