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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Midtown EastLexington-3rd Aves-51st St (6, E, V)
59th St-Lexington Ave (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
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Free coat check at entry. Inside, the location reminds me of being inside a container... with a window at one end. Wasn't lit up like one of the pictures here. A small bar for waiting for your party or table to be ready, too. Cocktails are spendy, beers a mix of common and exotic, and regular non-alcoholic drinks.
Restaurant month, price fixe menu ($35, two choices each for app, entree, and dessert). Very limited. Had the pork pate appetizer, which was little more than a few pieces of stripped pork smashed down with a cornstarch-like pate paste and a bit of spices and fried on one side with a spicy mustard to the side and a small side salad. Main entree was fluke over some Italian sausage, couscous and beans. Dessert was an odd salty chocolate pudding... not a fan.
Service was swift with water, not so much with taking the order, and mediocre speed with the bread (which looks like little dinner rolls with soft whipped butter). The sorbet looked good, as did the butternut squash soup.
Aside from that, the creamed spinach saved the main entree. A side, it was well-prepared, with a very light cream sauce and perfectly roasted garlic on top.
Not bad, but I can't see the appeal of going here when it's not restaurant week.
I don't really get the decor- normally I can get into modern but this place definitely fell flat.
I went for restaurant week, but their restaurant week menu wasn't so appealing, so I went for a risotto dish. It was tasty, but I could have gotten the same thing at a number of other places.
Arrogant waitstaff
Sure, it was Restaurant Week
But I still pay cash
I love restaurant week. It's a chance for cheap bastards like me to experience the high life at a fraction of the price. I was able to try Lever House for just that reason, and I planned to judge them on three criteria: design, service, and of course, the food.
I fell in love with the design of the place almost immediately. I'm a huge sucker for mid-century style, and this place was thick with it. I especially loved the mural behind the bar. I had a moment to observe the look of the place while I waited for my friend to arrive.
The service was great, too. The front-of-house staff was cheerful and attentive, seemed genuinely happy to greet me. The servers did not sneer nor did they pay an inferior level of attention to us because we ordered off the prefix menu. They did up sell me a bit, but as the extra item I ordered was delicious (more on that in a minute) I didn't mind too much.
I ordered a fluke sashimi appetizer, which wasn't great, but it was an interesting collection of flavors. I usually skip salad on menus like these, but after tasting my friend's salad with pomegranate dressing, I regretted this. For my main course, I had heavenly braised short ribs. The meat pretty much dissolved when it hit my tongue, and I am still wondering what marinade they used. Though it came with a smattering of roasted vegetables, we split Swiss chard Au gratin, which was creamy and delicious (if a bit expensive). Dessert was gingerbread bread pudding. It was more of a small, warm cake of very well-made gingerbread with some sort of candied citrus peel. The cake was good, but not nearly as good as the salted pot-de-creme my friend had. I will also recommend a drink called the Ginger Dragon that I found on the cocktail menu (spiced rum and ginger make for a great combination).
I feel like this was a good restaurant week value, and I'd jump at the chance to come here again (especially if someone else was paying..). I wouldn't say it was my absolute favorite, but it was a very delicious, memorable meal.
First things first, the entrance is on 53rd St. Don't go into the courtyard unless you want to admire the big Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters.
At the end of a long white tunnel, you are greeted by the hostess. While my dining mates were telling the hostess that we had a reservation, I was admiring the bar to my left. It was nicely lit in a warm orangish color. It definitely looked like a nice place to sip a way too expensive drink.
I know a lot of people are down on the dining room, but I didn't mind it. It reminded me of something you might have saw on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century circa late 70's early 80s. The booths off to the side looked very cozy and I think it would be a good place for a group of friends looking to celebrate something.
Before we talk about the food, I just want to rave about one of the drinks. I can't remember the exact name of it, but it was something like Orange Vanilla Twist. When I had my first sip, I thought it was good, but familiar. On my second sip, I realized what it reminded me of. Orange Julius!!! I haven't had one since I was really little, but man that taste was distinctive. I strongly suggest getting 1 or 2, but beware, they are quite expensive for a non-alcoholic drink.
The food was good. I had a duck and squash risotto. There was a decent amount of finely shredded duck in the risotto. I believe it comes as an appetizer and entree portion.
Although I thought the lunch was good, I don't know if it is worth the money. I don't think I'd come back on my own dime, but if the company is paying, sign me up for some more Orange Julius like drinks!
