What is it about the meatpacking district of New York City that draws in so
many entrepreneurs to set up restaurants - and why is that so many of these
meatpacking-district-based restaurants become top crowd-drawers that gain
widespread recognition from the culinary and gastronomic worlds? Spice
Market is yet another of these restaurants that we described, considered
among the 25 leading restaurants of the city. It is considered a moderately-
to expensively-priced restaurant, with food prices ranging from $15 to $30
for one meal alone. But chances are the prices are not the first thing you
will notice about Spice Market - the first thing that will strike you upon
entering is that this is one BIG restaurant (estimated to be as large as a
bus depot actually.) Then you will notice that the food is predominantly of
Southeast Asian influence - Southeast Asian street food that is.
It couldn't be simpler - if you want to find the Lever House Restaurant,
just look for the Lever House building at 390 Park Avenue in New York City.
The building alone is already a historical landmark in the community but
with the addition of the Lever House Restaurant, the Lever House building
becomes more of a crowd-drawer. Lever House Restaurant meals are under the
responsibility of master chef Dan Silverman who uses his culinary skills to
replicate seasonal cuisine of the US in innovative ways. The James Beard
Society has recognized the Lever House Restaurant by nominating it as Best
New Restaurant for 2003, and the New York Magazine followed suit by tagging
the restaurant as Best In Service for 2004. But the peak feather in the
Lever House Restaurant's cap is being granted a star and being included in
the Michelin Guide for New York City.
If you do decide to try out the Lever House Restaurant, you may want to
sample some delicacies such as the veal chops, diver scallops swimming in
celery nage, and tuna carpaccio served with tobiko and wasabi cr�me
fraiche. Some people like an apple martini to go with their meal.
The cuisine here is called Contemporary American, set in a casually elegant
fine-dining atmosphere. Indeed, the dress code can be described as business
casual so when you plan to dine here better dress well. Lever House
Restaurant is located within the Midtown East neighborhood, at the junction
of 53rd Street and Park Avenue. Prices of its menu start at $51, making
this a relatively expensive restaurant to favor. It has a private dining
room whose capacity maxes out at 24 diners, but you may opt to reserve the
whole restaurant if your party may reach as high as 125 people (its limit.)
There is also a combination bar and lounge, banquet rooms and a full bar
serving wine mainly. Parking is available for your vehicles at 54th Street,
between Park Avenue and Madison. Some people find the straight-laced
business crowd a bit too conservative, and the noise levels within the
restaurant may also bother those who prefer quieter surroundings in which
to enjoy their meal.
Still, the food is undeniably good so if you can
ignore the other elements like noise, the crowds and the dress code, then
you may find the Lever House Restaurant to be an enjoyable place to visit.
One more reason to visit is that many name-droppable celebrities like to
come here too - people like the singer Seal, for instance, or the Fab Five
from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. If that makes your day, then you may
want to try coming at least once in the hopes of spotting a celebrity.
The restaurant generally operates from 11:45 in the morning to 2:15 in the
afternoon (to serve lunch from Monday to Friday) and from 5:30 in the
afternoon to 10:30 in the evening (for dinner from Monday to Thursday). On
Friday and Saturday, you may eat here from 5:30 pm until 11:30 pm, while on
Sundays, the restaurant operates from 5 pm until 10 pm only. You may use
Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to pay for your meals.
Yes, Le Bernardin is a great New York City seafood restaurant but it is
also more than that - it is actually a genuine four-star restaurant which
is owned and run by genuine French-born cooking mavericks Maguy and Gilbert
Le Coze. Gilbert's experience in French cuisine stems from his youth spent
assisting his father and grandfather in the kitchen of their family-owned
restaurant and inn back in France, the Hotel de Rhuys. Maguy grew up
helping her mother in the dining room of the Hotel de Rhuys. The New York
Le Bernardin is actually an offshoot of the original Le Bernardin which was
first opened in Paris and had won two Michelin stars within four years of
its opening. Not bad for a shoestring operation.
Jean Georges is a New York City restaurant in New York State that has
garnered accolades from all over due to its excellent examples of French
cuisine served in a fine-dining atmosphere. To get here, just look for the
address #1 Central Park W, where 60th Street meets the 61st Street. The
restaurant is right at the ground floor of the Trump Plaza so it would be
pretty hard to miss.
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