Restaurant Review: Respite in NYC

I was tasked with picking out a restaurant for dinner with a couple coworkers so I used Yelp to find a good place since I’m not from around here.  I read many reviews around our hotel (the Doubletree on Lexington) and chose this one.  We were not disappointed.

First off, the service was spot on.  Just the right amount of attention, my water glass was never empty.  Our questions were always answered politely, even when my coworkers asked about the daily special at least 5 times.  Each time the special was repeated with the same politeness as before.

They carried the favorite wine of my one coworker even though it is not a common or popular wine.  That definitely started the dinner on the right foot.

Then there is the food.  We got the daily special which was the lobster risotto, the scallops ceviche, the brussel sprouts, and the polenta.  First off…if you have any preconceived notions of brussel sprouts from family dinners throw them out the window.  Even I, as someone who enjoys brussel sprouts, think they can be bitter when I make them.  These brussel sprouts were not bitter, tough, or any other negative adjective that could describe them.  I never thought I would rave about brussel sprouts, but these were amazing.  I wish we had gotten 2 portions for the 3 of us they were so good.  It’s funny to read the reviews talking about slow service since we were all surprised by how quickly our food arrived.  There was some time span between being seated and finally ordering, but it was the normal progression of ordering drinks, then appetizers, then entrees.  We skipped the appetizers.  Maybe it was because the other tables were already seated and there was a gap before seating additional tables, but the food came out quickly for us.

My scallops had a hint of ginger which made the flavor pop, but not too much ginger to overpower. I didn’t try the risotto, but my coworkers both thoroughly enjoyed it.

The desserts did not disappoint either.  We had the 2 chocolate options.  The chocolate cake was not the oversweet crap you can get at Chilis or Applebees, instead there was enough sugar to enhance the chocolate and complement the ice cream.  The white chocolate dessert was also definitely worth the 12-minute wait.  The restaurant was conducive to a good conversation, or discuss business as it seemed most of us were doing.

My expense account wouldn’t justify one of the tasting specials, but next time I’m in NYC on my own dime I definitely feel it will be worth it to stop in for a nice dinner.

Great atmosphere, great service, great food.  That is the 5-star trifecta for me.  I thought I knew good restaurants in Charlotte, but NYC definitely delivered a home run here.