Crossbar

Great food and drinks. Very nice décor. Will definitely be back!

The place has been closed (Saturday 16 June 2012) this weekend and the website has been closed too.

Tuesday night, just me and a girlfriend. The place is pretty quiet around 7ish, gets a little more full near 9 but definitely not crowded. We came for one reason. the LOBSTER GUACAMOLE
AMBIANCE: very Chuck Bass. It is pretty cool, almost medieval but in a cool way. It is also very small, possibly because it is undergoing some sort of construction.
FOOD/​PRICES:
– LOBSTER GUACAMOLE ($ 14). It was goooooooooood. Topped with LOBSTER pieces.mmm. I am a firm believer that Avocado makes any meal better… so that’s my stance on guacamole. The chips that came with it were thick and warm, perfect for holding heavy guac and lobster. They were also seasoned individually, so when we finished the chips alone were delicious.
–RIESLING ($ 10) a glass, and MERLOT ($ 13) a glass. This place does not have a drink menu, and they only serve beer, red/​white wine, and well drinks. There is no menu for any of these drinks, and the waitress did not know prices off the top of her head when we asked her the prices for the wine. The drinks above are the cheapest of the whites and reds, FYI.
I saw other people get food and I have to say. the portions were pretty small. The guac though… pretty filling (a little goes a long way with guac)
SERVICE:
The waitress was definitely not negligent. she checked very often for updates on more chips or more wine. I almost feel like it was too often, but I can’t really say that because I think it was a result of us being pretty much the only people there at 7pm. Anyways, she was very prompt with the drinks, bill, etc. and just when I was about to feel rushed she offered us water after the bill to sit and keep talking. That was nice.
Overall, a nice place to come and relax, sit, catchup, and enjoy some delicious guacamole. This place could use some happy hour specials and a drink menu though, but I guess its a work in progress.

Bacon Bacon Bacon!
I was there on a tasting frenzy over the summer. Sat outside and tried little tidbits of bacony goodness from the menu.
Bacon pecan pie!
Bacon jam!
Pigs ears!
The décor is gorgeous inside ond out!
Can’t wait to go back!

If you were a young-​New Yorker in the 80’s then you’ll have fond memories of the building that Crossbar now inhabits.
Crossbar is a bar/​restaurant that is now in what was «The Limelight» in the early 80’s. The Limelight was a great, but largely unsuccessful nightclub in the 80’s that was housed inside of an Episcopal Church. It is one of the most beautiful churches in NY and was originally built in the 1800’s. After the Church folded rumor had it that it was a drug-​rehab center and then became the Limelight for 20+ years. I would have had more memories of my times at the Limelight if they weren’t clouded by an over-​indulgence of gin and tonics.
Now, it is the Crossbar. Food is okay. Just okay. Don’t go there to eat. Drinks are fine. Atmosphere is REALLY fun and lovely and maybe I’m just having a great, nostalgic moment of being 21 at the Limelight but… I’d highly recommend a reunion of this place for anyone who loves architecture and history (as well as gin and tonics).

Awesome food and service in the old limelight church and nightclub. We loved everything we had from the Fall Agave margarita to the lobster guacamole, tuna tacos, fish and rabbit specials and desserts. This is a great place to meet up with friends or co-​workers for an evening at the bar or a table by the fireplace. Perfect night!

Dark and moody, CrossBar has a unique feel to it. I’m not sure I can put into words exactly the vibe I felt walking in but I guess if I had to I’d say Buffy the Vampire-​esque. What makes it even more interesting is that its inside of the Limelight Marketplace. When we arrived at the marketplace we found ourselves walking through 3 other stores/​shops/​cafes in order to get to CrossBar. (laterrrrrr we found the main door on 20^th.)
When we made our way upstairs we found a corner booth (near the fireplace– score!) and ordered a few *fall-​ish* beers and food. The beers, aren’t available upstairs… so the bartender kept having to send people downstairs to retrieve her orders. It only took a few extra minutes which obviously isn’t the end of the world but when I want beer– I want my beer now! :-) While waiting we munched on some popcorn, which had been dusted with lime and paprika. It had a nice kick to it and ended up being the best thing I ate that night. Next up were sliders royal which were good… but tiny. they seemed smaller than what I know sliders to be. We also tried the pork tacos. They were decent but the shell seemed slightly stale.
While the atmosphere of CrossBar is nice the food was just OK for me. I’d give it another shot– but I’ll definitely try something else.

