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8th Ave-42nd St (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, S, 7, N, Q, R, W)
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Tuesday evening...party of 2
Plain and simple...one of the best meals my husband and I have ever eaten.
We came here because we couldn't wedge ourselves into Batali's Babbo with a shoehorn! I am so glad we came to this place, though.
Love, love, loved the meal start to finish. Celebs are on to this place, too, which made for some interesting dinner viewing. I kept my camera in check and did not start snapping away like a freak stalker.
Loved sitting in the out door patio listening to the NYC street sounds of Hell's Kitchen... seriously, it was nice. :)
We will be back...loved it Mario!!
this is a difficult review. I really feel SO mixed, the stupid star rating is kind of useless. Crudo was delicious, ocean purity and fresh and saline and lovely. But $18-20? Perhaps worth it, but far from what I can pay and I have a feeling it's over priced ( I know mario b. is a businessman first and foremost, but still it should be a price that the customer is so comfortable paying they're distracted from the price.)
Pastas were very lovely, especially the sea urchin roe and crab-- i could eat that until forever.
Ok, so here's the biggest problem, and as an industry person I hate to be so swayed by this one thing, but I have never had more horrendously horrific service ever in my life. Our waiter was micro - managing to an absolutely painful and even angering degree. He was so insistant that we EACH read our menu as he "walked us through it" (as though we needed it) that while I was peaking over at my BFs menu, politely acting like I needed a "walk-through" (I am only getting a masters in this right now, but sure, I understand that this is the thing that you do here so fine hold my hand) he actually tapped me on the shoulder and got right down near my face and said "Madam", forcing an open menu in my hand and pointed to where we were on the page. WOW. ocd much? So fine, I giggled to myself and went about my business. THEN we're finally ready to order and we wanted to begin by sharing some crudo -
"SHARE? the crudo are for one person. You're only ordering 3 and there are five of you. Here, let me explain how you order here at Esca."
again, seriously?! So, we said nicely
"oh, thats ok, let us just tell you what we were thinking and then you can give us recommendations based on that."
3 crudos. 2 pastas. 3 mains. Just put it in the middle and give us extra plates. Family style. A little of everything. For everyone! (the joy of life, a taste of everything, right?)
Ordering threw him totally-- he just could not seem to wrap his head around the fact that we wanted the food to come like that. We actually wanted the fritto misto with the crudo, but he basically said no we couldn't have that. So, again, fine, whatever. He also wanted to point out that we understood that there would be 6 plates on the table when he brought out the crudo and pastas, and--did we realize-- only 5 of us?? He looked extremely perplexed by this.
I pointed out that we would like it if the crudo could come before the pastas, and finally the mains. Would that be so difficult?
Yes! because then there would only be 3 plates on the table and , we did realize didn't we? there were only 5 of us.
So bring a few empty plates. we promise we will make it work.
Yes, well, (he felt compelled to tell us) that just won't be enough food.
PHEW. absolutely nuts. we were in stitches initially because of how incredible he was ( I do know his name, but I'm going to be nicer than he ever was, and keep this to myself). Anyway, much to stuff, and sadly, overpriced. Money better spent elsewhere. Sorry Mario! Love Lupa!
This place definitely deserves 5 stars. Everything from ambiance, food and service was stellar. Came here with out-of-towners on a friend's recommendation and they were ecstatic!
Had a pasta special which had a black/dark texture (?), whole wheat they say, but it tasted great. The caprese salad was lightly tossed, and some sort of giant fried fish. Don't think this was a tapa/sharing type of restaurant, but we just pooled everything in and ate it all.
I'm not a big fan of long review so I'll be brief: this is a place where you wanna either celebrate an important occasion or go crazy with authentic italian fish food.
They have a great selection of wine and they know how to serve it. Tables are big and have table cloths (Woo Woo).
One little remark: maybe they tend to over dress their food but that's the american way: isn't it?
Yes, the crudo is jump-for-joy yummy, and the seafood is always well cooked and delightfully seasoned. However, a few shortcomings prevent this otherwise great restaurant from being on the top of my Batali restaurant list. For instance, the sea urchin pasta is quite nice but the urchin was pureed into a uniformly textured, creamy sauce and although it tasted fine, it was not all that impressive. I prefer the uni pasta at Basta Pasta, which not only has a great tasting uni sauce, but leaves you with chunks of fresh uni snuggled warmly between the strands of your spaghetti. Finally, I feel it is slightly overpriced (Esca's uni pasta is $24 while Basta's is $19). I admit I haven't been to an Italian seafood restaurant this good anywhere else in the city. But still, my wallet told me its too expensive.
P.S. But, Mario Batali is still my hero.
