44 & X
New York, NY 10036-3004
Phone: (212) 977-1170
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Between 44th Street and 45th Street
- Directions:
- A, C, E at 42nd St
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 5:30pm-11:45pm, Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-12:15am, Sun 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-11:45pm
Editorial Review for 44 & X – by Katie Heffernan
The Scene
A New England beach house has run ashore in Hell's Kitchen, with uptown residents and in-the-know theatergoers drifting in for an evening of casual class. Warm, sandy hues wash over the lofty, low-lit space and its classic white-painted woods--though the full transporting effect is marred by hit-or-miss service and glass walls exposing gas station scenery.
The Food
Conjuring that seaside vacation are diet-spoiling comfort foods--with the same high hotel price tags. Start off right with thick, crisp-edged blue crab fritters and the sweet persimmon salad, a synthesis of taste and texture with soft blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and crunchy pomegranate seeds. Mushroom turkey meat loaf and macaroni and cheese are favored by those raised on similar recipes, but the cheddar-heavy elbow noodles are lackluster and the old-fashioned tomato sauce adds an odd molasses twang. Opt instead for luxurious lobster dishes like the vanilla-flushed butter sauce casserole--which is dessert enough, and more pleasing than the ho-hum closers.
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Insider Tips
Look GoodSecure 6pm reservations for the perfectly secret pre-theater meal--though as expensive as any theater district spot, it flies under the radar on 10th Avenue.
When to GoBrunch is served on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 11:30am-2:30pm.
Where to SitIn summertime, diners can ease into a quaint sidewalk patio lined with leafy trellises.
User Reviews for 44 & X
01/20/2008 Posted by stephensaba
44 & X is grossly over-rated. My wife and I went there for an early dinner before theater. The chairs are cheap plastic. The service is slow, VERY SLOW. Our tall waiter seemed more interested in sashaying around the restaurant trying to get his butt noticed than actually waiting on our table. The food was mediocre and not fresh. The fennel salad which my wife and i shared was a mound of mush. Fennel was rubbery and soaked in dressing, not at all fresh and crispy. The lobster casserole which my wife had was $30, and a conglomerate of bland flavors that tried to drown out the few pieces of lobster. It was clearly prepared days earlier and frozen. It was like eating something out of the freezer case at Gristede's. My steak was not tender and I asked for medium well, but it was rare. No time to send it back since we were so pressed for time due to the lack of good service. at Jersey Boys later, my wife had severe abdominal pains and we had to leave after the first act. Bad Lobster Casserole? perhaps. What an awful restaruant. will NEVER go back or recommend. I can only imagine the good reviews on this site are from employees of the joint.
Pros: close to the theater district
Cons: food, service, uncomfortable chairs,
06/12/2007 Posted by uachrisb
Always a good time if you can avoid the socially awkward customarily drunk owner who welcomes you with a smile and then tries to give you the boot to make room for more guests. The food is great and people come back over and over but only for the friendly staff who make this place worth visiting. Know for a new spin on American Classics, the menu features such Americana hits as the quesadilla and filet mignon--both American standards. It's a fun time but the stories are true. I've seen the rodents in the restaurant and there are more than one kind lurking. The biggest one of all owns the place.
Pros: Great staff
Cons: The owner
