NYC is a foodie’s paradise and while I was only visiting for 72 hours I managed to make it worthwhile. My husband knows how to keep me happy and this usually involves keeping me well fed. I am obsessed with tasting menus. There is something truly magical about witnessing a culinary genius’ creations come to life on a plate. Some people enjoy watching a Broadway show or visiting a museum, but I prefer savoring a beautifully crafted dish with fine ingredients. And that’s exactly what I did on my latest NYC eats escapade! In Food Porn Alert: Epic NYC Eats That Will Blow Your Mind I share my thoughts on a couple of favorites and some new additions.
New York EDITION Hotel Breakfast
The Clocktower is a new restaurant from British Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton located in the New York EDITION Hotel. Room service may not be considered a fine dining experience, but despite the lack of a fancy setting the food was on point. The eggs benedict, lobster omelet and roasted mushroom, goat cheese and spinach omelet were all delicious. Every day should start with a good meal! There’s a reason they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It means you get to enjoy lunch much more when you aren’t starving. Yes, there are some trips that revolve solely around food. I’m not ashamed of this fact.
Eleven Madison Park
This was our second-time dining at Eleven Madison Park and it won’t be our last! We dined here before their renovations that took place over the summer of 2017 and we were blown away. This time we decided to try their bar tasting menu which consists of 5 courses versus the 8-10 courses offered with the dining room tasting menu. If you don’t have time to sit through a 2.5-3-hour service, then I highly recommend reserving the bar tasting menu. Not only is this one of the best restaurants in Manhattan but it was also voted #1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2017. Standout dishes - The eggs Benedict, but with pickled quail egg yolk, caviar and freshly baked mini English muffins. The Hudson’s Valley foie gras with winter squash and pumpkin seeds.
Solo dining can be intimidating for some and solo fine dining is something that most would steer clear of. I on the other hand absolutely love solo fine dining because I get to fully immerse myself in the experience. Bring a good book, watch Netflix on your phone, browse social media or just people watch while you sip on champagne, drink great wine and eat amazing food.
Le Bernardin
Lunch at Le Bernardin was not my first solo fine dining experience but it was my best. This three Michelin starred restaurant by Eric Ripert where the fish is the star of the plate does not disappoint. I opted for Le Bernardin Tasting Menu, a 7 course menu featuring langoustine, red snapper, monk fish and more. As I sat and watched Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards I savored every single dish which I washed down with Chardonnay, “Gueules de Loup,” Goisot, Côte d’Auxerre, Burgundy, France 2015. Standout dishes - Seared Langoustine; Warm Mushroom Salad, Truffle Crème Fraîche Sauce. The signature dish of pastry chef Michael Laiskonis - a milk chocolate crème brulée egg with sea salt and caramel custard foam which is not on the menu.
Cosme
If you love Mexican inspired cuisine, Cosme is a no brainer. I personally don’t rank Mexican cuisine very high on my list of favorites and that might be in part because I hate cilantro. I understand this is a key ingredient in most Mexican dishes and that I am destroying the flavor composition when I request to have it omitted. But I am part of the 6% of the population for whom cilantro tastes like soap, we’re also known as supertasters. Yes, I have a superpower and it involves food. How cool is that?! For that reason Mexican food just doesn’t work for me. Despite being ranked #40 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants it was my least favorite of the restaurants on this post. The guacamole was really good though!
Estiatorio Milos
Good old Milos! Those who know us know that we absolutely love this restaurant. We’ve dined at all their locations: New York, Las Vegas, Miami, London, Athens and Montreal. On episode 16 of season 14 of Keeping Up With The Kardashians Kris Jenner also mentions how much she loves this restaurants. My word is worth more but thought I’d throw that in there. 😉 We ordered our usual: Greek salad, Milos special and Fagri. We’ve been told that the lobster spaghetti is to die for but are yet to try it!
Luckily, I walked non-stop in between all these meals and let’s be honest who’s counting calories when you’re on vacation?! If you are planning a trip to NYC make sure to reserve these restaurants far in advance, especially Eleven Madison Park and Le Bernardin. And when I say far in advance I mean 2 months, not a couple of weeks.
Do you enjoy fine dining? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
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Related: Top 5 Favorite Restaurants Of 2017
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