08.30.09
Posted in Financial District, Italian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 00:00 by Dominique
225 Front St. & Beekman/Peck Slip, 212-227-8890
Great for: hiding in a secret garden, post-shopping food, Italian groceries
Software Guy was finally back in town and we decided to meet up around South Street Seaport and wander around. New York is such a great town to do that. You’re certain to stumble upon some hidden gem if you look hard enough. Or walk long enough. The restaurant is concealed by an Italian grocery store; once you get through that you find an enclosed courtyard that’s actually the restaurant. You can sit outside, if you like, but that’s nowhere near as cool.
We mainly got the specials. The speck was great and there was a lot of it. There’s just something about cured salty meat I really like. Probably the fact that it’s meat. My app of medium-size shrimp with fava beans had lots of beans and the shrimp could have been cooked a tad less, but it was quite nice.
We liked SG’s cavatelli with rabbit ragú. The pasta was very al dente. My veal scaloppine in green pepper sauce with capers, carrots, zucchini, onions and potatoes was a little disappointing in comparison. Though they were generous with the meat – four wide slices – one slice was unpleasantly stringy and the others were only halfway better. I enjoyed the sauce and vegetables though.
I think perhaps meat is not their specialty here, so if I’m in the area again I’ll probably stick with a pasta and/or seafood. The service is slow, but that’s nice if you’re having a pleasant conversation. And the location is uniquely lovely.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $70 (2 glasses of wine)
Noise level: quiet in the secret garden
Chance of walking in: good.
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05.16.08
Posted in American, Financial District, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 8 to 8.5, Steak at 11:42 by Dominique
56 Beaver St. & S. William St., 212-509-1144
Great for: old-school dishes, very heavy dinners, Alienist fans, business dinners (not lunch unless you want to fall into food coma afterward)
The Boyfriend had some friends visiting from England, and we wanted to show them a classic New York experience. I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Delmonico’s since I read Caleb Carr’s mouthwatering descriptions in the Alienist, so I was really happy B picked it.
The six of us figured we’d have more than enough food with just entrées and sides. Two of us got the classic Delmonico’s 20 ounce boneless ribeye with crispy onion rings. It was so good! Juicy and tasty. And yes, I finished mine, I’m a proud carnivore first and a small woman second. Two others got the bone-in aged New York strip while, I think, the other guy got the 24 ounce T-bone. They were all quite happy with theirs. Those of us who tried both the ribeye and the NY strip agreed that the ribeye was slightly better, though. B’s lobster Newburg (said to be created here) in brandy cream was excellent; creamy, with some spicy caviar on the claws. I can see why that dish caught on in other restaurants.
We got six side dishes as well that maintained the high quality of the meal. The perfect hash browns did not quite live up to their name, being only good, as was the parmesan creamed spinach. We liked better the crisp, delicious French fries and broccoli in (less as requested) garlic and oil. The best things were the garlic and chive mashed potatoes and truffled potato purée.
After all this food, some of us were still able to make a valiant attempt at dessert. Two of the guys split a wonderful molten chocolate cake. I had the Delmonico’s sunday [sic] with candied almond slices, hot fudge, caramel sauce, fresh whipped cream and a cherry on top, all ensconced in a chocolate-covered pastry nest. Instead of vanilla, strawberry and cinnamon scoops, I asked for only vanilla and strawberry because I hate cinnamon (I think I’m allergic). The waiter was rude about it but finally understood and accepted what I wanted. It was a terrific sundae, with fruit chunks in the strawberry ice cream. B ordered the baked Alaska with banana ice cream, vanilla sauce and apricot jam and we loved it. Delmonico’s claims to have created that too – they certainly made it well enough to convince anyone that’s true.
Unfortunately, I can’t praise the service as I did the food. Our waiter looked much too young for a hearing aid but nevertheless seemed to need one. And he did not once attend to me first. (Any high-end restaurant worth its salt trains its staff to serve ladies before men as a matter of polite policy.) I wouldn’t have minded, but he also ignored my empty drink glass for an hour. The boys got red wine, and I seem to recall that he didn’t lift their bottle again after pouring their initial glasses. To be fair, they were giant glasses and not all of them needed topping up.
The last straw was when he argued with me about my ice cream. Cinnamon and I don’t get along, so I politely requested only two scoops, partly to avoid the cinnamon and partly to make the sundae a little smaller. He insulted me by saying he’d still have to charge me the full price whether it was two scoops or three (did he really think a $7 dessert was my worry after a $41 steak? plus you just don’t say that to customers), and after I said “I can’t have cinnamon,” bullied me into having a replacement scoop of strawberry. He was a big dumb lug.
The décor was better. It looked like a traditional men’s club with mediocre art but lots of wood and burgundy paint. It felt very plushly masculine. Except for the annoying waiter, we had an excellent meal and I loved the old New York throwback feel.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $560 for 6 people (service included, 1 bottle red wine, 1 cocktail, 4 beers, 3 desserts, 4 coffees)
Noise level: low
Chance of walking in: medium.
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04.18.08
Posted in American, Financial District, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 6 to 6.5 at 16:11 by Dominique
279 Water St. & Dover St., 212-227-3344
Great for: history buffs, après-Brooklyn Bridge trips
It was our anniversary, and we thought a romantic little restaurant that consistently gets good reviews would be the perfect way to celebrate the mutual sharpening of our palates in the year the Boyfriend and I have been together. It’s hidden away under the Brooklyn Bridge in a picturesque, cobblestoned spot that’s been there since the Revolutionary War. The food didn’t live up to our expectations, but we had a lovely time and the staff were very sweet to us, so it was still a good night.
My caesar salad with lardons, croutons and parmesan but no anchovies was good. It came with whole romaine leaves, a style of salad I don’t see very often. I kind of like the assemble-your-own concept but it’s hard to mix salad on a flat plate without making a mess or spreading the dressing around unevenly, so I still prefer pre-cut and -tossed salad. The cheese looked like a giant lacy doily on top of everything and it was yummy, as well as great fun to shatter. The Boyfriend’s Maytag bleu cheese and Bosc pear bruschetta drizzled with lavender honey was interesting with good, strong cheese. I can’t say I’d recommend eating the whole plate, though, as it tends to get cloying.
My lobster pot pie was pretty good, with a lot of crunchy celery, peas, carrots, potatoes and onions. His pan-seared diver scallops with lobster risotto & citrus gremolata was also decent. Both our mains were a little bland, though the seafood was fresh and so were the rest of the ingredients. It’s just that none of it was particularly memorable. The red velvet cake was better. The icing is super sweet and offsets the smooth cake nicely.
When I made the reservation two weeks in advance I mentioned that it was our anniversary, and they actually remembered that on the day, which is even more laudable considering they don’t use Open Table and just scrawl names in a book. The maitre d’ very kindly offered us at half price Domaine St. Michelle champagne, which turned out to be passable. The service was friendly, helpful and mindful of our little celebration. I have to say it was better than the food. Plus our waitress was hot.
The atmosphere is very old-fashioned; it reminded me of a dilapidated old house in the country where they just happen to be serving a lot of food. It’s good for large parties and noisy celebrations (we saw a few of those), and a must for any New York history buffs. The place has been continuously open since 1794, and holds title as both the oldest business and oldest food/drink establishment in all of New York City. It also was a brothel in the late 1850s. I’m glad we went; we had a lovely anniversary, and now I can cross it off my list.
Rating: 6 / 10
Our cost: $130 (1 bottle of half price champagne)
Noise level: quiet hum
Chance of walking in: medium.
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