One of Midtown’s best bars
Juniper Bar, located in Midtown West, is a fun and casual bar where you can expect quality food and great service. Paired alongside a chic interior and a friendly and energized atmosphere, off of first looks it is hard not to be impressed and excited about dining here. The front of this place has a fully stocked bar and it is pretty evident that this place is extremely popular from looking at the mass of people all around. But don’t worry because Juniper Bar has enough space to keep everyone happy and their personal bubbles intact. If you are looking for a sit down meal at Juniper Bar, which you better be because the food is great, then you can find yourself seating in the back of the Bar. Upon being seated, you will be treated with a friendly smile from one of the wait staff there who are also very familiar with the menu and food and will give out great recommendations if you are undecided about what you may want.
What is a good bar without good drinks? Juniper Bar, upon looking at the drink menu, has some of the most creative and tasty drinks in Manhattan. If you are looking for a very refreshing and light drink to start off with then the Juniper Ricky is definitely the drink to go with. Made with Bombay sapphire gin, st-germain, fresh mint, fresh lime juice, and club soda, you can really taste the freshness of the mint in it and the club soda gives it the bubbly, coolness in the drink. This is definitely a great starting drink. For the people who like a fruity drink, the orange cosmo made with grey goose l’orange vodka with cranberry juice, triple sec, and fresh squeezed lime juice is perfect. The orange in the drink gives it a sweet, fruity, citrusy flavor to it and the lime juice mellows it out and doesn’t let the drink be too sweet, something that most people can really appreciate.
The best starter on the menu has got to be sweet and spicy calamari. This dish is tender calamari with a sweet and spicy chili sauce, sliced vinegar peppers, chopped cilantro, and a peanut soy dipping sauce. When this menu says tender calamari, they mean it because this calamari pretty much melted in your mouth after you got through the fried batter. And it was also fried to perfection with a nice crunch on the outside of it. The sweet and spicy chili sauce was drizzled on top of the dish so each piece had a little sauce to it which added a nice sweetness to it but with a small spicy kick at the end. The pickled pepper added a sour and tangy contrast to it. But the peanut soy sauce is also a greatly complements the calamari. This sauce tasted exactly like a peanut that is salted perfectly. To get such a nutty flavor from a sauce was amazing and that nutty and salty taste along with the sweet chili sauce melds perfectly together in your mouth.
For entrees both the filet mignon and the salmon are great choices. The filet mignon dish comes with an 8 oz pan seared filet with grilled asparagus, crispy rosemary potatoes with caper salt, and a red wine demi-glace. This steak was seasoned to perfection and it was juicy and tender and it will melt in your mouth. The potatoes were also the star of the plate. The rosemary taste was present in the potatoes although subtle which was nice and the potatoes were salted perfectly. It has a nice crunch to it and paired with the steak in a bite was a great combination. Meat and potatoes are never a bad choice and this dish in particular proves that to be true. The salmon dish is a pan roasted salmon with a soy chili glaze, jasmine rice, and picked red onions. The salmon itself was flaky and cooked nicely and paired with the soy chili glaze added a lot of sweetness to it. But paired with the picked red onions made for such a great bite with the onions being sour and acidic which evened out the sweetness of the glaze. And you could also pair the salmon with the jasmine rice having a sweet and savory flavor. The jasmine rice on its own is also a great because this rice was cooked nicely and it was buttery and full of flavor too.
Juniper Bar also has a great variety of desserts and dessert cocktails that will end your night in the best way possible. One of their signature desserts is the Juniper gin and tonic cake and is added with juniper berries. This treat was perfectly moist and subtly sweet. The juniper berries added a nice tart crunch to it and the subtle flavors from the gin and tonic drink melded well with the cake. This dessert in particular is a great choice if you’re looking for something filling, not too sweet, and above all, yummy. As for the dessert cocktails, the Bailey Chocolate Martini is the way to go. Made with Baileys original Irish cream, Titos vodka, Crème se Cocao, and served with chocolate syrup, this drink basically tasted like a frozen hot chocolate with alcohol. To put it simply, this drink tastes like happiness. It had a strong chocolate taste to it but was light and refreshing and you just want to keep coming to it and drinking more and more.
Overall, Juniper Bar takes a contemporary twist on bar food and really runs with it. A lot of their dishes are spectacularly made and are very tasty. With a friendly wait staff, a fun ambiance, and delicious food, be sure to make a trip to Juniper Bar soon!
