Musket Room NYC – Good but not mind blowing

I had the Christmas tasting menu at Musket Room in NYC last night. The meal started strong but did not finish on that same level. Here was the menu:

The first three items were served as an amuse. The caviar and sardine were exceptional. The razor clam was ok.

This was followed by possibly one of the best breads I have EVER had. The crust was perfectly crisp and delicious. The interior texture was perfect. The butter had tons of umami.

The next dish was red snapper and black eyed peas. More of a comfort dish. Just ok.

The next dish was good. Especially the chicken skin.

Duck tamale with mole sauce was just ok.

The wagyu with truffle, potato and port sauce was pretty good. Not the best piece of meat I’ve had, but it was good.

Dessert was just average.

Overall, service was very slow at the start. The first dish did not hit our table until about 30 minutes past our RSVP time. Then there were long gaps between certain courses. Service was also awkward at times with servers fumbling items, or forgetting what was on each dish. Food was good to average with nothing mind blowing. I would not return or recommend someone to go, just because there are SO MANY choices in NYC that are better.