Lever House

Final Update: As of 2010, Lever House became Casa Lever, an Italian restaurant from the Sant Ambrosius team.

Update 2: As of Friday, April 10, Lever House is “closed for renovations.” We put that in quotes because many such closures turn out to be extremely long-lasting, or indeed permanent. It certainly seems that if Lever House re-opens at all, it will be in a much altered form.

Update: As of April 2008, Scott Bryan was announced executive chef at Lever House, replacing Dan Silverman. But just days later, he quit. As of June 2, 2008, Bradford Thompson was announced as the new chef at Lever House. The alum of several Daniel Boulud restaurants, Thompson was previously chef de cuisine at Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he won the James Beard Best Chef (Southwest) award for 2006.

*

I dined at Lever House in late May with two colleagues. The modernist space is striking, with the abundance of hexagonal shapes almost letting you forget that the walls are a plain-Jane light brown. Tables are comfortable and impeccably set, but they are exceedingly close together, with waiters performing Olympic-class gymnastic manoevers to get to your table. The noise level is uncomfortably loud.

The cuisine is a mostly undistinguished New American. Roasted asparagus with duck egg and parmigiano reggiano ($17) sounded promising, but a puddle of fried egg somewhat overwhelmed the asparagus. I was pleased to find that Colorado rack of lamb ($38) came with two thick double-cut chops, which were lusciously tender. They came with a spicy lamb sausage that was the evening’s highlight, along with a salad of parsley and mint that didn’t wow me. Strawberry cheesecake for dessert ($12) brought the evening to a fitting close.

I enjoyed a cocktail called the Bourbon Smash, although it was over-priced at $15. I was annoyed when the server removed it before I was finished. He asked if I’d like some wine with dinner. I hadn’t had time yet to peruse the list, so I entreated him to return in a few minutes. We never saw him again till dessert, so I drank water.

The bill for three was $200 including tax, before tip. That was for food only, as we drank no alcohol. (My cocktail was ordered at the bar.) At that price, you certainly expect the food to be good—which this was—but I prefer quieter surroundings and more attentive service. I won’t be rushing back.

Lever House (390 Park Avenue at 53rd Street, East Midtown)

Food: *½
Service: okay
Ambiance: *
Overall: *

Craftsteak

Note: Click here for a more recent review of Craftsteak.

So many new steakhouses, so little time. That’s the feeling I have these days, with high-profile steakhouses opening almost weekly. Craftsteak is special, being a creation of the sainted Tom Colicchio (Gramercy Tavern, Craft, Craftbar, Craftsteak Las Vegas, etc.).

The space is comfortable and gorgeous. My friend was distracted all evening by a spectacular mural of the Chelsea landscape that takes up the whole back wall. You never thought Chelsea looked so good! I was, on the other hand, distracted by the floor-to-ceiling wine cellar that separates the dining room from the bar, where there is ample seating for the casual visitor.

The menu has undergone some refinement from earlier versions posted on the net. On a Saturday night in May, the Wagyu tasting menus, which had ranged anywhere from $115-165 per person, were no longer on offer. Gone too was the prime rib, which had carried a price tag of anywhere from $180-240. I suspect the whole lobe of foie gras ($160) may be an endangered spiecies. Our server said that it has been ordered only twice.

A normal order of foie gras is $20. Our server was not informed as to how it was prepared. “I don’t know…it changes daily” was all he could say, but he felt sure it came with toast points. Turns out it didn’t. It was still a portion of seared foie gras ample enough to be shared (as we had expected), and sinfully good, but the server ought to know what’s coming.

A ribeye for two ($72) struck us as way under-sized. This does not seem to be a problem for the restaurant generally. A glance at other tables showed that most steaks were enormous. But this ribeye seemed only slightly larger than the typical steak for one. It yielded just nine small slices of beef. Luckily, we are not huge eaters, but I suspect others would have been disappointed. (On a subsequent visit, my friend ordered a ribeye for one that was not much smaller than the ribeye for two that we had shared.)

One could find no fault with the beef itself, which was perfectly marbled and expertly cooked. We noted that it was grilled, rather than broiled, and did not have the exterior char that many steakhouses provide. It came with a bone on the side filled with gooey marrow. To top it off, we ordered the English Pea and Morel risotto ($22), which was superb.