Something about midtown restaurants always have that empty feeling, even when it's full.... maybe it's the high ceilings.
Eating at Lever House is like being in a movie - an airplane cabin movie, that's what the interior feels like. The entire space is very James Bond, back in the 80s, cool, kind of. The bar area was very interesting, great lighting. Food and drinks were good too.
Given the pricey menu and the fact that dining in Midtown should really only be out of necessity, I'd come here for a drink, check out the design, and go somewhere else for the meal.
My friend and I went to take advantage of their amazing $35 3 course prix fixe deal for dinner and I don't know if it was just our night or what (it's been a stressful week) but we had pretty great luck + the service was amazing.
The original 3 course prix fixe choices were: pork country pate or green salad, some type of green vegetable ravioli or skate wing, and for dessert, gingerbread pudding. We decided to both get the green salad and skate, as well as the arctic char tartare for an appetizer. Then our waitress came over to take our orders and told us the skate wasn't available but that we could get a pork dish instead. I was ready to go with it though I wasn't particularly in a meat mood but my friend made a face and (this is an example of their wonderful service) the waitress said she'd check with the chef to see what they could do.
She came back and informed us the chef could give us a smaller portion of the arctic char entree, which we happily agreed to. While waiting for our food we were examining the amazing decor - I am a huge fan of 1960s era design and this restaurant had the most wonderful retro feel to it. I was also examining the people, who were mostly businessmen, as well as a few older women. One older woman, in particular, caught my eye because she kept eating butter straight from her knife. Now, that's my kind of woman!
Our salads and tartare arrived. We weren't wowed by the salad at first because we thought it had too little dressing. But then we broke up the parmesan crisp that came with it and understood why the dressing wasn't as present - it was to make room for the strong flavors of the parmesan. The tartare was heavenly. I've never met a tartare I didn't like and this one was even better than the usual. There was Asian pear in it which was a nice take on it, as well as vanilla, apparently, but we couldn't really taste that. What we could taste was a nice light lemon.
Arctic char entrees were amazing as well. Fish was perfectly cooked - soft in the middle so it would melt in your mouth but not raw. Underneath the grits were creamy and the brussel sprout leaves (I am SUCH a huge fan of brussel sprouts) were a perfect complement, as well as the chanterelles. Plus the waitress came by, surprised at how huge our portions were - they definitely were regular size, not diminished in any way.
Then our "luck" struck again when our waitress told us that the gingerbread pudding was out so we could have our pick of desserts. I chose the napoleon w/ chocolate & hazelnut & banana while my friend chose blood orange, pear, and honeycrisp apple sorbets. I ended up eating most of her honeycrisp apple sorbet as she didn't like it (just a personal taste thing). My napoleon was great but as soon as I found out there was chocolate (the napoleon was listed as a giodilelsjsj god knows how to spell it napoleon on the dessert menu so I didn't know) I felt weird about eating it as I'm not meant to have chocolate (thanks acid reflux).
To top it all off, at the end for petit fours they gave us chai cookies with a white chocolate top. All in all, a very delicious meal.
When the restaurant in the eponymous Lever House first opened in New York , the expectations were very high , as this is one of the great , historic buildings in Manhattan . This building pioneered the glass corridor buildings in New York and throughout the US .
The restaurant's expectations were met for the most part .
While the service is pleasant and more than adequate , I felt that there was an antiseptic , less personable and friendly manner in all who worked there .
The food was very good , though the plates were a bit small . The fare was typical American with a sprinkling of Continental. I enjoyed the braised short ribs , and the lobster risoto was fine .
Short version? Eat at the bar.
I'm not normally one for chi-chi places that evoke the need for proper attire...mostly because I don't own any proper attire. I think it's "icky". But when this place came up in a google search on Marc Newson, I added it as a footnote to my frag list of Irish pubs and blind pigs to pop into on my next trip to the Tropical Island That Is Manhattan(tm). Being polite, I e-mailed them to ask if they'd let a crumpled mass of jeans and hiking boots in for a drink and a quick look around. The reply was "of course!" Oh, yeah? Well, I'd show them.
True to form, I manifested at their door on a recent Friday afternoon with my best bleary-eyed shambolic face beaming atop a sweat-streaked column of blue denim and Gore-Tex. Despite the fact that I'd stripped off my unravelling fingerless gloves before footing the threshold, I half-expected to be shown to the tradesmen's entrance. But no. The coat-check girl's face hardly twitched as she pressed the silent alarm button to warn Security that I was coming down the walkway- which, incidentally, is a stroll straight into Space: 1999.
