I’m not usually one for the celebrity chef crazes, especially when they involve being dragged to the much-dreaded Plaza on Central Park South. Growing up, the Plaza promised opportunities of freedom and recklessness that I lived vicariously through Eloise. However my most recent visit to the (short-lived and quite trashy) Oak Room brunch-party destroyed any illusion of glamour and playful chicness that I could have had.
That said, being dragged to Todd English’s Food Hall on the Lower Level of the iconic hotel was a pleasant surprise (for both the enthusiastic tourists as well as the cynical downtown New Yorkers). The restaurant was quite full when we arrived around 3 on a Friday, but luckily the 40-minute estimated wait turned out to be much shorter. Of course, as you wait for your table you can take advantage of some of the convenient shopping options, including old-fashioned organic toothpaste, top hats, and a leather-care shop.
We were seated at the carving station, which gave us a great view of all the delicious sandwiches the guys behind the bar were crafting up. I blame the friendly chefs for convincing Xime to go for the half-burger half-pastrami sandwich extravaganza. Regina, on the other hand, went for the healthiest option of Spicy Squid Stir Fry, which had amazing ‘squid-ink’ noodles and was fresh and delicious.
Unable to settle for any one thing on the perfectly crafted menu, I decided to go for the three-course lunch menu. It started off with a beet salad, over a pistachio crème covered with pecorino and parsley. Although tiny, the salad was delicious, with a great and subtle mix of flavors .
Next I had the Salmon, it was prepared two ways: fried and grilled. Fried was basically a crab cake situation but with salmon, and the grill was simply cooked over a bed of pretty flavorless-colorless-odorless vegetables and a couple of orange slices. The Salmon was well cooked- to say the most, but lets just say large amounts of Tabasco sauce were used at this point of the meal.
For dessert we tied it up with some Carrot Cake and a Cheesecake, which I was promised with my lunch menu meal. The Carrot Cake, with generous amounts of shredded carrot, coconut and frosting, was one of the best I’ve had, and I have had a fair amount of Carrot Cake. The Cheesecake was tiny and cute, but underwhelming and I would have been more disappointed had the giant slice of carrot cake not comforted me.
Todd English’s Food Hall is definitely a welcome surprise hidden between other midtown tourist traps, and definitely a more welcome dining option than the Plaza’s now infamous Oak Room. Winners included the Pastrami Burger, Parmesan Fries and Carrot Cake; Losers included the Lunch Menu (don’t let your wallet get seduced by the $24 price tag?). However, the Food Hall should not be overlooked as an excellent take-out option to be enjoyed at the park, far away from any type of pretentious organic toothpaste. The Whole Foods at Columbus Circle is also a good option for lunch…
If this post made you crave fancy toothpaste, you are welcome
The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English
One West 59th Street- Concourse Level
New York, N.Y. 10019
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