The staff was excellent. We had one drink at the bar then stepped outside into the courtyard to have dinner. For apps we had the tuna tartar tacos and mason jar meatballs. Tacos were good but maybe better in soft corn shells instead of hard. The meatballs were also good but a touch too salty due to the mustard dressing & may have benefitted from some toast/​crackers on the side.
My date had the scallops. They were large, juicy & the foie sauce was a nice compliment. I had the «dry aged» strip. I added the quotes because it definitely didn’t taste like a dry aged piece of meat. I thought $ 29 was a little low for «dry aged» but was sold on the thought a nice steak. It was cooked fine & the chimmichui helped bring it to life but doubtful that it was actually aged.
Great service, nice space.

This place is DOPE! I thought that it was super cool that they converted this church into like a shopping center with a clothes store, market, and even a bar! The bar is in the back and its a bit dark. It doesn’t look like it was a church, but you get subtle hints here and there. I got a peach mixed drink with a block of ice in it. Very tasty.
I just like drinking at church. What can I say?

As long as you don’t come hungry this place is great. Located in the Limelight market (a former church), this place has an awesome medieval vibe going with great décor inside and a huge outdoor patio when the weather is nice.
Everything I’ve had here is delicious — try the tuna tartare tacos or the duck sliders! The drinks are also unique and tasty.
Only downside is that the servings are miniscule. Great place to meet for drinks and an appetizer or two. If you come for dinner you may leave starving (or broke).

Went to Crossbar for the first time this weekend with my wife and a good friend. It was our first time going to the Limelight Marketplace as well. It was all a little odd for me, because I had gone to the Limelight nightclub in the 80’s. It was weird to see it as a mall in 2011. However, it looks very nice inside and we enjoyed Crossbar, but not sure I would go back for either.
Although, the waitstaff and hostess were very nice and friendly, the meal service was surprisingly pushy. Not the kind of attentive I like. More of a hard sell. Like is there anyway I can get you to spend more money here as soon as possible because we are now in a race… to where I don’t know because once we finished our meal we just sat around talking and drinking water and didn’t get hassled at all, so it wasn’t a turning tables as quickly as possible kind of thing, it was just unnecessarily harried service. They wanted to take plates away that were clearly still full when the place was less than half full (being generous here). There was just no need for such hasty service. (Manager’s fault!).
Maybe they’re used to the restaurant being more crowded and are used to working that fast but they need to chill out. It’s stressful for the diners to be constantly harangued like that.
Then there was the guy who the 80s called and said «You’re not fucking cool!» but didn’t get the message. Voicemail must have gotten erased because, yeah dude, the Limelight was cool a very long time ago, now it’s a mall so why you had to tell us that an empty room upstairs was off limits and private especially when no one was in there (and it looked like a corny sports bar room with flat screens showing a football game) I have no idea. No club kids, no drugs, no Peter Gatien, no music, um you’re not cool and neither is your mall restaurant especially with you in it. Now, with you fired and the nice nondelusional people left to take care of the guests methinks a much better deal all around.
Positives: Food was good especially the guacomole with lobster.
Negatives: guy who thinks he’s Peter Gatien and no vegetables with the salmon dish. Just a hunk of salmon on a plate and they don’t even ask how you want it prepared… because they don’t care how you want it prepared. The chef tells you how you want it and that’s that!
Fireplace was small but nice. Intimate room downstairs. Upstairs was very cold. Maybe they just hadn’t fired the heat up yet but they need to get a better heating system. There was some ugly heating machine hooked up to the fireplace upstairs that made the place look run down. I realize the mall isn’t finished completely but the restaurant looked like it was other than that heating device. I would get heat installed. Having a plug in heater in a restaurant is just (for lack of a more perfect descriptor)…ghetto.

