Proprietors/Executive Chef: EMM Group / Hung Huynh

Chelsea – 21 Ninth Ave, New York, NY

What do I think of meatpacking?  Great place to party, shitty to eat in…or so the stereotype goes… All the restaurants in MPD are quite the “scene” and people go only to be seen.  The food remains “questionable”.  Where does Catch exactly fit in?  Well, the owners are from EMM Group …and after all, they know exactly how to build a crowd.  Catch is glorious, standing at about four floor levels including the “Catch Roof” lounge.  EMM Group did extremely well in selecting their head Chef.  Hung Huynh fits the profile.  Not only is the restaurant beautiful by its own rite (considering the meatpacking location), the decadent space with the modern brick wall hardly needs any interior decoration, but the food is startlingly good.  This place is definitely worth checking out… whether it’s an intimate date or  have something beautiful to celebrate… this place is definitely one of the hot spots of the area.

where the food matches the persona. Now that I’ve come to think about it…Hung was kind of stuck up too.  But I felt as if he was privileged to be, considering he was such a skilled chef and every dish he made it a point to show his highly developed “techniques”.  Nonetheless, I still liked him and highly respected him as a chef.  Hung is nothing less than classy….so in this aspect, the partnership makes total sense.

the menu. strictly catering to seafood…but there is a small portion on steaks.  which, if the menu is 90% seafood, i would NEVER order red meat.  the highlights are the dungeoness crab spaghetti with flying fish roe.  Holy sh*t …. it was very flavorful…and I thought it would be a smaller portion, but it turned out to be huge!  Enough fill for one person, but really can be shared with two people.  I like the concept of sharing anyways…so other notables include:

• beet salad w/ the hazelnut vinaigrette…the dressing was so key to this dish
• hamachi tartare avocado was nice and creamy, but it was just a tad bit too creamy and underwhelming
• Mussels in your traditional tomato, garlic sauce but with chili so it gave the sauce a nice kick, (not your ‘punch in the face’ type of chili).
• sauteed snapper w/ lobster mash, truffle and brown butter.  Fish was cooked beautifully.  a bit heavy, but still a solid dish.

Hung was working there that night, so naturally I asked the waitress if he could come out and greet us and we being “the girls” that we are, politely asked for a picture.  He naturally accepted.

Unfortunately, from the time this dinner took place in between my trip to Vegas… I dropped my phone in a pool…so none of my pictures were ever backed up.  The lighting would have been terrible anyways.  I guess we are both shit out of luck…BUT! My only saving grace is that I can now use this as an excuse to come back!

www.pearloysterbar.com

Proprietors/Chef: Rebecca Charles

Category: Seafood

Neighborhood: West Village
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014
(212) 691-8211

Mood: seafood delight… lobster rolls… oysters… daily catch.

Tastes Like: great seafood without all the fancy fixings.  i was in the mood for skate which they pan seared to a lovely degree with wonderful crunchy snap peas.  The bouillabaisse was amazing … more so the broth than the actual seafood with a great assortment.  

Must Haves: oysters .. people keep talking about the lobster roll, which undoubtedly looked delicious.

Stay Away: n/a

Ambiance: very casual… noise level is about appropriate.

Service: so far, so good. everything comes out pretty quickly.

Rating: 4 stars

Caveat: small menu, tiny restaurant, so be prepared to wait!

http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/

Proprietor/Chef: B.R. American Restaurants (Stephen Hanson)/ Matthew Hughes

Category: Seafood/Brunch

Neighborhood: Union Square
31 Union Sq. New York, NY 10003
(212) 675-9500

Mood: Elegance… jazz.  Plus.

Tastes Like: smoked salmon eggs benedicte poached ever so delicately.  The palate feels the light liquid sensation of the yolk, drizzled atop with a light hollandaise sauce refreshed by the dill sitting beneath the heavyset buttermilk biscuit.  The only downside?  Buttermilk biscuit, which was a bit too heavy even for my taste.  Paired with a complementary Bellini, I would have wanted light to match with light.  Potatoes I could have lived without… a nice substitution for salad or wheat toast would have been better…but if you must insist, make them tastier and crispier.

Must Haves: NA

Ambiance: I think blue…but I really saw a lot of white.  Which is good…I hate “blue” colored establishments.  If you come here early or late enough, you will catch a terrific jazz swing … enough to get you smilin’ in the mood to enjoy the rest of your day/night.

Service: Our waiter seemed a bit stand offish, but he did his job…no other complaints.

Rating: 3 stars

Caveat: I’m not really a fan of mini-chains .. let alone regular chains…but BR Guests reminds me of American Great.  Something truly amiss, but semi-warmly gestured all the more.

Proprietor: Edward Taylor

Category: Seafood

Neighborhood: West Village
280Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 272-2879

Tastes Like: A steal of a deal.  Daily red, white, blue special for $8: half dozen your choice of Blue point oysters, or clams, and a glass or red or white, or PBT beer.  I’d stick to the oysters, the clams tasted way too fishy.  The wine is so-so, I didn’t expect it to be refined.  $19 all you can blue crabs from 12pm-3pm, seven days a week.  I don’t know how long this crab deal will last…but it’s one hell of a deal.  It’s sub par quality, but one you simply can’t refuse.

Ambiance: Like an indoor fish market on the street.  Great for groups no larger than 4… Happy hour or catching up with a good friend.

Service: HECTIC, hence the slow turtleness. That’s what happens during happy hour peak times.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Caveat: none, this place is straight shop my friend.  Although, I think their blue crab specials are actually listed until 4pm, but it’s really an hour earlier than stated

www.lukeslobster.com

Proprietor(s)/Chef: Jeff & Luke Holden

Category: Seafood

Neighborhood: East Village
93 E 7th St (between 1st Ave & Avenue A)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 387-8487

Tastes Like: Fresh, Maine, lobster chunky morsels.  If there was ever a time for gluttony, it would be for lobster.  Fortunately, Luke’s is reasonably priced.  Your choice of seasoning, butter, mayo… or my style, plain no excess shit.  Just the way I like it. You get what you asked for, so make sure to just ask.  I’m not really feeling the hot dog bun, but for a large $14 (small=$8). Certainly not upscale, but you get what you pay for!  The empress claws were the best part of the meal.  Sweet & juicy gems.  Nick me a dozen, I swear to you I can finish them all.  For under $16, you can grab a roll (your choices of lobster, shrimp, crab) chips, a pickle and a soda.  Take it & beat it!

Must Haves: unadulterated lobster rolls pn a hot dog bun & empress crab claws … oh so juicy.

Ambiance: Opened recently this past fall, it still has a new & youthful vibe.  Very New England-esque.  Feels like a cross between a seafood market meets grocery deli.  It’s extremely small with a handful of tables. If the weather permits, go knock yourself out and buy it to go and enjoy it while walking through E. Village.  Or do what we did, cabbed it back to the apt, only to stuff our faces silly.  Either way, you can do no wrong.

Service: Hustle & bustle.  Ivan is THE man.

Caveat: Hours of operation is suppose to open into the wee hours of 1am…. which is not always the case. On off peak nights, I think they close a lot earlier, so make sure to call before trying to stumble in after midnight.

Rating: 3.5 stars