NY Restaurants - Gotham Bar and Grill (recommendable)

Last week I went to the Gotham Bar & Grill, a fixture in the NYC restaurant scene. Zagat rates it 27 and I agree to some extent. This is a restaurant of subtle sophistication.

First I had black bass ceviche which was delicious and the combination of mango, organic beets and radish was original - a welcome reinterpretation of a classic dish. Second, I tried the fennel soup with warm goat cheese, apple and red beets - it was not exciting. In my opinion the menu is certainly not consistently fantastic, but what was spectacular was the miso marinated black cod. The cod melted on the tongue and the soy lemongrass ginger sauce was a blend of sweet and sour, but do not think Chinese! It was a delicate blend of Japanese and Thai cuisine - rice wine vinegar or something similar with lemongrass. This cod is a real palate pleaser!

Service was good and the waiters were very attentive. The only downside was our waiter's limited knowledge of the great wine list they had. I would have appreciated having a recommendation to the food I chose.

It is a welcome and elegant, yet not pretentious restaurant. It is refreshing to be able to go there spontaneously. In other top rated restaurants you would have to book a table weeks in advance.

A wine and three courses dinner will set you back $150.

12 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003

Tel (212) 620 4020

www.gothambarandgrill.com

Restaurants in Chicago - Meiji

Yesterday we went to the Meiji Restaurant in Randolph Street which is right next to Alinea.

I must say it was a huge disappointment, especially after receiving a Zagat rating of 25. We ate the Asparagus Ribeye Roll starter, which was more like eating the sole of a shoe and had lots of stringy and fatty bits. The Hamachi nigiri tasted as if it had just been defrosted. The Shogun Maki were ok - to be honest, not that exciting, but I would not trash it. The Green Tea Mille Feuille is a great idea: layers of thin puff pastry with green tea and vanilla cream in-between, but if you need a knife and lots of muscles to cut it, it really isn't a pleasure!

Ambience is not great, just the kinda-trying-to-be-trendy place with minimal decor and light techno music in the background. The tables are so close together that it was impossible not to overhear the 15 minute conversation about dogs of our neighbors who were clearly having their first date.

Avoid it if possible since the price ($50 per person) certainly does not reflect quality. If you want to find something in that area, Avec which is practically next door is certainly a much better bet - they have consistent quality and similar prices.

623 W Randolph St Chicago, IL 60661

www.meijirestaurant.com