Asiate, NYC 2

80 Columbus Circle at 60th 212-805-8881

(June 11, 2008). Intrigued by its Zagat rating as the “best decor in town,” we found ourselves seated on the 35th floor of this stunning restaurant overlooking Central Park and east down 59th Street.

Insieme, NYC

Insieme opened just over a year ago to a lot of anticipation in the food press. Its owners had already made a big success of Hearth, hidden away on the Lower East Side. When they opened in the heart of tourist Manhattan at 51st Street and 7th Avenue, the reviews came out quickly and were mildly favorable, usually commenting that improvement was expected.

Picholine, NYC 4

Picholine has long been a favorite of ours for dining before an event at Lincoln Center. In 2006 it was redecorated and the menu became more ambitious. The reward was a second star in the last NYC Michelin.

Asiate, NYC

As regular readers of this blog know, I really like good Asian fusion cuisine. I had wanted to try Asiate, which describes its menu as an “artistic and modern approach to Asian-inspired cuisine.” The 2008 Zagats says:

“Plan to be blown away by the “breathtaking views” “high above Central Park” – as well as “beautiful” decor rated No. 1 in NYC – as you savor “exciting” Japanese-French “fusion at its best” and enjoy “impeccable” service at chef Noriyuki Sugie’s “posh” dining room at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel; if the “sky-high” setting doesn’t induce vertigo, the towering tab may – though the $24 lunch prix fixe is a “bargain”.”

Eighty One, NYC

Eighty One is the third in the new series of upscale restaurants on the Upper West Side, the other two recent openings being Telepan and Dovetail. So to check it out Linda and I went to Eighty One for dinner on April 17, 2008.

Dovetail, NYC

Dovetail opened in late December 2007 and so when Jim, Linda and I went for dinner on January 11, 2008, we became among the first to try Dovetail. We can happily report that there are now three restaurants with first-class food on the Upper West Side. (Picholine and Telepan are the other two.)

The Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center

January 10, 2008 we went to The Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center with Ron and June before a performance of The Seafarer. We were shown to a table right by the glass wall that fronts on the skating rink and were able to watch skaters with a wide range of skills during our meal.

Esca, NY

Esca is a focused restaurant. If you do not want fish or seafood cooked in an Italian style, go somewhere else. Even the wine list is all Italian. Linda and I went for lunch on Saturday, December 22, 2007, as Esca’s location at 43^rd Street and Ninth Avenue is convenient to the theater district.

Telepan, NY

Bill Telepan, a chef with an established New York reputation, created a lot of interest when he opened this restaurant two years ago near Lincoln Center. The critics have been nice to Telepan, but have been optimistic about its potential more than its reality. Linda and I went for the first time on December 12, 2007.

Shun Lee West

Good Chinese food is hard to find in New York outside of Chinatown. Every now and then a fancy restaurant opens claiming that they are going to get it right, but they never do.

Picholine 2 and 3

On November 24, 2007, George, Julie, Linda and I dined at Picholine before a concert of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Modern – 2

Linda and I went to a “Saturday Members Night” at The Museum of Modern Art on August 11, 2007. There was a big crowd, mostly young, in the garden and the lobby, where music was blasting. There were four or five free bars scattered about. We took the elevator right up to the fifth floor, where we were alone among the familiar Cézanne, van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse paintings.

Xaviars at Piermont NY – 2

The fourth dining event in my 67^th birthday celebration was a dinner with Linda, Andrea and Tony at Xaviars. We had also observed my 66^th together at Xaviars and, as my blogpost then related, I was amazed at what an excellent meal we had.

Sosa Borella – NYC

On August 3, 2007 I went to an overacted and undersung revival of The Fantasticks with my sister-in-law Barbara. Well, I know that El Gallo is supposed to be Mexican, but his overbearing attitude could more easily be Argentine, which is the theme of this restaurant just around the corner from the theater at 8^th Avenue and 50^th Street.

Café Luxembourg – NYC

On Friday the Thirteenth of July 2007 Linda, Roan and I dined at Café Luxembourg before the Kirov Das Rheingold at The Metropolitan Opera House. It has been a classic Lincoln Center pre-theater restaurant since 1983.

Triomphe

Triomphe
49 West 44^th Street
212-453-4233
www.triomphe-newyork.com 

On March 8, 2007, Ron, June, Linda and I dined at Triomphe before a terrific performance of Journey’s End at the nearby Belasco Theater. It is a small restaurant tucked into the Iroquois Hotel on a block which includes the New York Yacht Club, the Harvard Club and the Algonquin Hotel.

Picholine

Picholine
35 West 64^th Street
212-724-8585
www.picholinenyc.com 

On February 28, 2007, Linda, Roan and I dined at Picholine before a first-rate performance of Eugene Onegin at The Metropolitan Opera. The bar in front was crowded and noisy, but our table in the back was an oasis of calm, which is certainly a fine, and all too unusual, attribute for a New York restaurant. Picholine has recently been redecorated, but, fortunately, there wasn’t a real change in the subdued atmosphere.  

Rosa Mexicano

On December 5, 2006, six of us went to Rosa Mexicano, 62^nd Street and Columbus Avenue, before a performance of La Bohème at Lincoln Center.  Well, Rodolfo was being sung by a Mexican, Rolando Villazón, and the conductor, Plácido Domingo, grew up in Mexico.  And I wore my red Mexican tie.  Our two godsons and their parents speak various levels of Spanish, although that was not in evidence. 

Aoki

For several years we have enjoyed having light meals at Sushi-à-Go-Go or at Ollie’s before performances at Lincoln Center, but we had not found an equivalent place in the theater district.  On November 22, 2006, we went for the second time to a new restaurant, Aoki, 234 West 48^th Street, 212-956-2356, and were happy with it.  The cuisine was very good and seemingly authentically Japanese, although there were few Japanese among the sparse pre-theater clientèle.   

Ollie’s

As an alternative to Sushi-à-Go-Go when we want a meal which is not too heavy or serious before a performance at Lincoln Center we go to Ollie’s, at 1991 Broadway between 67^th and 68^th Streets.  This is one of four in a small chain of Chinese restaurants and noodle shops, but we find some of the food to be quite good.  The service is always friendly and efficient.  The star item is the turnip cakes, fried flat square cakes of mashed and reformed turnips with just the right amount of soy etc.  The photo shows me eating one during our lunch November 11, 2006.  We also usually order the littleneck clams with black bean sauce; they are in the bowl in front of Linda in the photo, but they didn’t seem as good as usual this time.  We started with some very disappointing vegetable spring rolls and some surprisingly good scallion pancakes.  The braised spinach, which we’ve had other times, is quite good.   I usually drink beer at Ollie’s, but this time I had two glasses of the house merlot, which went well.