Aside from the foie gras confusion, service was just fine. The amuse bouche was tasty, although I’ve forgotten what was in it. The bread, which came hot out of the oven, in its own cast-iron pan, was irresistible.

Craftsteak (85 10th Avenue at 15th Street, Far West Chelsea)

Food: **
Service: *½
Ambiance: **
Overall: **

Eleven Madison Park

Note: Click here for a more recent review of Eleven Madison Park.

I took my mom and my girlfriend to Eleven Madison Park last night. They were doing a good business, but the restaurant wasn’t full at any point during our 3½ hours there.

For Mother’s Day, they were offering the standard three-course prix fixe at $68 or a special five-course tasting menu at $85. We chose the latter. The courses, as best I remember them, were:

• Amuse bouche of gazpacho and cherry tomato sorbet
• Salad of Florence fennel, radishes, and essence of cara cara orange
• Foie gras terrine with rhubarb and raisins
• Lobster with butter poached carrots, orange and Gewürtztraminer
• Palate cleanser, which I have forgotten
• Wagyu beef short rib braised with bone marrow crust and garden peas
• Choice of cheesecake with sheep’s milk yogurt and roasted pineapple; or, selection of cheeses
• Petits-fours

This was the first time that I’ve dined out at a high-end restaurant on a holiday, and not been disappointed. The fact that the regular à la carte menu was available was a positive sign. When restaurants channel everyone to just one menu (as they often do on New Year’s Eve, for example), it’s a sure sign that you’re going to get a mass-produced mess that’s no better than a catered wedding.

Here, every course was excellent. The rhubarb-raisin foie gras terrine stood out, especially for the unusual combination of ingredients. The beef short ribs were wonderfully tender. In a tasting menu one always regrets that there are only a few bites. I also especially liked the creativity of the cheesecake.

Paired wines would have been $48 each, but that was more wine than we cared to consume on a Sunday evening, so we ordered a bottle of cabernet franc from Channing Daughters ($71), and weren’t disappointed. The staff decanted the wine for us without our asking, which is something all too few restaurants will do these days.

Service was close to flawless. (The restaurant won the 2004 James Beard award for best service in America.) We were especially impressed with the timing of the courses, which at some restaurants are rushed when your meal is a tasting of multiple small courses. We always had an ample amount of time to relax before the next course arrived.

Dinner for three, including tasting menus, pre-dinner cocktails, wine, and cappucino afterwards, was $371 before tax and tip.

Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Avenue @24th St, Flatiron District)

Food: ***
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***
Overall: ***

Acapella

Acapella is my second off-the-radar Italian place this week. The restaurant claims on its website to be “home of the finest Northern Italian Cuisine on the planet.” It also says that the first episode of The Sopranos was shot there. Acapella has a 24 food rating on Zagat, but it has never garnered so much as a mention in The New York Times.

My dinner there last night demonstrated that you can eat very well at Acapella, but they are not without missteps. To start, we were given plates of cured ham, marinated egglpant, and freshly shaved mozarella to go with bread for the table. A captain then recited in a thick Italian accent a list of specials that was longer than the printed menu. It’s a quaint custom, but ordinary mortals naturally have trouble keeping it all straight. At these prices, can’t they print a new menu every day?

I started with scallops, which came with a covering of hot diced tomatos. Unfortunately, the presence of scallops on the plate was only a rumor. All the flavor had been cooked out of them, so the dish was just tomatos accompanying something with no taste at all.

Rack of lamb was an altogether happier experience. I was not expecting a full half-rack to be presented table-side. It was certainly a spectacular show. They carried the rack away to a prep station in full view, where it was put into a pan and spectacularly set on fire. Moments later, it was brought back to the table, freshly carved with a peppercorn sauce and mashed potatoes. The lamb was tender and rare, in a generous portion that I was only too happy to finish. One of my companions ordered a veal chop that was massive.

After our entrées were finished, they brought out dessert glasses, and we had a serving of excellent homemade peach grappa. Throughout the meal, service was highly attentive, but also very rapid. Although we didn’t get the sense they were trying to get rid of us, I can’t remember a meal of this quality when the courses came out so quickly.

