Lure Fishbar

This past saturday, we enjoyed one of our best dinner dates in NYC.
It started with us not being able to get a seat at Aquagrill because they were reserved until 9pm. So we chose another seafood alternative in the Soho area - Lure Fishbar.

Lure Fishbar - 142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

Located on the basement level below the Prada store at Mercer and Prince, the lack of an ostentatious sign makes it easy to miss this gem.

The dimly lit interior is decorated to conjure images of dining on your rich friend's giant yacht. The restaurant is intimate enough for a date and large enough to accommodate a group event.
Of course, every date night meal will begin with some tasty cocktails..

Blueberry Finn

Pineapple Sage Daiquiri

The Blueberry Finn was perfectly sweet and fruit. The real standout is actually the Pineapple Sage. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but after a few sips I can really appreciate the sophistication of complementing the sweetness of pineapple with earthy sage. Also love that just one of these cocktails contain enough alcohol to give you that light relaxing buzz throughout dinner.

Tuna Tartare

When we go to seafood or sushi restaurants, my fiance always orders the tuna tartare. I never quite understood his fascination with eating a giant chunk of raw tuna, but this dish at Lure has won me over. The vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, olives, and salty caviar were in my opinion, the perfect seasoning. Much more complex and lighter on the palate than wasabi and soy sauce.

For the entree, we decided to order from the raw bar and share a hot entree order.

Empress crab claw and chilled whole lobster w/ cocktail sauce and spicy mayo

Lobster Roll w/ cole slaw and salt & vinegar chips.

On a side note, I was very impressed with the service at Lure. The waiter was attentive but not hovering. We ordered the lobster roll with the intention to share, but did not specify this to our waiter. He immediately picked up on this and offered to split the roll for us. I expected a roll cut in half on a plate, but it came on two separate plates, each with its own side of pickle and cole slaw. Impressed!

Now on to the taste. The seafood from the raw bar? fresh and delish! The empress crab claws were tasty but a bit small, at 6 claws for $18, I don't think it was really worth the money. For just $9 more, you can get a whole lobster tail split in half. The lobster meat was easy to remove from the shell and came out in large chunks that tasted sooo amazing, we're absolutely addicted and planning on eating more this weekend!

The lobster roll entree was also flawless as well. The chunks of lobster were not too chewy and not overwhelmed with mayo and seasoning. Personally, I really loved the brioche roll the lobster was on. It was soft, with a thin crispy toasted crust, and oh so buttery! I could've eaten 10 of these and subsequently gained 20 lbs. This entree was executed so well, even the chips were breathtaking. They were salt and vinegar chips (my fav), but the vinegar taste was not too strong. I believe these must've been home made chips, because they were warm when they came out. I love that they were so perfectly balanced - crunchy, but not too thin, flavorful, but not overwhelming. This cannot be easy to do.

I also loved my meal here because the amount of food was just right. I tend to over eat at restaurants, but the food at Lure was light but just filling enough for dinner.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie w/ pomegranate sorbet (substitution for peanut brittle ice cream)

Our desert was also proof on how great the service is at Lure. We wanted to substitute the peanut brittle ice cream for something a bit lighter, Pomegranate sorbet. While alone, I casually expressed my concern that the sorbet does not quite mesh well with the peanut butter pie. Well, our waiter and the kitchen staff was way ahead of me, because the sorbet came out in its own little dish. Again, Lure managed to change my mind about dishes I typically do not enjoy. I only really like my chocolate and peanut butter inside a Reese's package. This pie came out in a pretty standard presentation of desert on square white plate with some decorations scattered in the empty space. The pie itself did not look especially enticing to me either. However, the taste more than made up for its appearance. It was a bit savory and sweet, not overwhelmingly sweet as most chocolate deserts can be. I especially enjoyed it with a bit of the light creme with each bite.

This was one of those meals when you go home and reminisce about how perfect it was, both in terms of quality of food and service. It was a bit pricey at around $145 for two people excluding tip, but in our minds it was certainly worth it. How often do you have a date night that is perfect in every way? We could not imagine how Aquagrill could beat our experience at Lure Fishbar, but we will give it a chance to try. This is one of those restaurants I would gladly brave the Soho crowds for to eat at. Hopefully, one day we'd be able to make it to one of their "Happy Hours."

Kittichai - NYC

Kittichai is one of those restaurants that are most appropriate for a dinner with your girl friends - or a date for any guys who are trying to impress their girlfriends. The setting is extremely chic and in my opinion, only something that girls would really appreciate. Once you walk up to the restaurant, the outside has has a wall of bamboo that I loved. It's something that immediately transports you from a relatively quiet street in Soho, to some place exotic. Once you walk inside, you are greeted with a wall of orchids held in glass jars and, for some reason, koi fish in a birdcage-fish tank.

The food was equally impressive. My friend ordered a Thai iced tea and it came out as a "DIY" drink, with the Thai tea, simple syrup, and condensed milk in separate glasses so you can mix and adjust to your desired level of sweetness. Call me childish, but I love playing with food so my friend and I were quite entertained by this.

Thai Iced Tea

Next up was our tuna tartar appetizer. I didn't really think the "limestone tartlets" tasted like anything (it kind of reminded me of fried wonton skins?), but the tuna tartar itself and the accompanying ginger/lime sauce was pretty good.

Meing Tuna Tartare limestone tartlets, peanuts, ginger and lime

My friend and I were actually here for Restaurant Week (back in February), and for the starter, I got the sauteed mussels. I don't usually like mussels, but their version was pretty good and an extremely large portion. I hate wasting food, but I really couldn't finish it. I'm glad though because the prawns I got for my entree were HUGE. These were amazing. I loved the citrus red curry sauce and added the remaining sauce to eat with my rice.

Wok-Seared Tiger Prawns with a citrus red curry

Flourless Valrhona Chocolate Cake with fresh cream

For dessert, I got the chocolate cake - which came wrapped in a banana leaf. I'm not sure what the banana leaf had to do with the cake, but it was pretty decent. Although not really what I expected. The cake was a little on the dry/crumbly side - which surprised me since flourless chocolate cakes are usually pretty dense and rich.

My friend ordered the banana spring rolls, the burnt honey ice cream was definitely the highlight of that dessert.

Banana Spring Rolls with burnt honey ice cream

Kittichai would be a great place to take out of town guests and visitors to impress them with a "glamorous" NYC restaurant.

One of my other favorite restaurants in the city for impressing visitors with a similar vibe is Buddakan. Other than the delicious food and drinks (Tranquility remains my all time favorite drink), the setting in the main dining room is gorgeous, and each section has its own theme (one of them being the "Library"). It's also actually pretty easy to eat for a reasonable price at Buddakan if you order their rice/noodle dishes!

Kittichai: 60 Thompson St (btwn Spring & Broome), New York, NY.