The room is large, high-ceilinged, and very badly lit. I immediately decided I didn't like the light at all. But even as the Captain hurtled toward me, a mister of antibacterial cleanser discreetly palmed, I espied--
THE BAR.
Oh. Dear. GOD. Angels sang, little children, I shit you not.
It was beautifully, beautifully lit. And I swear, it looked like the feelthy boggerts had laid in a bottle of everything for the coming space apocalypse. Much moved, I pivoted to meet my greeter's embrace.
"Good afternoon. Do you think I might have a quick drink at the bar?"
He was varsity, this one. He paused not a second while parrying my thrust as deftly as D'Artagnan.
"Of course, sir."
And with a bow, he waved me past. Of course it was a trap. The place was empty. I had my choice of stools. They all faced a TOWERING, PELLUCID WALL OF LIQUOR. After a brief but commendably pleasant interlude of overload-induced hysteria, I picked a chair right in front of a bottle of Michter's straight rye. And that's when The Barmaid poured herself up through the floor and into my paradigm shift. Oh, dear. Oh, dear, oh dear.
Bald-headed, fleece-draped Australopithecines must pop in for Michter's Manhattans (extra bitters, up, cocktail glass) every blessed day, and they must tip like Sinatra, because she greeted me like kindred spirit, long-lost friend, and high-value asset all rolled into one. We got stuck into a deliberation on ryes in particular and brown liquors in general as she built my drink. Bottles were trucked out for my consideration. There were...samples poured. She was an utterly gracious and congenial hostess, very, very bright, and the drink was *smashing*.
Because I am an idiot, ahem, a genius, I asked to see the bar menu. Hah. It was the dining room menu without a binding, and it read like Belgium's deficit spending record. But they (surprisingly) had a steak-frites disguised as a sirloin, so I decided I would be eating lunch, after all. Any excuse to have the nice lady make me a Martini to go with it. With Anchor Distilling's gin. *That* was very nice indeed.
$44 for steak and potatoes should earn one a few perqs. A little plate appeared at my elbow soon after I'd ordered. It featured slivers of unadorned pizza crust and a translucent, tannish compote. I ignored it, and concentrated on my bold new Martini and the now ex-governor's pneumatically-prominent companion in the paper.
"That's a walnut and garlic spread. You should try it. It's really good." The bartender was pointing at the goo. She hadn't steered me wrong yet, so I shrugged, wiped a bit of the sludge onto a point of crust, folded it, and bit.
Oh, yum. It was subtle as hell, and tasted like neither walnuts nor garlic. I ate all the bits of it.
Steak arrived on its heels. It was about an inch and a half thick, nicely sized, and served with a thin sprinkling of greens and a few unusually thick fries. Honestly? That steak was as good as anything I've ever barbequed over real charcoal (and I've worked hard at that craft for ten years, now). It didn't need anything but what it had. The fries were truly odd, like some alien tempura chef's idea of what fries should be, but they were delicious.
The invoice for two drinks and a piece of meat was heavy, admittedly. But I I was hungry, I was on a well-earned vacation, and I was really digging the light, the backdrop, and the service. I'll pay for setting, if the setting's good. This place was superior. In fact, I liked it so much, I dragged a co-conspirator there the next evening for a couple of drinks.
It's become my favorite drink-spot in Manhattan. Four stars for stellar service, very appealing decor (at the bar), tasty cocktails, and delicious food.
But then again, I'm just a tourist. Pay no attention.
- Interiors: 5
(Designed by Marc Newson. Very impressive! Entry - 5, Bar - 3, Seating - 3, Banquette- 5, Restroom- 3)
- Food: 4
(Appetizers: Fluke Sashimi - 3, Nantucket Bay Scallops - 4 Lever House Greens - 4)
(Pasta: Risotto - 5, Spaghetti - 3)
(Entrees: Chatham Cod - 4, Guinea Hen - 3, Chicken and Spinach Lasagna - 5)
(Desserts: Caramel Pot de Crème - 4, Honeycrisp Apple Napoleon - 4, Milk Chocolate Bananas Foster Bombe - 2)
- Service: 4
- Price: 3
(It's pricey... but considering the design and location, it is reasonable.)
