Lynn and I went to see one of the very last performances of Dangerous Liaisons with Laura Linney on the 28th of June. We had tried to find an interesting restaurant in the theatre district and had focused in on a Chilean restaurant. We drove into the city and arrived around noon for a 2pm performance-We parked just around the corner from possibly our favorite restaurant in NY, Pigale (at 790 8th Ave)-The restaurant is French and the food is an unusual combination of sophisticated fare with a comfort food vibration. The niciose salad is a particular favorite of mine as is the steak tartare. Lynn is particularly fond of the monkfish. The cocktails are great (made with an unusually light touch)-The interior is memorable as well with angled overhead mirrors, framed french newspapers and framed photos of french folk heroes....
The W Hotel is, in many ways, the polar opposite of Pigale. The Times Square "W" has been a favorite of ours since we moved to New York. The hotel has a striking entrance with a cascading waterfall behind glass (on four sides)-We had entered around 5 pm and the bar on the ground floor (called "The Living Room Bar") was packed with shoppers and tourists with awkward shopping bags. An alert host picked up on our disappointment and made a deft suggestion that we try the Blue Fin Restaurant and Lounge just one floor up. We walked up a flight of stairs and found a bar/restaurant mostly empty. We had a couple of great martinis (Lynn's blue colored with Hypnotiq).
The oysters were good, not great, and a bit expensive. The cheese plate was unbelievable, however and our long-legged Russian waitress dutifully wrapped up our oyster shells so that we could sow them in our driveway.