Our wine was an excellent Barolo. As a vendor was paying, and everything we ordered was off of the recited specials, I didn’t see what anything cost, but I am certain it didn’t come cheap.

Acapella (1 Hudson Street at Chambers Street, TriBeCa)

Food: *½
Service: **½
Ambiance: **
Overall: **

Caffé La Fenice

Caffé La Fenice flies beneath the restaurant radar. I’ve walked by it dozens of times over at least a five year period on the way to Lincoln Center, from which it is only a few blocks away. Given the paucity of dining options in that immediate vicinity, I was surprised to find it is not even in Zagat.

Well, it was Saturday evening, and I had no reservations before a 7:15 performance of Lohengrin. The usual standouts were booked, and I thought of La Fenice (which means “The Phoenix,” and shares its name with an opera house in Venice). Sure enough, they had a table, so we gave it a try.

I had a terrific grilled portabello mushroom, which was about double the usual portion, along with a perfectly respectable grilled red snapper. My friend started with a salad and then rack of lamb, which she thought was wonderful.

La Fenice has a wonderful selection of flavored martinis — I tried peach. As we had five hours of Wagner ahead of us, we didn’t sample the wine list.

The decor is uncomplicated faux Italian. There is sidwalk dining available on a spring or summer evening, and we enjoyed the fresh air. One complaint with the service was that the entrées were delivered before we were finished with our appetizers. They took them back to the kitchen, but it was an amateurish mistake nonetheless.

For uncomplicated solid Italian cuisine before the symphany or the opera, we’ll certainly be back to La Fenice.

Caffé La Fenice (2014 Broadway between 68th & 69th Sts, Upper West Side)

Food: *
Service: *
Ambiance: *
Overall: *

Ici

Ici is an unpretentious neighborhood restaurant in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. Like many restaurants these days, Ici emphasizes its reliance on seasonal local ingredients. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (our reason for being there) and is a safe choice for a pre-show meal.

A friend and I had dinner at Ici last Friday night. I should have taken better notes when my memory was fresh, but I vaguely recall starting with a goat cheese salad that was unspectacular, followed by sea bass that was simply grilled, and presented competently without any frills. Much of the clientele seemed to be from the neighborhood. The outdoor garden is lovely, and the restaurnt is child-friendly.

Our meal was nothing special, but it was enjoyable and easy on the pocketbook. I will certainly consider going back the next time I am going to BAM. Otherwise, I wouldn’t make a special trip.

Ici (246 DeKalb Avenue between Vanderbilt & Clermont Aves, Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Food: *
Service: *
Ambiance: *
Overall: *

Vino Vino

Vino Vino is a small wine bar in TriBeCa, right next to the old El Teddy’s lot. The space is divided by a glass partition, with the retail wine shop on the right and the wine bar on the left. There are comfortable benches with a view into the retail space, with small tables and upholstered stools. At the back of the deep, narrow space is a traditional bar with about 5-6 seats.

A colleague and I visited Vino Vino last night. There were less than 10 people there, leaving the space eerily solemn, but perfect for a quiet conversation. There seemed to be only one server, and it took him quite a while to come to our table, even though he didn’t seem to be busy. However, he was fully knowledgeable about the menu, and gave accurate descriptions of the two Pinot Noirs we wanted to try. We wound up having a glass of both — 2003 Christom Vinyards “Mt. Jefferson Cuvee” ($14) and 2002 Walter Hansel “Estate Cuvee” ($16).

The menu offers about 30 wines by the glass, ranging from $6–20; most are $10–15. The food menu includes a limited selection of cured meats ($9–13 ea.; $14, plate of three), patés ($10, plate of three) and cheeses ($9, plate of three; $15, plate of six). We shared the plate of 6 cheeses, which were excellent — again, well explained by our server, once we could get his attention.

The bill, including two glasses of wine apiece and the cheese plate, was $96 including tax and tip. Although service was spotty, we would definitely go back to Vino Vino, as prices are reasonable, and the space is both comfortable and serene.

