One if by Land, Two if by Sea

08/05/09

dated food, fishy seafood, beautiful room

by tonykelley at Citysearch

Went on a monday night and had the tasting menu. It's true, you shouldn't order fish on a monday (at least at One if by Land) first course; hamachi, fishy, slimy, overly salty and otherwise inedible. Next was a dorado, fishy, uninspired. So far off to a bad, if not nauseating start. Fois Gras, hard to mess this one up.. it was pleasant and as expected. Main course; beef wellington, probably the most popular dish here, it was all over the menu, it was adequate, if under-flavored. Dessert was a strawberry rhubarb concoction that was over-complicated, with such fresh seasonal ingredients, why try so hard? The dessert was the only part of the meal that I could describe as "fresh". The room is beautiful (think Sign of the Dove) but the food was mostly a disaster, service was acceptable. Not recommended.

• Pros: ran into Patrick Bateman
• Cons: food, present

05/03/09

Thoroughly enjoyable dining experience

by swindler123 at Citysearch

When my boyfriend and I stepped into this restaurant, we immediately felt transported into a different, romantic, old world era. What was previously a stable for horses has since been transformed into a most beautiful dining room complete with crackling fire place and baby grand piano. Amidst the tuxedoed servers, we felt like characters straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

The service was highly attentive without being intrusive. The food was truly unforgettable. Get the beef wellington, the buttery texture simply melts in your mouth. Desserts were divine as well. Really liked the sweet and salty combination of the Rocky Road Fondant. Though there was some lag between the appetizers and entrees, they more than made up for it by giving us a free bottle of wine as well as free appetizers, whilst we waited. Looking forward to my next visit there!

• Pros: Great food, amazing atmosphere, very attentive service
• Cons: pricey ( but worth every penny)

03/18/09

great hidden find!

by benlbr at Citysearch

I had originally made a Saturday reservation for two for my wife's birthday. However, an emergency came up and we had to reschedule our dinner. The restaurant was very accomodating and was able to give us a reservation two days in advance. Although we arrived an hour early, they were able to seat us right away anyway! The decor is very lovely, and adds a classic appeal to its ambiance. We ordered scallops for our appetizer, and the duck and beef wellingtons for our entrees. The scallops and ducks were FANTASTIC! Although my beef wellington was a bit on the salty side. They remembered to put a birthday candle in my wife's dessert without my reminding them, which was a nice touch. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I would definitely come back again!

• Pros: attentive staff, friendly service, yummy food
• Cons: a little tight on space