Gem House

This is a new generation fine dining which is unpretentious, low key and focused on food. The ambiance is romantic and tasteful, you totally forget you just had to step over a couple of crackheads on the street on the way here (in the end it is LES, not the best place to sport your diamonds). The celebrity former "teen chef" Flynn has definitely done amazing job and gained his name in the industry. At the same time he is very approachable and you will most probably see him bringing one-two courses to your table. We tried Flora menu ($155 for 8 courses) which was vegetarian and mostly delicious but I had higher expectations. I loved probably 3 savory courses, the dessert was good but a bit too sweet and rich on dairy. The amount of food was good and we didn't leave overstuffed (but we are both thin ladies), an average American man might still want to go get some pizza afterwards:) The service was very friendly and nice, execept one faux-pas when a waiter poured my sparkling wine in the same glass whivh I had tried a white wine from. Their wines by glass are very reasonably priced btw. Overall verdict- definitely worth a visit if you love fine dining and have funds to spend. Vegetarian options: The whole Flora menu was vegetarian

Love the tasting menu. Very unique experience

Love the vibes of the restaurant and the presentation of each dish, but the menu didn’t really work for me. The dishes we had were very interesting and innovative but I did feel like some things were paired together just to be different than because they really worked well. Also, we left so hungry we had a second dinner later in the evening, which given the price… not great.

GEM nails it all. A feast of flavors with the right balance of wines (we took a pairing), time and quantities in a simple, stylish vintage setting and music and wonderfully relaxed but clearly caring and passionate crew. If you consider yourself to be a serious foodie, this place cannot be missed!

It's creative I guess... I ended up paying $300+ and I think I'm not the audience for it. The presentation is great, the atmosphere is good (music and happy staff). But the food is lacklustre. I got the chef's pairing to the default 10 course (it was Portuguese themed). The first 4 dishes were mostly lemon juice and the wines were very citrusy as well, the rest didn't impress either. I guess if you're a person who never tried anything apart from traditional US food, the novelty of it and the "wunderkind" chef would impress you. Otherwise not worth it.