I really wanted to love this place. We went there for our anniversary and we both love fish so we had high hopes. It just didn't measure up. When the best dish is the mushroom-and-leek bed the fish is served on, you know you're in trouble. The zuppa de pesce was a particular letdown. A little saffron and a lot less salt would have helped. The service was friendly but a little disorganized. Maybe going on a Monday night was a mistake? Whatever -- next time I'll go to Po.
I'm not one to write negative reviews, but I'm frank and honest so here it is (and it isn't pretty):
The food is semi decent, and the crudo is a good thought but they hardly pull it off, menu also lacks creativity and flexibility in terms of splitting dishes, doing family style, etc. BUT then there's the service, which is SO piss poor that it overshadows everything, ruined my experience, and the first part of my evening.
In short, they - and management as well - have3 NO concept of "customer service" - simply crazy in this current economy - nor is there any personalization or any attempt/effort to show common courtesy to customers...FROM ANYONE in the joint.
Despite the horrific, jaw dropping treatment me, my friend and my mom received, I still tipped more than 20% to be the bigger person. Also politely voiced feedback, but they could have CARED LESS.
Planning to write a seething letter to management, and now I recommend to ALL WHO READ THIS: SAVE your money - the food is so, so and everything but inexpensive. When factoring in lack of service and rudeness of ENTIRE staff, you couldn't PAY ME to go back.
Try Shaffer City Oyster Bar & Grill instead. MUCH BETTER all around.
My boyfriend, Jared, and I took a trip up to New York for our anniversary and made a reservation at Esca. Babbo had been Jared's original choice. He loves Mario Batali, and we figured the seafood would be just as amazing.
We arrived a little late but were seated immediately. We had the tasting crudos (with the xtra 5 pieces). I ate my very first raw oyster. It tasted like the ocean. It was amazing. There was a blowfish tartare which I loved. The razorclam was one of the best. There was a mackerel (delicious) and a few more I can't remember.
The starter was the grape leaf wrapped fish. I can't remember if it was mackerel. It may have been. I wasn't a huge fan. It was good, but not for me. Jared loved it.
BTW, the service was superior. As soon as we sat down we were greeted by a manager, given water, and approached by a server who asked us whether we'd been there before etc. The whole staff was friendly and there was no detail overlooked.
We had the tasting menu for our meal, so there were quite a number of plates being set before me. A great deal of wine as well. Each wine was paired perfectly with the food.
The only dish which disappointed was a pasta with some sort of white fish. The flavor was flat and it just wasn't on par with the other things we had up until that point. We politely told the server that we just weren't feeling it, and he apologized taking our plates away. Before we knew it, he was back with a different dish and a wine to match it. The dish he replaced it with was phenomenal. It was a sardine paste with al dente angel hair (as far as I could tell) and it was so very good. I've never liked sardines in anything ever, but I couldn't get enough of this dish. We were so happy and we got a extra glass of wine out of the deal which is always good.
It was really nice to be treated like a human being. People are afraid to send food back and servers ultimately hate it when guests do it. I was surprised at how nice the server was and very impressed that we were served another entree without asking to make up for the dish we didn't like. True, it should be that way at every restaurant, but it doesn't always happen as smoothly as it did at Esca.
The food seemed to go on forever, but finally the dessert came out. Jared had told the restaurant ahead of time that it was our anniversary and the plate had been decorated with writing chocolate saying "Happy Anniversary". It was a nice touch. I had the tropical fruit gellati. Perfect end. The Muscato wine was a dessert in itself and I wished I could have taken a bottle of it back to the hotel with us.
All in all, a superb experience. I left happy and extremely full of great food. It was expensive but we had budgeted it into our trip and we knew it would be a serious splurge for our anniversary. I will go back, but not before I've tried Batali's other places first. :)
Want to know a secret? Esca has http://restaurant.com gift certificates. Shhhhh.
Anyways Porkchop and I came here with our other http://restaurant.com gift certificate pair, and again, we requested to sit as separate parties (since it's one cert a table) right next to each other. Esca was fine with it. Now we all wanted to try the branzino, but neither table wanted to get two servings of it, so we worked out this sneaky system where one table ordered two servings, the other ordered extra apps, and we did a switcheroo. We tried to be DL and sneaky about it, but the waiter obviously noticed, and graciously provided extra plates and silverware where necessary.
However, our waiter was incredibly pushy. When our friends ordered only a pasta and branzino, he pretty much tried to force an appetizer upon them. Yuck. And when at the end, we decided on no dessert, he whined "Whaaaaaaat? No desssssssert???"
Anyhow, Porkchop and I started with the razor clam and halibut belly crudos. They were both excellent and very yum. Next, we went onto the soft shell crab appetizer, which was good, but really nothing super amazing. Next, the uni and crab meat pasta, which was a show-stealer for me. Creamy, salty-snappy, perfectly al dente pasta... Wow, major thanks to Chris H. for suggesting this. And lastly, we had the branzino. This was good for two people, but I could have done without the hot appetizer, and maybe we would have had room for the dessert.
