My birthday did not begin at Union Square Cafe because Lewis hid that destination to make it a surprise. To start my birthday evening, he brought me to Ilili, which is a posh Lebanese restaurant. The place has a unique interior: warm wood tones, 3 walls (of small "windows") to soften the noise throughout the dining room/bar, and GREAT food.
Lewis ordered "small plates" and cocktails, but he sneakily wouldn't tell me where we were having dinner. Below were the Skillet of Shrimp and wraps of Duck Shawarma, accompanied by Bourbon, Massaya Arak, Ginger & Mint.
As the hour neared 8 o'clock, he ushered me out onto the sidewalk... leading me towards our mysterious dinner destination.
As a tease, Lewis led me to two different restaurants--only to announce, "Nope! Just kidding, we're not eating here." Disoriented and preoccupied with guesses, I didn't notice that he was leading me to a newly-relocated restaurant that I'd always wanted to dine at:
[Restauranteur extraordinaire, Danny Meyer, "hung his shingle" (as the saying goes) upon a new doorstep... just steps from his original location. Every New Yorker knows the tale; it's one of dedication overcoming greed (which has always been his motto anyway).
Staking his claim as a restauranteur in 1985 was his biggest challenge (as seen below, when Union Square Cafe was born in the slummy Manhattan of that era).
His great success was reinvested into the local community; it temporarily pushed out the drug dealers and "hookers", and expanded the famous Union Square Farmer's Market (which began the nationwide trend), and City Harvest food donations. Alas, drug addicts and homeless bums reconvened because NYC didn't match Meyer's efforts to save the area.
Lewis and I are convinced that bad vibes cling to that area. Now pushed underground by the city's overdevelopment, the Minetta Stream runs under the area. Perhaps as an explanation for the tainted griminess of the area, the stream was originally named Manetta, which Native American tribes used to indicate "evil spirits / snakes".
The cafe became the cornerstone of his Union Square Hospitality Group, which launched and sustained more eateries. Single-handedly, Meyer finessed Manhattan's dining experience: refining it, making it less formal, making it more attentive, introducing artisanal ingredients, and teaching the ethics of Hospitality. USHG is famous as a great place to work, and Meyer is hired as a motivational speaker across the nation!
Devastated, Meyer took his USC culinary team back to Europe--where he first learned of great hospitality--and immersed himself in a better environment. Refreshed, he returned undaunted and found a new home for USC: the former space of City Crab. Luckily, it's close to the original location! A reinvention, it's bigger, brighter, loftier, and can allow for more kitchen space, an in-house bread program,
Like many, I was eager to eat there!
Thus, I was SO EXCITED to dine there for my birthday! What a great gift! The model of the new restaurant is seen below. Lewis chose a table for us, on the third tier above, overlooking the long bar.
Entering, you see how Meyer tried to keep the vast space cozy--wanting guests to always feel comfortably at home.
The bar greets you with a sweeping vista of alcohol, and cymbal-like copper lamps above.
The craftsmanship in mixology was evident... which all of Meyer's bartenders possess in all of his eateries.
The hostess, who was cozily stationed at a rustic table by the entrance, escorted us upstairs... to the third tier.
It afforded us a grand view of the dining room beneath!
The third level has a private dining area (resembling a homey dining room with candlelit sideboards and flowers all over), a row of red leather banquettes, a Service Bar (so your drinks don't have to come from downstairs), and a row of deuces along the gun-metal railing. That's me below!
The upstairs Bar--and its lamps--are from the original USC.
You can eat there or merely savor an apéritif. Maybe you'll admire the nearby banquettes and take one for your meal.
The freshly-made bread was amazing, with farm-fresh butter!
Pepper-mills are always my preference over stale pepper shakers. Notice the absence of salt... indicating perfection will arrive from the kitchen.
I savored a summer Negroni, admiring the delicate-stemmed saucer glass. Lacking a thick bottom, even the water goblets were delicately styled, befitting a home in Provence, France.
For starters, we shared a dinner portion of Soft-Shell Crab. Ironically, the last time we ate in that space, it was for Soft-Shell Crab during the occupancy of City Crab! :-)
We also munched on crispy calamari. Next, we perused the ever-changing/seasonal menu for a great pasta course, which is house-made, too.
Our perky / trendy waitress suggested the Spaghetti with Duck and Sausage! It was SUBLIME! A new favorite!
Our perky / trendy waitress suggested the Spaghetti with Duck and Sausage! It was SUBLIME! A new favorite!
Our table was crumbed, water refilled, and our next drink orders were inquired of. I wanted a herbaceous/floral-flavored gin cocktail, involving something akin to The Botanist Gin. Our server perked up even more, saying that she was a Brooklynite living near a small-batch distillery of Dorothy Parker Gin. (the place looks like this)
She even fetched and presented the bottle, and a sample to sip.
Sold! I order a cocktail of it, shaken and served "up". It was heavenly, and I was so happy to have been introduced to a new (and locally-produced) item.
For dinner, we enjoyed Chef Carmen's succulently thick Pork Chops and Duck Breast with Duck Leg Confit (with blanched cherries). The veggies were crispy; the sauces were amazing. The sausage stuffing that accompanied my entree was delectable!
Both tables on either side of mine celebrated birthdays, which gave heightened energy to our corner of the restaurant. I ordered their Brazilian/Colombian blended coffee, which was okay. We shared Panna Cotta (which I know is Lewis' favorite dessert), which the staff lovingly inscribed for my birthday. Around it, mini peaches were juicy, the carmelized brioche toasts were gooey, and the berry gelato was tart.
The dining room manager shook my hand, and asked if this was our first visit. It was, and we talked about our longstanding familiarity with USHG's other establishments. We'll be back--I especially want to experience the sun-splashed dining room for lunch or brunch. With a kiss to Lewis, I let him know that our experience had been perfect!
*To see our brunch experience there, please use this link:
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