Restaurants in Midtown East
See all Restaurants in ManhattanRouge Tomate
10 E. 60th St., between Fifth and Madison; (646) 237-8977; Open seven days, noon-4:30 p.m., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; CUISINE: Modern American; VIBE: Glossy culinary spa; OCCASION Midtown lunch, business dinner, detox dining; DON’T MISS DISH: Arctic char, yellowjack crudo, rabbit with chestnut pasta; PRICE: Appetizers $10, entrees $20, desserts $10; RESERVATIONS Accepted in downstairs dining room. Different menu in upstairs cafe; both equally good. There are 393 calories in the rabbit Fleischnacke at Rouge Tomate. The nutritionist counted. How many restaurants do you know that have a nutritionist? Fleischnacke is German for minced meat rolled in pasta and cooked in a stock. At Rouge Tomate, this means farm-raised, braised rabbit rolled up in chestnut pasta and sautéed in rabbit jus. None of the ingredients requires quotation marks. There’s not a mock anything anywhere in this dish. Those 393 calories also...
Read MoreAdour
ADDRESS:2 E. 55th St., at Fifth Ave. (212) 710-2277 DINNER: Mon.-Sat., 5.30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 5.30 p.m.-10 p.m. CUISINE: Contemporary French VIBE: Elegant affair OCCASION: Fine dining, special occasion DON’T-MISS DISH: Ricotta gnocchi; diver scallops with black truffles; beef tenderloin. PRICE: Appetizers, $17-29; entrees, $32-49; desserts, $14. RESERVATIONS: Required. In recent years, New York has been the thorn in Alain Ducasse‘s side. An exalted French chef, Ducasse has amassed an empire of Michelin-starred institutions, including Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo and his eponymous restaurant at Plaza Athénée in Paris. While Ducasse has conquered much of the globe, his first two Manhattan ventures resulted in defeat and subsequently closed (Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Mix). Yet he seems more determined than ever to win our affections at Adour, his newest restaurant set in the landmark St. Regis Hotel....
Read MoreRaising the Bar on Organic Food – Free Foods NYC
You have to admire chef Matthew Kenney’s unbridled enthusiasm for opening restaurants. Though Heirloom and Blue/Green Organic Juice Cafe were both unsuccessful, Kenney seems to be making a comeback at Free Foods NYC. With business partner Peter Schatzberg, Kenney has launched this organic answer to fast food – a quickly burgeoning trend in NYC. Though this eatery is located in the heart of midtown, the space feels more like a Vermont country store. Shelves are lined with organic sodas and wicker barrels are stocked with organic chocolates and chips. While the container (pictured right) may look like plastic, it’s made entirely out of 100% sustainable, corn-based material. Thus, I was quite skeptical that the food would transcend any “tastes good for healthy food” expectations. Well, it does. In fact, the spice-rubbed filet mignon is excellent. Juicy slivers of filet get...
Read MoreBrasserie 44
Address: 44 W. 44th St., between Fifth & Sixth Aves. Phone: (212) 944-8844 Hours: Dinner, Sun.-Thur., 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-midnight. Breakfast & lunch service. Cuisine: Modern American. Vibe: Yacht adrift. Occasion: Under-the-radar dinner; hotel dining. Don’t Miss Dish: Sweet onion tart; olive oil poached salmon. Price: Appetizers, $14-24; entrees, $24-44; desserts, $12-15. Reservations: Accepted. Capsule: The nautically themed Brasserie 44 feels like a restaurant adrift in the Royalton Hotel. A $17.5 million facelift and a newly minted restaurant were meant to reignite the once iconic Royalton Hotel. So where is everybody? Media moguls once flocked to the Philippe Starck-designed boutique hotel. Its futuristic lobby looked like a runway leading to its restaurant, 44, the city’s most fashionable cafeteria. But even the best of trends fall out of fashion. After a dramatic renovation, the Royalton Hotel’s lobby now...