SO, the branzino is very yummy. Meaty and subtly salty, and incredibly fresh. I wish they'd offer it in a smaller portion size, because then parties of two (who are not sneaky like us) would be able to sample it. Oh well.
All in all, this place is NOT cheap, and the service was NOT the greatest. The food is very simple, but the ingredients are fresh and high-quality. I'd be willing to come back for sure, but I know our buds didn't enjoy it quite as much as we did.
My wife and I went for a late dinner before a Jazz show. Had difficulty finding a moderately priced bottle of white wine. Wanted to do the Otto thing here and order a couple of small plates, which I tried the next night at Milos with a lot more success. I was given a lecture by the waitress on the correct way that I needed to order in this restaurant. This from someone half my age who probably cant afford to eat where she is working.
Went ahead and broke all the rules and ordered the small plates. Everything was great. All the fish cooked (or not cooked) perfectly. If not for the ordering lecture the meal would have been great.
The strangest thing occurred, another couple left the restaurant the same time as we did. When we got to the jazz club several blocks away, they were in line in front of us. I asked if they were following us, we started talking. They live a few blocks from us in Coral Gables, are very good friends with our next door neighbors and we also have many mutual friends and his business insures my business. Strange coincidence.
This has been my favorite restaurant in New York for many years. The crudo is completely unbelievable. The best tasting thing I could imagine, basically. The pink snapper and halibut are wonderfully delicate, the shrimp, the clam...everything is so delicious. The wine selection is excellent. The pastas are great, particularly the spaghetti with crab meat. The desserts are exceptional as well. The service is above and beyond. If you love seafood and don't mind spending an arm and a leg on a meal, definitely try Esca. I think it's Batali's best restaurant.
Ah Esca, Molto Bene
I went with a lovely young lady to Esca on a beautiful Tuesday Evening. The menu is different from other Italian eateries and it has a large variety of items. The food came out on a timely manner and was wonderful, I have to say the best part of the meal was the service, without the service in a restaurant the meal would not be complete. Whomever trained there staff, My compliments Magnifico. I only take half a point off for the restroom, and another half for the not so quiet outdoor area for dining, it is on a very busy corner in front of a very busy building.
Thank you for a wonderful evening.
Big Joe
Probably won't be back. The pasta was fantastic, but food is overpriced and the service is sub par for this class of restaurant. I ended up at Esca because I could not get a reservation for Babbo. I read some poor reviews and some great reviews. I was hoping the poor reviews were wrong. Too bad I now agree with them.
Service:
Our waiter was very helpful in recommending dishes and wines. He was very friendly. Where Esca drops the ball completely is on pick up of empty plates. I had a late reservation so it is not like the restaurant was too busy for the multiple waiters to notice our clearing needs. The were so negligent that as my table was passing around appetizers to try, my brother wanted to pass me his empty dish to clear room in front of himself. Even after I refused to take the empty dish from my brother, the servers did not clear the plate off for several minutes.
Food:
The pasta was the highlight. The pasta here was probably a combination of both the most authentic and the most innovative I have ever had. My favorite was the sea urchin pasta. Coming in next was the squid ink pasta. The lobster spaghetti was also good, but I was expecting it to be better.
Crudo (cross between ceviche and sashimi)....I like sushi. I like raw seafood. This was my first time trying crudo. I can say I enjoy eating crudo after this experience. However, I can also say I DON'T like having to pay through the nose for anything. The crudo pieces are sashimi sized portions. Esca's prices mean you pay $6+ for each piece of fish. Ridiculous.
Octopus and fava bean appetizer---some of the most tender octopus I have had. Too bad you get so little octopus compared to beans!
Guitar cut spaghetti with sea urchin
Guitar cut spaghetti with sea urchin!
Guitar cut spaghetti with sea urchin!!
An epizeuxis for emphasis, because this dish is that good, and is worth a visit just in itself.
Esca's somewhat awkward location and hefty price point make this restaurant a hard sell for me. However, upon arrival, you'll find a smart and elegant restaurant, swathed in lighter earth toned decor, giving the restaurant a very relaxing and homey feel.
The restaurateur, David Pasternack, is part of the A-list who's who of the New York restaurant scene, having rubbed elbows with Mario, the Bastianich's, et al. Proof that having a good pedigree is part of the restaurant success formula.
I think that I would frequent Esca much more if it were in the comfortable confines of the Village or Chelsea, but i'd be willing to fight through the gawking tourists of Times Square, skip past the generally sub-par restaurants that make up most of Hell's Kitchen/Theater District and make another visit to Mr. Pasternack's homage to great Italian seafood.
Having spent four months abroad in Italy, I know my bruschetta. And the moment I bit into the complimentary bruschetta starter, I knew this was going to be a great meal. The small toasted pieces of bread were crunchy on the bottom and topped with a surprisingly not overpowering puree of white bean, red onion and garlic. Super delish!