Vino Vino (211 West Broadway at Franklin St, TriBeCa)

Food/Drink: ★
Service: ★
Ambiance: ★
Overall: ★

Flor de Sol

Note: Flor de Sol closed in early 2013.

*

Flor de Sol is a Spanish standout in TriBeCa. Zagat calls it “sexy” and “romantic”; I would agree.

I had lunch there today with a group from work. My assistant, who is Hispanic, adores the place. She highly recommended the sangria, but that wasn’t in the cards with an afternoon of work still to go. On her recommendation, I tried the filet of sole (just $11.95 at lunch), which was light, tender, and just slightly buttery. At dinner, they serve the sole in a banana sauce ($22), which I had several years ago, and was so memorable I can still taste it to this day.

Several reviews have mentioned that Flor de Sol gets noisy and crowded at night, but it wasn’t busy for lunch. Our food came out quickly—always critical for a working lunch.

Flor de Sol (361 Greenwich Street, between Franklin & Harrison Streets, TriBeCa)

Food: *
Ambiance: *
Service: *½
Overall: *

Molyvos

A friend and I had dinner at Molyvos the other night. We both ordered a Sea Bass special ($30), which was cooked to perfection — crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and perched atop a bed of vegetables. I wasn’t very hungry, so all I had with it was the house cabernet ($12), which was unremarkable.

Molyvos has settled into a happy middle age. Ruth Reichl, reviewing for the Times, was utterly smitten in 1997, awarding three stars. Five years later, Eric Asimov was still enthusiastic, but took the restaurant down to two stars.

I have a sense that Molyvos is executing a well-trodden path competently, but isn’t doing anything that would make it a destination. Maybe it’s because there are a lot more Greek restaurants today in Molyvos’s class than there were in 1997.

The ambiance is a comfortable faux Greek, and we were pleased to be seated at a large table that could easily have seated four. It was a happy contrast to restaurants that insist on putting you at a two-top, even when it’s clear they’re not busy.

Molyvos (871 Seventh Ave between 55th & 56th Sts, West Midtown)

Food: *½
Ambiance: *½
Service: **
Overall: *½

SAPA

Note: SAPA closed during the summer of 2008. The space re-opened as Nuela.

*

The restaurant SAPA’s blurb on the OpenTable website leads you to expect that shotgun wedding of culinary styles that is usually called “fusion”:

Sapa; it’s namesake, an incredibly picturesque village that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in NW Vietnam, was built by the French in 1922. Sapa marries the two cuisines under one roof, but not on the plate. The food embodies modern interpretations of Vietnamese dishes with an emphasis on share styled plates as to conform to the Vietnamese style dining and the French cuisine expresses versions of classic bistro and brasserie dishes.

The menu has evidently undergone some refinement since Frank Bruni was there in January 2005. Its length so offended him that it became the theme of his review, “So Many Dishes! A Little Help, Please.” As presented last night, SAPA’s menu did not appear overly long, and some of the specific dishes mentioned in the review are now gone. The alleged French bistro/brasserie influence is largely a phantom. Actually, I had forgotten Bruni’s review entirely, but I was looking for a dining spot in Chelsea on a Sunday evening, and SAPA caught my eye.

The gorgeous AvroKo-designed space is modern, sleek, and sexy. You know you’re in for an Asian-themed eclectic menu when you find both chopsticks and Western utensils at the table. To start, I decided to try the Spicy Tuna Rolls ($10). There were two rolls, about three-inches long and as thick as a cigar, and they came with three dipping sauces. Perhaps “tangy” would have been a better name than “spicy,” but whatever the name they were very good.

I was even more impressed with Cod Roasted in Parchment ($32). You expect fish cooked in parchment to retain its moisture (as this one did), but you don’t expect the combination with porcini butter, roasted mushrooms, and pureed potato to deliver such an effective flavor punch. This was one of the more delightful fish preparations I’ve had in quite some time.

My friend had a duck salad ($12) and stir-fry chicken ($25), and she appeared to be equally satisfied. Service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant appeared to be doing a decent business for a Sunday night, although they were well under half full.

SAPA (43 W. 24th Street, east of Sixth Avenue, Chelsea)

Food: **
Service: **
Ambiance: **
Overall: **