Read MoreCrave Ceviche Bar
946 Second Ave., near 50th St. (212) 355-6565 Dinner: Sun.-Wed., 5:30-10 p.m., Thu.-Sat., 5:30-midnight. CUISINE Creative ceviche VIBE Lively neighborhood haunt OCCASION Solo flight, casual date DON’T-MISS DISH Spicy yellowfin tuna; Kona kampachi PRICES $8-$25 RESERVATIONS No reservations accepted There are those few precious restaurants you contemplate keeping to yourself. It is a selfish act, though not an unreasonable one, as a way to safeguard tiny haunts harboring gutsy chefs and even gutsier flavors. Crave Ceviche Bar is one of those rare finds in a part of town better known for its happy hours and expense-account dinners. Candlelight dances about the beachy nook, marked with white paneling, wood floors and exposed brick walls. Scribbled on a blackboard are not daily specials, but the names of hopeful diners anxious for one of 21 seats. This is the first obstacle. The...
Read MoreAzza
Address: 137 East 55th St., btwn. 3rd & Lexington Aves. Phone: 212.755.7055 Cuisine: French-Moroccan Vibe: Exotic Arabian escape Scene: Euro crowd Hours: Dinner, Mon – Sat, 5:30pm- 12am. Lounge hours, Mon – Fri, 5:30pm – 4AM, Sat. 10pm – 4am. Scoop: Multitask – shop while you imbibe in the downstairs store filled with Moroccan wares Price: Appetizers, $5-11. Entrees, $22-34. Reservations: Reservations accepted. www.azzanyc.com Ever wonder what happened to Fizz, that members-only supper club & lounge in midtown, which suddenly lifted its exclusionary policy to fill the swanky void within? Neither did I, but apparently it “fizzled” into the night, not shocking considering the allure of downtown Lotus, Marquee and Stereo. In its wake, Restaurateur Djamal Zoughbi and his partner Thierry Pomies have ambitiously revamped the space, unveiling French-Moroccan Azza. Gone are the moneyed namedroppers and impossible Fizz guest...
Read MoreLe Cirque
151 E. 58th St., btwn. Lexington & 3rd Aves. (212)644-0202 Website TYPE: Modern French VIBE: Austere elegance OCCASION: A momentous date or family affair DON’T MISS DISH: Spaghetti primavera (off the menu) DON’T BOTHER DISH: Scallops with walnut crumble & cauliflower a la Grenobloise DRINK SPECIALTY: A lengthy and expensive wine list PRICE: $90 & up HOURS: Dinner, Mon-Sat, 5:30pm-11pm, Sun, 5pm-10:30pm; Lunch, Mon-Fri, 11:45pm-2:30pm. RESERVATIONS: Reservations highly recommended. DRESS CODE: Jacket required in the main dining room (not the cafe). RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 6 FINAL WORD: Stuck in a culinary catch-22 of sorts, Le Cirque seems trapped between a new and old restaurant world order. As chef Christophe Bellanca throws his hat into the ring, he plays it a little too safe with overly polished, but somewhat uninspired French fare. Go for the Maccioni family theatrics and coax...
Read MoreKobe Club
68 West 58th St., btwn. 5th & 6 Aves. (212)644-5623 TYPE: Swanky Steakhouse VIBE: Clubby lounge dining OCCASION: A date or festive group gathering DON’T MISS DISH: Roasted bacon with black truffles DON’T BOTHER DISH: Crab cake “double stuffer” DRINK SPECIALTY: Netsuke fizz PRICE: $70 & up HOURS: Dinner, 6 days a week, Mon – Sat, 5:30 PM – 11:30 PM; Late-night dining menu, Thur – Sat, 11:30 PM – 2 AM (beginning in January). RESERVATIONS: Reservations highly recommended, especially on weekends. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 7 (opening night rating) FINAL WORD: Despite its uber-swanky setting, Kobe Club deftly deals in juicy Wagyu from around the world. Attempting to erase the memory of Mix, Alain Ducasse’s failed attempt at casual French/American home-cooking, Jeffery Chodorow has literally raised the roof, dangling 1865 Samurai swords from the ceiling, and refurbished the modern...