On a scale of 1-10, the crudo tasting gets a 15. It was probably the best starter I have had in my life, no exaggerations. It started with an oyster, moved on to four types of fish, and ended with the most ridiculously beautiful and scrumptious razor clam. If you just want a taste of the crudo instead of trying the tasting, I'd get the pink snapper which was also incredible, and the razor clam with mint and chilis.
We also split the stuffed zucchini blossoms, which compared to those I ate in Rome's Jewish Ghetto where they are most well known. Really great stuff. My godfather had the heirloom tomato salad, which he said was good, but nothing he hadn't had before.
Our pastas were delicious. Perfectly cooked and chewy as they should be. I got the spaghetti with chilis, mint, and lobster which was yummy, and I also got to try to ricotta gnocchi, which was really awesome as well.
The main courses were not as great. I split the monkfish, which was fine but weirdly battered? And my godfather got the chicken, which the waiter told us would have a "surprise"...not a particularly appetizing one, unfortunately, as the chicken's feet were still attached and presented in a way that they interlocked on the plate. It tasted good, but I'm still a squemish American when it comes to having an in-your-face visual that what you're eating is actually an animal.
Desserts were really delicious! Another highlight! I got the affogato, a caramel gelato topped with some sort of candied nut and freshly poured espresso. The other dessert was a trio of apricot, canteloupe, and currant sorbetti and it was probably the most tempting and beautifully presented dessert I've ever seen. So refreshing!
The service was spot on--they were all super attentive. And the wine was delicious too--try the Friulano.
I'm giving Esca a four because the entrees were not amazing...but the crudo tasting, the pasta, the desserts totally made up for it. Really hope I have the chance to go back someday.
If someone asked me, "if I gave you $500 to spend, what would you buy?"
Archie @ age 6 - Candy, Transformers, Intellivision video games, disneyland trip
Archie @ age 12 - Baseball cards, mullet gel, huge party at the roller rink
Archie @ age 16 - New grill, CB radio, KC lights for my sweet Ford Bronco
Archie @ age 21 - Credit card debt, twelve pack of Bud Ice, two Sega Dreamcast games
Archie @ age 32 - One meal at Esca
I can't say enough about Esca.
From the oysters, to the squid ink pasta to the 5 dishes of crudo that were perfect, I am going to have to say this is one of the best Italian meals I have ever had.
The gnocchi was so soft it felt like cotton candy melting in my mouth.
I regret absolutely nothing about this meal.
Well, except for the insane amount of booze we imbibed.
Service was outstanding.
If the financial crisis doesn't wipe me out completely, I'll be back.
Kraken.
Went for restaurant week. It was OK, not great. The service was excellent however. The only thing that was annoying was how they tried to push a bunch of "extras" onto us...seemed desperate to increase the bill since the restaurant week menu is such a "bargain." The squid salad was good, the greens comprising it were not. The mussels were great, but the pasta they were served in was a step above prego. The dessert took the cake! The best custard I've had in a while with fresh figs, sugared pine nuts and fresh apricot.
Wow, amazing meal had here a long time back. So good, that when I found the matchbook I took from the place amongst a bunch of stuff, I said "I remember that meal and it was so good. I should Yelp it."
Umm, I don't smoke, so the fact I took a matchbook to remember the place is great.
I had fish soup for the first time there. I don't really like either, so maybe the double negative factor made me like it, because I did.
Go here. Bring lots of money though. Send me a message first and invite me. You pay.
So on to my Batali empire of being able to try each and everyone of his restaurants. I went here for my birthday (no reservation) but we got a great spot at their tiny bar (which is always fun), met a few great people...they come here often and always sit at the bar and why not when you have a great and friendly bartender named Vic. The food here is mainly seafood but I have to say it was fantastic. The best dish was the Mako shark which was so meaty you actually thought you were eating a fillet of meat not fish. I loved it. I also loved the fact that the chef came out and I received a signed copy of his cookbook (which I do have a secret obsession with collecting cookbooks). Guess the secret is out!
The pasta dishes were fresh and filled with so much flavor and the quartino of wines were divine. If you love Babbo, you will love this restaurant as well.
It made for a great birthday dinner and the company turned out to be the cherry on top of the sundae.
I can't wait to come back and again no reservation for me, I want to sit at the bar for that extra special treatment.