Located on the ground floor of the mid-century jewel of the same name, I was excited enough to just walk by and marvel at the archictecture of the building; so eating there too was a real treat. From the NY Times, "In a reckless gamble, Marc Newson, the designer, more or less thumbs his nose at the severely elegant architecture around him, leading diners down a glowing enclosed walkway into a tubelike dining room decorated with a hexagon pattern on the floor and walls, like an Op Art painting." With the repeated hexagon motif, I felt like a bee cocooned in the hive; but in a good way.
For lunch, the place filled up mainly with Power Players in Suits; I decided to forgoe the Power Martini and opted for the fresh lime soda($8). My daily fish came with a chardonnay foam, which I found really intriguing. (That damn Top Chef piqued my curiosity.) This place was uber pricey and at $100 a person(lunch!), it certainly is not a place I could ever afford without an expense account. But the ingredients were fresh and the flavors subtle, if not necessarily memorable.
Lever House is across the street from work, so we end up here for emergency fancy lunches. I always wish we never crossed the street.
5 steaks, all ordered rare, arrived well-done. One came with a side of something that we thought tasted like peanut sauce. It was aioli. Gross.
I am in shock that there are no reviews yet for this restaurant! Three words: Power lunch, power lunch, power lunch. Just in case you missed those be sure to be in your best business attire for a power lunch at this spot. (Dinner is great too)
The Food, the People, and the Restaurant's Interior Design are all stunning and BEAUTIFUL!
This little slice of heaven always makes my mouth water every time I think about it. You really won't know where to begin. Even Michelin gave this restaurant a star! So.. If you venture here be prepared to spend some money it certainly isn't inexpensive, and I can honestly say that you won't want to miss a course.
Date Rating: 9
Pick up Scale: 3 (Could be a 10 if you see someone you want to pick up at the coat check/bathroom)
Strong Suggestions: The Pork Chops are amazing, the Lamb is unbelievable, and the Sirloin is cooked to perfection. I hear the crab cakes are great too! BUT BE WARNED DESSERT IS EVEN BETTER! MAKE SURE YOU SAVE ROOM FOR A TASTE!
I had the best dinner in my life at Lever House and am totally bummed that it is gone. I won't say more than that.
I really wanted to give this place a three or two stars... it's pretentious, over the top and over priced but hey, the service was great!
The decor is retro 50's like straight off a Man From U.N.C.L.E. dinner set with the staff dressed the part... I found the bar staff excellent for an after work drink but expect a 7-12 $ beer or a 10 -15 $ top shelf cocktail...
meals were excellent but I can't be a recommender here with all the pre dinner celebration....
I know I've had better and the value is better in other locals... but as others have stated... if you have the expense account... go go go....
Best salad I've ever had. Fresh greens, chunks of butternut squash, feta cheese, hazelnuts, pomegranate vinaigrette. So amazing.
On a Thursday night it was very much the expense account crowd which since they're not paying for it means those patrons don't treat it like the special experience it is.... Kind of takes away from the ambiance.
The decor is a la 2001 Space Odyssey. Quite unique.
Creative drinks on the drink menu as well.
When I think of Lever House, the words "elegant", "demure", "classy", "sophisticated" come to mind. The food here is also pretty good. This is very much a place to have a small business dinner or an anniversary dinner. The space isn't large or aesthetically impressive, but the design is sleek. The atmosphere feels very reserved. It's the kind of place where if you were dining there, you'd want to have your very best table manners in check.
For appetizers, I had the hamachi and big eye tuna tartare. The himachi was good, but it wasn't as delicate (very important) or tasty as other places. In short, you can find considerably better himachi at speciality fish and seafood establishments. The tuna tartare was very fresh but not outstanding in terms of taste. The asparagus risotto appetizer was good but not really memorable.
For my entree I had the New York Steak Veal Chop. It's funny because when I try to describe my first impressions and the taste, the same terms I used to describe the atmosphere come to mind--elegant, classy and reserved. The steak was prepared excellently, but again, not an outstanding or robust steak like you'd find at Strip House. The portion was also on the small side. Nonetheless, they prepare food very well here--with a lot of class, certainly, yet the flavors and taste don't really push the envelope. But that's probably not what the restaurant is aiming to do anyhow. When it comes to food, Lever House probably aims to serve quality high-cuisine that's simple in taste yet sophisticated, all in an elegant setting. And Lever House gets that right on the dot.
