Food is awful, and service lousy.

The outside is nothing. It is the inside that is absolutely gorgeous. Why don't you just go have a light lunch there. You have probably spent money on less worthwhile things in your life, (I know I have) this is an experience.

You can make your own good time, no matter what the food is like. Enjoy it for what it is.

I spent $170 a couple at Danube last week. One of the top restaurants in the city. 4 out of 8 people sent their entrees back. Bottom line, you never know!!!

I have some vague but incredibley wonderful memories of TOG as a child with my dad. So 7 years ago, when my husband and I first got engaged and jetted off to NY to celebrate (his first time in NY!), I enthusiastically took him there for brunch. We found the setting to be very beautiful, but very touristy, more than a little cheesy, and the food was just okay. Plus there was no way to remotely get anything healthy on the menu. It turned out to be a bad choice for us, tarnishing my childhood memories, draining our wallets, and clogging our arteries.

The reason TOG survives is the huge numberof "events" that are catered there - since their prices for that are lower than in top quality places. Also, tourists who don;t know any better. Or, like me, people who have to take out of town clients who want to go there because people at home will have heard of it.

Without the above - it would be out of business.

(And by out of town - that may well be people from the tri-state area who don;t normally eat in Manhattan - I know my parents neighbors keep saying they want to go there - they're middle aged, hit Manhatan twice a year - and don;t know any better.)

(Also, if you've just spent a ton of money and are determined to enjoy your self I think the food tastes better.)

Hillary Clinton celebrated her birthday at Tavern on the Green yesterday. We'll assume it was catered, but it is a lovely place right at Central Park. For me, it is worth it for the ambience. It's very decorative. I loved the oriental lanterns hanging about out-of-doors. The food is good, but not excellent. We happened upon it while strolling in Central Park.