Went on a friend's recommendation; took my girlfriend to Esca for her birthday. Simply put: the service was fantastic, the ambiance very pleasant, but the food was so-so and for the $, definitely not worth it. Seated right on time for our reservation, our waiter was phenomenal helping us out with the menu, and water glasses and drinks never made it to empty. Again, the service was top notch. The food, however, could have been much better. Appetizers: raw clams were fresh and delicious. The grilled octopus, for which they were known, was cooked perfectly, but was overpowered by the somewhat bland fava been salad it was served upon. Ceviche had nice presentation, and was good. Split the Squid Ink Spaghetti with cuttlefish, scallions and green chilies. Excellent, and the highlight of the meal. The real disappointment was the fish: she had the halibut with hearts of palm salad, i had the recommended wild sturgeon. Both cooked to perfection, but were somewhat bland, especially the halibut which seemed to lack any seasoning whatsoever. Don't remember the name of the dessert, but it had huckleberries and was quite good.
Overall, we were expecting outstanding fish, and we didn't get it. Had better meals at Blue Water, Lupa and other places, for a lot less.
We went apres theater (the show was "meh" - as in "meh" my jewish grandmother is funnier!)
So we walked across to Esca at the suggestion of a co-worker who raved about the fish in salt.
We sat outside and it began to rain very lightly we were okay with that. It was a bit refreshing and we had an umbrella so we felt very romantic.
We got there at 9:30 for dinner and asked to be outside. They were totally accomodating and we waited at the bar (very tiny but so friendly!!!) Enjoyed a fabulous glass of Valpolicella and continued with that through dinner.
The razor clam crudo was a showstopper. OMG. We are planning on serving it at our wedding reception. The waiter was so charming. Astute, funny, unassuming your quintessential New Yorker. We so enjoyed the entire evening and walked back to our hotel raving about our fabulous evening.
The fish soup here is the best. The best. I can have it as an app, I can split it as a full blown meal with a friend.
I can have it in a box with a fox... etc. It is so wonderful, it tastes like the drippings of roasted fish my mama always makes, plus more. Savory, just the right hit of salt, and a lingering, tender loving sweetness.
The service could not be more to my liking, every server here is a sensai. Getting me more bread, pouring me wine, folding my napkin when I leave the table. My heart could not beat louder in excitment when looking at their wonderful wine list.
I don't come here often because it's beyond expensive, but whenever I do it feels like a dream. It makes me salivate thinking about their fish soup right now. I think I'm going to cry. Actually, Esca fish soup is the tears of angels.
Bury me in Esca fish soup!
The third in the trio of Batali's restaurants that I tried. Lupa still is tops for me.
It's been a few years since I've been. I believe I ordered shark for my main course and it was delicious. The server was excellent and recommended a great white that went well with both our dishes. He wrote the wine down for me on a stationary card so I could try to find it when I came home.
If you knock $10 off of everything on the menu, the price would be reasonable for the food. I came last night and got the mixed snapper crudo for an appetizer, sea urchin pasta as a first course and cod for the entree. The snapper was refreshing, but at $18 for 3 pieces of sashimi, it should be. The sea urchin pasta was awesome - I loved this. The cod was just ehh - it tasted tender but the presentation was a little sad. Literally it was a white, card-deck sized piece of fish with a lump of unidentifiable greens on a pure white plate. No sauce. This was $36 and I've definitely had better for that price. Thank goodness for the http://restaurant.com certificate. Service slowed to a crawl at the end of the night. Perhaps we weren't ordering as much as the elderly gentleman sitting next to us. His date was probably 30 years younger than him and foreign. I guess they were ordering a much more elaborate meal! Overall I would come back if money were no object.
Love, love, love! The place is super cute - upscale and modern and intimate.
We ordered a few of the crudo platters, and the fish was amazingly tender and fresh. We also ordered the spaghetti with mint and lobster (cooked perfectly al dente, although a tad too salty), and one of the fish. My mom and I shared the entrees, and they split them for us without charging us.
I must comment on the service which was top notch. Our waiter was very attentive, and there was always someone making sure our glasses were filled, asking if we wanted more bread, and folding our napkins when we went to the restroom. I will definitely be back.
I was brought here for a surprise evening and I left feeling super high from the wonderful experience that Esca had to offer.
Esca is hands down an amazing Italian Seafood Restaurant. The atmosphere inside is perfect blend of casual elegance, as you can expect to see people dressed in either polished jeans or dressy attire.
Now I must say something- I had just come from spending ten days in northern Italy, and had the chance to have the best food I have ever eaten in my life, and eating at Esca made me reminisce about the meals I had, and took me back to certain restaurants and the sensory experiences I had.
My love of seafood has deepened in the past 5 years, and experiencing Esca only deepened my infatuation with what incredible creations can be made out those that live in the sea.
The wine list is great, and the wine waiter was more than happy to assist in suggesting numerous bottles that he personally would recommend. I love wine, like really love it, and am always curious to see what well educated individuals have to say about wine. He was so helpful and easy to talk to, I almost wanted to invite him to sit down and hang out with us (but I think that would have ruined the mood, lol).
