The Neptune Room

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The Neptune Room

Photo: Cititour.com

Contact Info:

Address: 511 Amsterdam Avenue
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10024
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 496-4100

Food Info:

Cuisine: Seafood

Cititour Review:

Jeff Lefcourt and Glen Harris know the right way to lure a fish—especially when the fish in question is a school of New York City diners. Like Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams (Red Cat, Harrison, and Mermaid Inn), this young restaurateur-chef team behind Jane, the hip American bistro on Houston Street, have the right formula for easy success—good food made from quality ingredients, at a middle of the road price point, served in a casual but chic setting. They've applied the same formula to The Neptune Room, a new seafaring spot on the Upper West Side. The restaurant has a swanky, Finding Nemo sort of vibe, with a deep blue tiled façade, exposed brick walls, oversized circular banquettes, and curved wooden ceilings that give the illusion of being on board a fabulous ship somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Indeed, you may wonder whether Julie McCoy will be announcing a stop in Puerto Vallarta. (Didn't happen while I was there, but you never know). You'll find an eclectic crowd—a reflection of the neighborhood—young families with strollers, couples on first dates, and tables of stunning women in flirty tank tops, micro minis, and stiletto flip flops, hoping to lure in some fish of their own. (From the looks of things, there were several sharks and a couple of nice flounders waiting to be baited in the wings.) To feed the neighborhood, Harris has assembled a menu that, as you might have guessed, is all about lovely creatures that once swam but now are food. (So sad, but hey, what are you gonna do? Become a vegetarian? Don't think so.) We started with a selection of marinated seafood cocktails from The Bait Bar (all $6) that are served in small shallow green glass bowls that sort of look like jellyfish. There was a lively sashimi of yellowtail with honey, grapefruit and pepper, a chewy (in a good way) char-grilled octopus with sweet cherry tomatoes, green olives, and parsley, and pungent cured white anchovies with potatoes, olives and oregano. While you can easily make a meal of the items from the Bait Bar, and a selection of starters like the oysters Neptune baked in pastry with parsley and garlic ($12) or the fava bean tortellini with lobster, mascarpone and basil ($11), if you are craving bigger fish, the entrée section provides plenty of options. We had the cioppino ($23), presented in a lovely terra cotta casual filled with generous amounts of fish, but I found it to be a bit bland. The broth is too thin and tastes mostly of tomatoes, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not the soulful seafood broth I was hoping for. But other dishes more than make up for monotone brunette. There was a terrific bronzing, roasted in the oven and served with calamari, baby spinach and a peppery gloss of mustard ($22) and a roasted lobster—sweet and moist and served in its shell over silky paella that's packed with homemade spicy sausage, fiery green chilies, and meaty loops of squid (M/P). Don't even think about not having the fried cauliflower—a golden, lemony frito that is impossible to leave unfinished. If you find yourself craving fun fresh takes on seafood and a possible invitation to shuffleboard on the Lido deck, The Neptune Room is the way to go.

 

Review By: Andrea Strong

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