Icon Restaurant Review:
Sardi's Restaurant
234 West 44th Street, New York City
www.sardis.com
Reviewer: Liz Gordon-Hancock
This is not a typical restaurant review, but the Icon believes this will be of interest to readers.
I had the opportunity to visit New York City for a long weekend with some girlfriends, and while there, ate at Sardi's Restaurant.
Do you recall a restaurant with hundreds of caricature portraits lining the walls? Perhaps you saw Kermit the Frog get thrown out of this restaurant in the movie The Muppets Take Manhattan? Or Clark Gable's But Not For Me? The restaurant was featured in the tv series Glee twice, and the second season of Mad Men, and numerous other movies, tv shows and books. The restaurant was mentioned in the book "Diamonds are Forever" by Ian Fleming.
The restaurant is a New York City institution for theatre-goers, as it specializes in pre- and post-theatre dinners. The original owner kept the restaurant open later so Broadway performers could dine, which increased it's popularity. The restaurant is nestled amongst a row of theatres, a stone's throw from Times Square, 234 West 44th Street. But what makes Sardi's the most memorable is the framed caricatures of famous "show biz" celebrities lining the walls. Anyone who's anyone has a caricature on the wall.
Just type in the restaurant name and you'll find the whole history of the place - involving the creation of the Tony Award, where up and coming writers and actors would hang out, and who's who of theatre would be seen dining. Its glory days are behind it, but that doesn't stop theatre-goers and tourists alike from pouring into the restaurant every night, before and after theatre shows.
The restaurant looks like a classic Italian place, with big red booths, white linen tablecloths, and lots of waiters with "Godfather" accents, wearing burgundy blazers with black bow ties and officious manners. But the restaurant menu is actually "continental" which means European in scope. The menu offers crab cakes, filet mignon and chicken a la plancha, to name a few. The appetizers are $10-20 in price tag, and the entrées cost $20-45, with the filet mignon medallions being the most expensive.
I chose the sautéed sea scallops with vegetable risotto, piquillo aioli and herb aioli for $32 (see picture). Piquillo is a variety of sweet red pepper, which is cooked and puréed into aioli, a delicious garlic mayonnaise. The herb aioli was fresh mint, finely sliced and mixed into garlic mayonnaise and it was the perfect pairing with the scallops.
The scallops were cooked to perfection, practically melting in my mouth. There were only three scallops on my plate and a small portion of risotto, but, as with most high-end restaurants, I found the amount of food "just right" and highly satisfying.
My girlfriends chose the crab cakes for $36 (see picture). The crab cakes were loaded with succulent crabmeat, a touch of chili and hint of spices, all nicely cooked. The crab cakes were served with smoked tomato piquillo aioli and a crisp salad made of baby spinach, red pepper, carrots, Napa cabbage and Asian vinaigrette.
The instant my water glass neared empty, a waiter swooped in silently to refill it. Orchestral music played in the background. The whole restaurant has an air of timelessness to it - not much of the decor has changed over the years. The place practically empties at 6:50 p.m., which is ten minutes before show time.
I saved room for dessert because I couldn't possibly miss trying New York-style cheesecake while in NYC. There were a dozen dessert options, such as creme brulee, peach panacotta, or chocolate mousse, but I choose the New York cheesecake for $11 (see picture). The baked cheesecake stood tall and creamy on my plate, with a slightly brown top (signature of being baked in the oven), surrounded by a moat of vanilla cream with drops of raspberry coulis. I offered to share it with my girlfriends, but, really, I ate the whole thing, savoring every creamy bite.
We exited the restaurant to hail a yellow taxi cab, an iconic end to an amazing day in an iconic city.