The food. Holy Christ, the choices are numerous and enticing, and choosing what we were going to order was a feat in itself because there were so many great options. We ordered the crudo (the Italian answer to sushi) and chose the Tuna with which was carpaccio style with olio verde and chives, as well as six oysters that were so fresh they tasted like they were plucked from the ocean moments before. The crudo was
very tasty and fun to eat, but the oysters stole the show, they were that insanely good.
In between all of this a very nice busboy came to our table probably more often than most to offer us pieces of warm homemade bread that we couldn't help but devour.
We ordered a pasta dish to share in between our appetizers and main courses. Don't you find that the one dish you add on as an extra usually winds up to be the one you love the most? We ordered the linguine... and we were forewarned that the dish was more on the salty side, but we ordered it anyway.... it sounds simple enough, but when the plate of steaming linguine mixed in with scallops, mussels, hot red pepper and pancetta came in front of us, we weren't ready for the intoxicating taste that followed. The dish is right up there with some of my favorite entrees in Italy, it is amazing. We didn't find it too salty at all, it was perfect.
We then shared the whole Mediterranean sea bass for two cooked in a sea salt crust... the sea bass arrived on our table whole, and then was whisked away and deboned and arranged for us so that way each piece was bone free and could melt in your mouth. It was wonderful and fresh, and by then we were almost full but couldn't help but scape the plates clean.
Two grappas, two double espressos, and a lovely dessert of ice cream and caramel that was submerged in some sort of capuccino was also devoured... I mean, how can you not? We left this restaurant so happy and full, and swore that we would make it back sooner than later.
Since it was our last night in New York City, and the 4th of July we weighed our options. Walk down to FDR and watch the fireworks, or dine at Esca. We hear the fireworks are absolutely amazing, but we decided to go to Esca. Hey, I can see fireworks anytime...right?
Well let's just say we made the right decision. As my wife and I were sitting at our cozy table enjoying a cold Toasted Lager and a refreshing Pinot Grigio, I noticed it was pouring outside. Chalk another one up for Esca. Restaurant is very inviting and cozy. Although many of the tables were close together, I never felt like my space or conversations were intruded upon by my neighbors. It also helped that they were cranking out some tunes. The Police, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin and more.
Finally the food started to arrive. We were pleasantly greeted with an amuse bouche. It was a simple, clean presentation of two crostini of white beans, herbs, anchovies and olive oil. Olives were also placed on the table. Simply divine!
Next came the Mahi-Mahi crudo. If you aren't familiar with crudo, think raw fish dressed with olive oil and sea salt. This is the only time I have ever had Mahi-Mahi off of the Hawaiian islands. It did not fail to please. Excellent.
We decided to split our pasta course. Ricotta-filled gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella in a simple red sauce topped with basil. The gnocchi looked like little pillows, and felt as equally soft in our mouths. This was to die for, and a must try when you visit.
Next up was our fish course. I had the snapper and my wife had the halibut. Both were seasoned perfectly, and were quite excellent. Although we both regretted not getting a whole fish, simply for the fact that they fillet it at a table that they have located in the center of the restaurant. Very cool.
We finished off our evening having a chocolate cake with espresso ice cream. It was a perfect ending to a great dining experience. Next time you are in NYC, I highly recommend this place.
Italian sushi! It was my first and best crudo experience. I'd go back if my cousin was still a sous-chef there.
My husband and I ate at Esca for my birthday. The menu they had online was significantly different from what we were presented with upon arrival. While the seafood is undoubtably fresh and extremely well prepared, the menu is ala carte and pretty pricey for the amount of food you receive. I ordered Sea Bass that came grilled on a small bed of arugula. It was $34. My husband had the lobster spaghetti which was simple yet tasty. The portion however was small for the $30 price tag.The sides are limited to primarily vegetables and enough for 2 to share. I ordered a side of greens that ran $9.
Overall the fish was very fresh- but that alone is not enough to justify a $43 entree. My husband and I both left hungry and not eager to return.
I was thinking what I was going to rate Esca and realized its hard for me to rate this bar after JUST reviewing the dive-iest of dive bars and rating them the same rating. I assure you I am putting out my love of cheap beer served in pitchers without a smile in a cash only establishment that smells like a beer soaked old sock.
I found the food here to be very good. I went here on restaurant week so I'm sure they cut back a bit but still found the experience enjoyable and the wait staffs knowledge and care over the top. Just hands down you knew they were taking care of you by crumbing the table, suggesting a type of wine for certain dishes, explaining exactly what is in each special not just reading from a list. Service..top notch.
Food...I ordered an appetizer off the regular menu that knocked my socks off. The rest of the dishes were good as well but felt they were purposely cutting corners or perhaps using lesser costing dishes. Granted its restaurant week and I accept that but all and all it was still very good.
I didn't find anything extremely special about the place. Good atmosphere and kept at a good temperature..but kept going back to it was just another 'nicer restaurant'. I respect to the regular menu I found it hard finding items I was interested in. Maybe they were trying to be more eclectic but a little much for an average restaurant goer.