Walking into Lever House's midtown office building location is like walking into a hidden oasis. The dining room looks like a glamorous, retro spaceship. A large, private party room offers a VIP view of the entire restaurant and enough space to enjoy your quiet meal. Lever House has been on my Must-Try list for years, so I was ecstatic to see that they were offering a Restaurant Week dinner for the first time. While I found the service cold, the food was spectacular.
Your meal will begin with some tasty fresh bread and possibly some very expensive cocktails. For our first courses, my friend and I ordered both the Winter Greens salad and the Fluke Sashimi. The salad was topped with roasted squash, candied pecans, and a pomegranate vinaigrette, offering a variety of flavors and textures. The fluke was topped with lemon scented fennel, caviar cream, and raw vegetables. The fish was tender and extremely fresh. The vegetables and caviar added an earthly, natural flavor. In terms of entrees, the braised Beef Short Rib was plated with a rutabaga puree and root vegetables. The beef was extremely lean and tender. The rutabaga puree was rich and seasonal. The steamed Black Sea Bass main course was laying in a light, yet flavorful, shellfish broth and accompanied with chorizo chunks. The smoky chorizo grounded the moist fishiness. The Gingerbread Pudding dessert was topped with an orange marmalade, which made it a bit too sweet. The tender bread pudding tasted heavily of orange rind. The Sorbet Assortment included bold fruit flavors, such as passion fruit, pear, and peach.
My dinner at Lever House was full of fresh flavor and ingredients. It was by far one of my top meals in Manhattan. I would definitely recommend Lever House as a special occasion dining destination.
Went here for a business lunch meeting.
They have a $24 Hamburger on the menu but I had the special lobster sandwich and don't know how much it cost since I didn't pay the bill.
It was only ok and the french fries were the really thin kind that get all tangled up and are very hard to eat.
The place was pretty cool inside with a retro look but it was extremely loud and difficult to hear. There service was also very good but a little slow. I think you are supposed to have a 2 hour lunch there but we only had an hour.
I never would have gone there myself and even with someone else paying I don't think it was worth the cost.
Lever House is simply underwhelming. The food is perfectly palatable and beautifully presented. But it lacks soul...I guess? (Did I just write that??) I don't sit at the table and relish every bite I eat. I feel that for the prices Lever House charges, their food should be an *experience.*
Thankfully, I came here for a client dinner and didn't pay for it myself. Otherwise, I would have definitely raged.
This is SO not to say that Lever House is bad by any means. It is just unremarkable and added to the growing list of overpriced, mediocre restaurants in Midtown. Blurgh.
The decor in this place is straight out of Star Trek, but the food is fantastic. I was here for a business dinner in the private room and felt like Captain Kirk piloting the Starship Enterprise.
The food was top notch. I tried the black bass sashimi, which was so flavorful it practically melted in your mouth. For the entree, I had the lamb chops, which was cooked perfectly medium rare. Some other people had the steak and said it was some of the best steak outside of a steakhouse.
The desserts were not that great - the chocolate cake was a little too rich and the creme cararmel was not very good, either. The service is very friendly and attentive without being overbearing.
This place really just is not for me... From the moment you walk in it's confusing -- should you enter from the left glass door or the right glass door... Then you have to wait five minutes for the coat-check woman to get off her cellphone... Then you walk down a long hallway, the woman behind the front-desk watches you the entire way, looking you up and down, then as you're about to reach her, she says "stop here." And you wait for her to get off the phone... Once you're walked to your seat, a waiter rushes over "You want water?" responding "Yes, please" you're given a bottle of Voss, you say "I didn't ask for that" he responds "I already opened it, you're going to pay for it..." Then you notice the menu is extrememly limited, reduced, even after you have been looking at the website for weeks and called-in on the day of your meal to make sure they had the entrees and appetizers you were looking forward to... So you decide to go to the bathroom, and the woman shouts at you "THAT STALL IS BUSY" so you try the next one, again she shouts "THAT STALL IS BUSY" so you try the next one, she shouts one more time "THAT STALL IS BUSY" -- unbelievable! -- she should've said "Please wait, there are no unoccupied stalls," at the very least -- and you may find it rather unattractive that there are chairs stacked upon tables behind you, it just looks terrible, makes you feel unwelcome -- plus you can see twenty-pairs of legs up the stairs and under the swinging doors in the kitchen, perhaps the doors could be a little bit lower, it's entirely too crowded and dirty to be visually stimulating... And then there's the food -- I've been here three times, and it's always been just okay -- it's not terribly expensive, but it's also not very good... I've had unpleasant experience after unpleasant experience here, I give it a firm "Eek! Methinks not."
