Ocean 50
Photo: Cititour.com
Contact Info:
Address: 565 Lexington Avenue
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10022
map: View the Map
Phone: 212-715-2700
Food Info:
Cuisine:
Seafood
Cititour Review:
New York is known for turning the concept of the “hotel restaurant” on its head; here, they’re places you actually want to eat in, not places you’re forced to dine at out of laziness or lack of options. That’s definitely the case with Ocean 50, the most recent occupant of the Hotel Benjamin (following in the footsteps of the short-lived relocation of An American Place and the even shorter-lived Terrence Brennan’s Chophouse), where chef Joseph Quintana makes excellent use of freshly flown in seafood from around the world. Indeed, the top right hand portion of each menu, printed daily, lists the fish and seafood on hand that day, all of which can be prepared as simply as possible (sautéed, grilled, broiled). In addition, these delicacies can be found throughout the menu in a variety of intriguing preparations. On our recent lunch visit, fresh crabmeat arrived mixed with guacamole for an unusual table-sharing starter, as well as the main ingredient in a huger-than-huge Cobb salad that should be the envy of every Californian. Not everything here is quite as healthy. Quintana’s excellent fried calamari proves once again that using bacon makes everything taste better. His lobster roll platter is equally decadent; the generously portioned chunks of lobster are heavily coated in mayonnaise, set in a buttered hot dog roll, and accompanied by an enormous pile of shoestring fries. Even if you are being virtuous with your mains, your resolve will be sorely tested by Quintana’s desserts, which range from a fine apple-berry crisp to a devil’s food cake to an appealing cookie plate. His key lime pie is equal parts graham cracker crust, lime filling and meringue -- a formula that may offend purists, but made a convert out of one tablemate. And how many hotel restaurants anywhere have ever changed your mind about food?
Review By: Brian Scott Lipton
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