Bottom Line: Good experience, no complaints, very good food...Nothing over the top either in my opinion.
This is a great restaurant. Molto Mario knows his business and charges accordingly. As he says in his inside baseball expose' HEAT, "our business is to buy food, fix it up, and sell it at a profit."
The food is delicious, and everything is perfectly prepared,presented and served.
A complimentary white bean bruscetta is served with some curred olives, and FANTASTIC, rustic bread, and wheat foccacica.
The wine by the quartino is an afordable way to sample some unique Italian wines (we had some GREAT stuff from Sicily--both red and white)
After an octopus first course,($11)We split a starter of perfectly cooked spagetti with lobster ($30)followed by the hard crusted branzinno (i would have liked to take a better look at the prep before they broke it apart--$64)f collards and pancetta was the perfect side ($9).
We were upsold on too much desert and expresso ($40)--
This was a pre-theater meal and we were probably the first l order that evening. Service was perfect.
This is dead mint ,high end NYC celeb chef stuff to me--The prices are top buck, the food is masterful, and this explains how a guy like Mario hangs with Gweneth Paltrow.
Warm decor, interesting fish dishes - a lot of carpaccio options (think sushi with olive oil), pasta options, interesting main dishes. I had the pollack, which normally I associate with fish sticks. Not bad, it was about as interesting as pollack could ever be.
The standout for me was the wine list. Almost all are Italian, with a lot of whites from regions I barely ever heard of, especially towards the northeast of Italy - so starting to blend towards Austria, there were Gruner Veltliners and Muller Thurgaus mixed in with the Soaves and Sangioveses. The sommelier, a pleasant and patient woman, helped pick a very nice one for $60; many wines are below $40 which is rare in a top New York restaurant.
Party people, why all the comments about the bad location? It's on 9th Ave in the 40s -- heart of Hell's Kitchen, with one appealing restaurant or bar next to another. It's not like it's in Inwood or on York Ave in the 90s or in New Jersey or something. I guess if you subway it to Port Authority, you come to the restaurant via 42nd Street, which is still a little skeevy. My recommendation: approach from the north, stroll down 9th ave from about 50th and stop somewhere for a drink before reaching Esca. We had drinks at Kemia Bar, whose sexy middle eastern waitresses did not disappoint in terms of being eye candy.
The building it's in is Manhattan Plaza, a luxury rental complex that went bankrupt in the 1970s and has been an artists rental co-op since then (you have to prove a link to the arts to live there). http://en.wikipedia.or...
Rule #1: Stick to what they are good at.
Go ahead, cry about the constancy of the risotto, but it's your own damn fault ;)
These guys are good at fish and all their energy goes to fresh fish, so stay with what's fresh for the day and you won't be disappointed. The formula that I have found best is going with a first course for each person and then splitting a fresh fish with a side of veggies for every two people. This is usually more than enough and gets you at taste of everything.
The signature Spaghetti with Lobster, Chili and Mint is a great first course to start with. The pasta is almost always cooked super-al dente, but compliments the fresh, chunky tomato sauce and lobster just fine. In regards to the fish, split a whole fish and have them debone it - ask for them to remove the skin if that's what you like. The simpler the fish, the better, in my experience, although they do try to keep the whole fish pretty simple.
The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Be aware that this has a prime pre-theater crowd so, during the week, it may be packed at 6:30, but tends to clear out if you put your name in and hang around an hour or so. Unfortunately, the bar is too small to really enjoy a drink and is usually filled with those pre-theater goers who didn't think ahead enough to reserve a table.
If you go with my 2 first course + 1 fish formula, you can usually get out for $125 with a couple of beers and tip and feel full. Worth it every week? - No. But certainly worth the walk to its kinda-a-bit-too-west-side location when you need a Mediterranean seafood fix...
Update: I went back last night and had the Spaghetti with Lobster and, as you would expect from my sloppy self, I splashed some sauce on my shirt. The maitre d' saw me scrubbing my shirt with my napkin from across the room and quickly came to the rescue with a "Shout" stain remover wipe. Now THAT is what I call service...
After a disappointing experience @ Flay's Bar Americain the night before, we ventured out to the other Iron Chef's gig in the Big Apple. Mario Batali's Esca is very possibly my new favorite place in NYC now... I'd have to come back a few more times to confirm its "favorite" status. = )
Fabulous seafood - right up my alley!! Everything on the menu sounded so good that studying the menu was required just to decide what to have. The two crudos we had to start - geo duck and bluefin tuna, were excellent. Fresh ingredients sprinkled with fine sea salt. And every dish that came after just took the experience to another new height - grilled octopus with kidney beans, baby scallops with apple with a hint of citrus, squid-ink linguine with calamari, and risotto cooked to perfection with lobster and prawns on top, sprinkled with (my fave) BLACK TRUFFLES. WOW. That thing smelled heavenly. Hats off to Batali, even though he was there actually cooking last night.