Not sure why this place was so empty on a Friday night - the food is great, the drinks are tasty, and the service flawless & non-intrusive.
The decor is a little passe - with a new age, spaceship type of interior which my friend remarked was like the inside of an ipod. It's the kind of design that was maybe popular in 2001, and does not stand the test of time.
I had a rhubarb ricky at the bar while waiting for my friend, which was tart and refreshing with rhubarb puree, gin, & homemade sour mix. A little pricey at $15 but worth it.
But onto the food - we split the fluke tartare & the lobster tempura - the latter item having been highly recommended by the bartender. The tartare consisted of glossy chunks of fish mixed with interesting bits of jalapeno. The lobster tempura was even more delicious - two large spicy battered lobster tails fried to crispy perfection. I'm really glad we got that one!
For our entrees, I got the sirloin steak & my friend got the skate. The stead was tasty but definitely cooked way more than my specified "rare to medium rare." It came topped with a little scoop of "merchant's butter", which I interpreted to be fancy butter with seasoning. It helped to flavour the meat and make it even more juicy. It also came with the largest fries that I have ever eaten - 6 inches long and about an inch thick. My friend's skate was tender and flaky with a very flavourful creamed spinach topping. Portions are generous and bigger than I expected.
We ordered the pistachio semifreddo & the rhubarb financier for dessert. I was pleased with both - the semifreddo was smooth & creamy while the financier was slightly tart and topped with buttery almond wafer cookies.
After reading previous Yelp reviews, I expected to find some attractive staff here but this was not the case. The waiters are in their 30s or 40s or 50s and, yeah, not good-looking. I normally don't care but I was expecting something different. However, I have no complaints about the service that we got - the waiter managed to appear whenever we needed something, but kept away all other times. I was a little weirded out by the bathroom attendant that escorted me to my stall, but it's ok.
All in all, a really excellent meal. Quite pricey so I have my qualms about coming here again. The giant statue showing the insides of a pregnant woman outside the building is also not something that I want to see again. They really need to get rid of that - it's not beautiful and I really don't need an anatomy lesson on Park Avenue.
If you've got the urge to splurge, Lever House is simply impeccable.
The flourless chocolate cake also happens to be the greatest dessert ever -- you'll be stunned!
Business meal toward the end of lunch. Service was horribly slow after our first order was taken. One star off automatically for the $candinavian bottled water silliness which infests Midtown.
Looks are a little bizarre and hard to describe. Channeling the Pittsburgh airport's slogan, I might call this Yesterday's Restaurant of Tomorrow.
The crab cake appetizer with harissa aioli was great. My steak salad was disappointing: a very tough sort of medium rare fought alongside a strangely dressed thicket of greens. Looking around and reading reviews, it seems the steak frites was the way to go. Dessert, the day's special (some sort of pot-de-creme with raspberry and peach), was small but tasty.
Lever House (Bradford Thompson) [from the 2008 Wine and Food Festival]- spiced duck consomme w/ foie gras dumpling, bread by Mark Fiorentino (Daniel) - the dumpling skin was blah, the filling was HEAVEN, had 2 of these, not crazy about the bread
Very cool decor. Though not outstanding, the food is very nice.
We hit the Lever House Restaurant for drinks at the bar. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night, and the bartender explained that it's more of a week-day venue as it's in more of a business area than touristy area. The drinks were stiff and the bartender was really cool. The design (by Marc Newson) is retro-modern, but looks a bit dated now.
I was looking forward to dinning at the Lever house, I had read good things about the food and atmosphere in the past, it seemed like a hot spot my chef husband I would enjoy. We decided to drive over and unfortunately we did get stuck in traffic going over the Queensboro Bridge. We had a 7:30 reservation and I called the restaurant at 7:34 to apologize for our tardiness but to assure them we were on our way. A gentleman picked up the phone and responded "Well, you're already late and you're calling now?" I apologized and said we would be there in less than 5 minutes, he said nothing, and I thanked him and hung up the phone. Once we got there we checked in with the two hostesses at the door, they were very nice and brought us right to a table. We sat and waited at the table for a while, and finally after 20 minutes flagged someone down to take our order. The cocktails were very tasty, I had a bellini martini and my husband some sort of ginger concoction, I do not recall the name. We decided to order the arctic char tartar before ordering off the restaurant week menu. The tartar was very very good, the only complaint is there was a tad to much celery, but I thought it was seasoned impeccably. My pork pate from the restaurant week menu was average as was my husband's gumbo, he was upset because there was no okra, he said without it, it was just a chicken soup. My sea bass was also average, a bit fishy for my taste; my husband enjoyed his short ribs very much. I have seen short ribs at the 3 other restaurants we have dinned at for restaurant week so far, I am hopping that the two other places we go to next week will be trying something different on there menu. The Volnay we order was amazing, as it always is and the caramel pudding I had for desert was out of this world. Our waiter was very kind and knowledgeable recommending a delicious desert wine for us to try. Our dinning experienced was mixed, I do not think we will go back as there are so many other dinning options and the customer service we received by what I believe was the manger was quite rude and uninviting.