Ah Crossbar… You primed me for a very, very sloppy night. But let’s focus on what happen pre-​sloppiness, shall we?
In need of a drink or two prior to heading up to a concert in CP, a few work friends led me to Crossbar. We were seated on the patio which was nice, considering the weather, but noticed the inside was quite appealing as well (ambiance-​wise).
Fast forward a few minutes and we had plenty of cocktails and beers to go around and we enjoyed a good hour or so outside.
An item of note that I feel important is that this is a unisex bathroom. Not a one-​person-​at-​a-​time place but a full on public restroom that both guys and ladies are supposed to use. Slightly awkward? Yes, maybe. Wasn’t a deal breaker though.
Once our time at Crossbar was coming to a close, we received the check. While I didn’t pay or split it up, it seemed relatively reasonable for the venue and neighborhood we were in.
So…the million dollar question… would I be back? Maybe. But it’d be after I tried a few more places close to the office to make sure there wasn’t something better out there…

Amazing food, fantastic drinks, hot bartenders. I went into this cozy bar with a friend after shopping in the Flat Iron district. This was a pleasant surprise of a find. They have an outstanding Lobster Guacamole and yummy mini tacos (pulled pork, fried fish). There is not much seating space inside the bar, but there is a decent patio outside (if the weather permits. They also have a neat cocktail menu & can make a yummy espresso martini (by request). The added bonus of super friendly waitstaff & bartenders was awesome and set the tone for great Friday night. I will DEFINITELY come back here.

Took my girlfriend and parents (50s) for my father’s birthday.
Sat inside by the fireplace, treated phenomenally, manager came out to talk, etc. Lobster guacamole and pulled pork bites were great table apps. We had the cod, gnocchi, pork, and chicken entrees. All were great and the carrot cake they brought out with candles was definitely special. People drinking at the bar came over to take a picture because of the presentation.
CrossBar’s cocktails were great too, plenty of beer selection, although we had wine.
Great place if you’re looking to go out and not see typical italian or french dishes.
Overall would rate the food and drink as 4 stars, but the service and the fact that they chased us 2 blocks away to return a phone we left at the table makes me bump them up to 5 stars. Didn’t disappoint.

Crossbar was fantastic, from the drinks to the tuna tartar tacos to the amazing pork loin. But then they brought out the bacon pecan pie, that just took it over the top.
Only thing I’d ask for is a larger portions (especially at these prices), but overall we were very happy with our meal!

Duck sliders were the favorite. The lobster guac was also great. Other meat dishes we got were enjoyable but not memorable.
Interesting space — sat in VIP room and our group requested they turn the TV off, which they finally did after a long wait.

Will def come back to this place! Wonderful environment for a drink and some appetizers. The tater tots were good and whats not to love about the great Belgian beers on tap. Sat in the outside area on a big hammock type bench, and despite the crappy weather, had a great time!

Gorgeous backdrop of the Limelight Church, outside dining at its finest. Came here for drinks and a very light lunch — drinks were good and the tots were delicious. MUST COME BACK FOR MORE!

Interesting space in the Limelight cathedral. A bar with a few tables and a fireplace on the ground floor, more tables upstairs with another bar area and a couple VIP rooms with TV screens. White orchids are a nice touch throughout the space. The outside area is cute with decorative lanterns and yet another bar area.
Two cocktails caught my eye– Purple Rain with crème de violette/​gin/​egg white and Church Key with limoncello/​cava/​jasmine tea but of course they had neither so tried the Peaches ‘n Beam which is basically a glass of Jim Beam with peaches; too strong couldn’t have more than a sip.
Large table of oysters– they were surprisingly fresh and flavorful. Foie sliders with with duck onion jam sounds delicious but was pretty bland and the brioche bun it came on very dry. The ‘Pigs in a Blanket’ mortadella dog was even more dull with an even drier bun. Tuna tartare on some type of crispy bread was equally uninspiring. They seem to be better at roast suckling pig where they carve off pieces of whole pig; tender and moist as roast suckling generally is.
You might wonder if this isn’t exactly the same thing they’re doing at Ember Room ie Todd English does pig & pork. Why yes it is. I can’t tell the difference anyway. I was visualizing something a little more exciting after reading about the cathedral-​turned-​goth-​pork-​palace but at the end of the day it’s just… another mediocre chef opening yet another mediocre restaurant…

All things Pork… love the food… really like the space. Will be back for sure… I heard this is Todd English joint…