On a Tuesday night, you can't even really feel the ailing economy as the place was buzzing with uplifting vibe. It was such a delight to take a break from reality, and enjoy a fine meal with good company.
To round out our "celebrity chef tour of New York," we decided to try one of Mario's places. Being a no-meat-but-seafood eater, Esca seemed like a good choice, and it didn't disappoint.
The seafood was definitely fresh and well-prepared. You can tell, however, that the seafood is the one and only star at Esca -- our vegetable sides were markedly disappointing (roasted potatoes that were dry and overcooked, soggy green beans, thought the roasted red peppers were ok).
Besides the seafood, desert was very good, too. We chose to split the vanilla-balsamic pudding, and it was amazingly delicious. Like, lick the inside of the cup delicious.
The wine list is also impressive, and the sommelier was very knowledgeable and friendly.
I had high hopes for Esca, especially since it's a Batali restaurant. Iron Chef, shmiron Chef - unfortunately I am sad to report that Esca blows. For many different reasons.
1. The bread they served us was burnt.
2. The "one pound lobster" pasta we ordered and split as our appetizer was ho hum, and definitely less than one lb of lobster was in it. And, the lobster was mushy and the pasta was extreme-al dente.
3. The $64 salt encrusted Mediterranean sea bass we ordered was 'aight. Nothing special. Eh.
4. And the KICKER- after finishing our food, we noticed a baby cockroach crawling on the wall next to our table. After telling the waiter, he did not act surprised.
Yea- skip this one. Better Italian food in North Beach. The only reason they're getting 2 stars is because it was relatively easy to get a reservation.
I hadn't heard of this restaurant but the person I went with told me it's suppose to be good. Well, it is...good. Meh good.
The service was good once they got their act together and I don't say that in a mean way...it just seemed like they weren't ready for us. The appetizer (pumpkin swordfish) was tasty but the serving was more akin to bait than a plate.
I like to stick with the basics so I had a simple spaghetti pomodoro. The sauce was fresh but a little heavy on the salt. The spaghetti was certainly al dente...not a fan.
I shy away from seafood in my pasta but apparently they failed miserably on the mare-pastas. My friend seemed genuinely bothered by how bad the meal was - very fishy and oversalted as well. Not good. You want to remember a restaurant for how great your meal was and you want to walk out in a food coma with some ecstasy-like symptoms.
Long story short...if in fact this is a highly rated place you will most likely find it very disappointing. Too bad, so sad :(
The first time I came here with my girlfriend there was definitely something left to be desired. But I decided to give it another chance, so a few weeks later my husband and I came for our anniversary dinner... Service was good, but the food... EVERYTHING WAS SO SALTY! Or maybe there is some sort of historical precedent for using so much salt in fine Italian cooking I am just so ignorant about??? Even the bread was salty. The only things edible to me are the softshell crab and the tuna carpaccio.
Sorry, I'm going to go against the grain and recount my bad experience at Esca. We came here to celebrate my birthday with high hopes of a wonderful dinner and great service. The restaurant itself is extremely elegant with soft lighting, and a good amount of wood for a comfy feel. However, I was less than comfortable.
First, our table was located in a small room with a whole bunch of other tables... I felt like I could have leaned over and grabbed the diners sitting on both sides of us. In fact, I overheard snippets of conversations from the people seated next to us and it was difficult going to the rest room since the table literally had to be pulled out so I could get out.. trust me, there was almost no room between tables!!
Secondly, what weighed on me more was the disappointing food. It was bland, the fish I ordered was completely overcooked and the vegetable sides tasted like the flavor was boiled out of them.. mushy and undistinguishable. All of this for about 150 bux... with one drink each. If you ask me, that is overpriced for mediocre food.
I know Esca has a great reputation for good seafood with Mario Batali's name backing it but I didn't see any of that the night I dined there. We found out later that when we were patrons, Executive Chef David Pasternack had left Esca.. Wish I celebrated my birthday elsewhere.
Been here 3 times--it's a block from my apartment. First time was dinner and may I say it was quite lame. Baccala appetizer was near inedible-- too salty for even a salt fiend like myself. Executive Chef Mario, you tubby,clog-wearing Ginger-looking freak--don't you know that salt cod must be soaked for days, not hours, and the water changed several times? Perhaps you should find an Italian granmaw to school you. And the razor clam civiche was an artistic masterpiece visually but devoid of flavor. if you're charging 12 bucks for 2 clams you really should make them tasty, no? Had lunch twice, good both times but no "Wow!" and at $75 a head for lunch, I require a wow. Service is near flawless
Just for Yelpers!
Neighborhood: Theater District
Lunch or Dinner & a movie $28
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
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