An amazing space for design freaks like me, especially appreciated if you sit in one of the honeycomb booths. I went at night for a late dinner when it was dark and empty compared to the lunch hours. This made for a very romantic and intimate setting. Drinks are great, had the Lychee martini which could demand a second one. The dessert plate was great too.
I present Lever House with 4 stars for being a good place to stop in for a drink while in Mid-Town. I didn't have anything to eat, but my lychee martini (with muddled cucumbers) was delicious and the bartender was really nice. The after work crowd is a little business-men-on-expense- accounts, but the interior is definitely worth a look, kind of honey comb as womb.
Very disappointed. I see how this is more of a weekday place, so perhaps going on a saturday night was my first mistake. In discussing the decor with a friend, she mentioned how it looks like its the "inside of the DC metro", which, for those of you not in the know, is very much "spaceship out of the 1970s like". We started with a drink at the bar, and the bartender was very nice. Then moved to the table with our party of 7. The food and service were both disappointing. I started with the Nantucket Bay Scallops. It was literally 1 scallop or perhaps 2, cut into little pieces. And I mean little pieces, smaller than dice. There were about 10 little dice on the plate, but about half of them were the butternut squash accompaniement! So for $23 (!!!) you got 1 scallop cut up. I am appreciative of presentation, but this was tiny and wayyy over priced. Other people in my party had the green salad (very nice size, but the lemon based dressing was over powering) and the beet salad, which I didnt taste myself but was enjoyed by those that ordered it. The highlight of the appetizers was the steak tartare. Although a small portion, it was delicious. The bread it was served with however (5 small toasted chips) should be replaced with something like a quality french bread.
For the main course, I had the Chatham Cod dish, which is supposedly the specialty. it was served in the shape of a fish cake, over potatoes in a cream sauce which were supposed to be "spice roasted, warm fingerling potatoes." It was very salty. The accompanying fingerling potatoes were ok. It was quite a heavy dish and a decent portion (shocking after the very small appetizer). Two others in my party also had the cod, 3 had the prime sirloin, and one had the venison. Before ordering the venison, the person specifically asked our waiter if the venison was gamey (as it is usually a game meat). The waiter assured him that prepared this way, it wasn't particularly. The waiter was wrong. The venison was very gamey, and was served with a "chestnut veloute and beet greens." I'm not sure what that was supposed to be, but it was actually served over white kidney beans, baby carrot chunks, and the greens. The carrots were not cooked fully, and the beet greens were over done. Very disappointing. The guest who ordered it actually said it was "terrible" and after tasting it I agree. The prime sirloin was decent, but no one ate the carrots. They were wilted, and strangely seasoned.
I was also very underimpressed with the bread. It has a seasoning througout (maybe anise? i'm not sure) and was not good. Especially because the spice made it an unlikely match to most of the dishes being served (didn't work with the steak tartare, was not tasty with the salad dressing, etc).
By the time desert came around, I was under impressed to the point I didn't order anything. Members in my party ordered the chocolate souffle and the apple napoleon. The restaurant also gave us, on the house which was nice, the bananas foster bombe, the caramel pot de creme, and the nightly desert special, a lemon cake. The deserts were pretty good, espcially the caramel pot de creme (with ricotta beignets).
Additionally, a quick note about the service. There were several mix ups. The wrong plates and silverware were put in front of several people several times. Maybe the wait staff confused the seat numbers? But it was noticeably sloppy.
Overall, Lever House is very over priced and I would not recommend it. The steak tartare and several of the deserts is what earned it the 2nd star. But barely.
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: French
New York, NY
Category: French
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: American (New)
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