Putnam's Pub & Cooker in New York

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comments 5

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  Josh Dannenberg

  :: 19 May 2018 15:44:13

  Putnam's used to be our "go-to" restaurant for a reliable, no-frills, relaxing dinner. They had a decent beer list, they were good about accommodating us with our toddler, and I liked their burger - a simple, well-cooked staple that you could order "your way" and that you'd expect from any decent corner pub. But the last three times we've been to Putnam's, the experience has been awful. From what we were told, they recently brought on a new chef (if you could call him that). This "chef" - and seriously, I'm laughing inside that a pub takes themselves so seriously to bring on a "chef" - reduced the menu and changed a lot of the remaining staples. For example, the burger, which I really liked medium rare and with blue cheese, now only comes the way the chef serves it: greasy double patties with a "signature" sauce and cheddar. It's a soggy, flavorless disaster. Gone is the standard pub burger that I loved. I asked if I could have a simple burger with blue cheese, the way I used to have it, and was told no - the chef won't make any substitutions. No one could explain why, only that it's the chef's decision. Beers are regularly out, even though they are listed on the menu. The wait staff changes constantly - we've never seen any of the same waiters twice, which we hear is because of high turnover. The food takes forever to be served. Last night after being seated, we waited 30 minutes for our drink orders to be taken while our waiter chatted with the bartender. Another night, we waited over an hour for our meals, only to learn that the waitress forgot to send the order to the kitchen. The proverbial straw last night was our desert...a flourless chocolate cake, which took another 30 minutes to be served. When it came, it looked like a few bites had already been eaten (see photo). Sure the edges could have crumbled off, but it shouldn't have been served like that. It's a shame that Putnam's has taken a turn for the worse. It's no longer a reliable, tasty pub. It's a hot mess, and I don't think we'll be going back.

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  Larry Meadows Jr

  :: 10 April 2018 09:18:53

  Putnam's is one of my go to spots in Brooklyn. Always a diverse crowd which is great for people watching... and I've even had a few celebrity sightings. The good thing is, no one in Brooklyn cares so even celebrities can come chill with out being bothered. The food is great... I always have the fish sandwich and it's always delicious. The beer selection is good too... so just having a drink at the bar is always an option. This place is great! I highly recommend it.

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  Seth Flicker

  :: 09 March 2018 20:36:50

  Good sold fare. A bit better than bar food. Sort of pricey though. Great bartenders, especially David, a neighborhood favorite.

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  Teresa Arriaga

  :: 02 March 2018 12:15:54

  This use to be my go to favorite place. But after the fire last year, service is lacking. The food was good but nothing was allowed to be changed with the new chef in charge. Before you had your choice of cheese on a hamburger, (which are currently used on other items) I was not allowed to change it from cheddar. Next my husband wanted it cooked medium, but nope that wasn't allowed. Another friend we were with wanted bacon, nope can't be added. So they have bacon pieces mixed in, but if a customer wants more and willing to pay, then why can a change be available? Ok, so even though we couldn't get exactly what we wanted the food is good which is why I gave 2 stars. What killed them is the horrible service. To begin I was asked if we had reservations because it was game night after 8 pm. We were there at 6:30 and they only had 1 table with a couple occupying it. Why in the world would it matter if we, with a kid and a baby, are there to eat?! Then when she took our order obviously everything from above was a no. She didn't ask for our drinks, but we gave it to her anyway. But she never brought them. 15 minutes in and we asked another waitress to get our drinks. The waitress never came and asked us about refills, we would ask whoever came by. We were not checked on at all. Still, only 1 other small group came in and were not asked about reservations. Then with the girl so worried about the stupid game night, you would think she would promptly bring the check when we were obviously done, had our jackets on and everything. No one came EVER! I personally walked up to the hostess stand and asked for our bill. We were less than 5 feet away and they couldn't bother to ask us anything. Absolutely ridiculous service! Completely unacceptable.

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  Jeanine Hays

  :: 31 January 2018 01:09:46

  Putnam's used to be one of our fave spots and the main reason was the burgers. They recently changed the burger and you now pay $17 for something that resembles the double burger from Shake Shack. The menu also has an obnoxious notice stating no substitutions are allowed which means that anything you used to love getting on your burger - from bacon or a fried egg to simple lettuce and tomato - is now a long, drawn-out debate with your server over what kind of burger the chef is comfortable making for you. What I love about Putnam's is the atmosphere, but this changes it. If I'm paying $17 for a burger, I'd like to add blue cheese and bacon if I want and not be told that the chef won't allow it. I'd also like to be able to stipulate that I like my burgers well done without dealing with a bunch of pursed lips and repeated explanations about "how we do it." That's not the treatment you expect in a laidback neighborhood pub. It's not something I'd tolerate in any restaurant. And to top it all off, the burger was better before. Hope the original burger returns to the menu and the original feeling returns to my favorite restaurant. As they say, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". It was one of the best in Brooklyn.