Read MoreL’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
57 East 57th Street (between Park & Madison Aves.) (212)350-6658 Menu Savory NY Video TYPE: Modern French cuisine VIBE: Contagiously spirited fine dining with a casual flair OCCASION: An indulgent splurge, romantic dinner, or gastronomic adventure DON’T MISS DISH: Poached baby kusyu oysters in echire butter DON’T BOTHER DISH: Truffled mashed potatoes PRICE: $100 (with a cocktail) & up; $160 for the discovery tasting menu HOURS: Dinner, Monday through Sunday, 6 PM – 12AM; Lunch, Monday through Sunday, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 9 (divine) SEATING: 20 seats at the eating bar, 30 seats in the dining room RESERVATIONS: Reservations for tables highly recommended; 6 PM reservations taken for the eating bar, after that, on a first-come first-served basis. INSIDE SCOOP: Order the off-the-menu pasta carbonara, a Paris L’Atelier signature. FINAL WORD: An uniquely unfussy haute...
Read MoreKrunch Pizza
Krunch Pizza980 Second Avenue, btwn. 51st & 52nd Aves.(212)207-4122 TYPE: Pizza/Italian trattoriaVIBE: A fashionable pizza joint OCCASION: Take-out, delivery, grab a quick biteGO WITH: A friend, wife, an ultra-casual mealDON’T MISS DISH: Krunch Gamberi (shrimp pizza) DON’T BOTHER DISH: Krunch Zucca (zucchini pizza) PRICE: $2-3 for a square, $16-22 for a pie, salads average $8. HOURS: Dinner & drinks, Sunday – Wednesday 11AM-12AM, Thursday, 11AM-2AM, Friday & Saturday, 11 AM – 4 AM.INSIDE SCOOP: They even serve beer & wine.RESERVATIONS: No reservations needed. Worse case scenario, get it to go. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 6 FINAL WORD: Order in! Krunch attempts to reinvent the wheel, or at least the pie, with their original Neapolitan-style take on pizza. In a minimal, but decidedly modern and “un-pizza” joint space, owners Chris Bianchi (Redemption Lounge) & Angelo Pisacreta have dressed up the...
Read MoreDona
Don’t hate me because I went to Dona even before its official open on this magical Monday evening. I, restaurantgirl, had taken it upon myself, to wander selflessly from restaurant to restaurant, throwing myself at the mercy of chefs across the five boroughs, bravely risking bad service, an upset stomach, and weathering, well, the weather, all in search of the perfect dish so that you may never waste a meal again. I happily sacrificed my Saturday night to give you a sneak peek at the restaurant formerly known as Bellini (Donatella Arpaia of david burke & donatella’s first born). Did you ever have that “go to guy” you could always count on for a good time, even though you knew he wasn’t “the one”? Bellini was mine. That is, until he decided to change his name, menu and wallpaper. ...
Read MoreDavid Burke at Bloomingdale's
DAVID BURKE AT BLOOMINGDALE’S? The grand dame of department stores is getting a modern makeover as celebrity chef, David Burke, opens a 2500-square-foot restaurant within its doors—with its own separate entrance and hours to boot. Having already mastered upscale Modern American Fare at davidburke&donatella, he aims to reinvent lunch at his dual-concept eatery. While the restaurant serves imaginative fare to ladies who lunch, those who run in a fast crowd can order gourmet to go from the Burke in the Box take-out counter or grab a drink after work at the sleek coffee and wine bar. Of course, the whimsical world of David Burke wouldn’t be complete without an innovative creation: calorie-free flavor spray, a guilt-free condiment to complement any one of his edible works of art. So if you crave “parmesan” on the risotto of the day,...
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