When I learned that a seasoned team of restaurateurs, including the Robin Room’s Chad Vogel, was going to open a place called MintMark, I was counting on it being special. Located in the space that once housed Mermaid Cafe, it’s got a good neighborhood bar-vibe to it. Here’s my experience with MintMark’s relatively new Friday martini luncheon.

First, let’s talk about the drinks. Of course, I had to have a martini ($6), made with your choice of Fords Gin or Koskenkorva vodka (I had the latter). While a bit small in size, the martini was well made, as in, not too dry. Wines and a Bloody Mary are the other drinks featured, but I also ordered–and enjoyed–a boulevardier from the regular drink menu.

For starters, the chili hummus ($5) is worth a try. The hummus is creamy, not lumpy, and semi-garlicky. I liked the chili oil and could have had more of it. The dish is served with raw vegetables (stems and all), and they were palatable only because of the delicious hummus.

I also had the gigantic buttermilk biscuit ($5), which was served warm and coated with honey. I actually ordered it as my “dessert,” and the tasty, fluffy biscuit was quite satisfying.

For a half-page menu, you have a surprising amount of choices for your meal. For example, there’s quiche ($12, with ham and leaks), pasta ($12, gnocchi) and a burger ($12). The skate wing ($16) caught my eye, and it didn’t disappoint. The fish was flaky and absorbed the flavor from the lemongrass mayo. The accompanying rice-scallion pancakes, oddly served at room temperature, provided a contrasting crunch. This dish paired well with my martini.

The Friday martini luncheon runs from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. MintMark is otherwise open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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See more photos in our MintMark Flickr album.