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."

Fish - NYC

After an exhausting week (I went to sleep at 9 yesterday!), my friends and I met up at Fish in the West Village for the all-you-can-eat Maryland blue crabs for $21! The special runs from 12-4pm, but my friend and I met at 1pm and our friends joined later, as soon as they could get off work.

When we got there at 1pm, the first couple dozen of crabs that we ordered were not so good - the meat had melted away in a lot of them and the meat was mushy in others. (Since I grew up in Maryland, I have ate some pretty amazing crabs before - the best will always be the super fresh ones I ate after my friends and I went out crabbing on their boat and caught them ourselves!) Finally, around the third dozen, the crabs got really good - the meat was firm and holding together - and when you broke a claw open, the meat stayed in tact. When the crabs first get to the table, take a few seconds and let them cool down though - they come out steaming hot and they can easily burn your fingers/tongue!

Although I thought the meat in the later ones was better, there was less Old Bay flavor (although this could easily be remedied by simply adding some of the Old Bay on the table). My friends and I stayed for 4.5 hours! We ordered our last dozen at 3:50pm, and took another hour to finish that dozen, the ones we had left, and all the extra claws on the table (which we were saving toward the end as part of strategy - claws take the longest to take apart and eat!). I have definitely had enough crab for a couple weeks!

Dessert was Grom gelato nearby - pistachio and green tea :) Pistachio was my favorite!

A perfect summer Friday. My friends all commented on how fun this was - it's such a social activity! I think 75% of the time, you're not even eating but trying to crack open the crabs ~ so we were just messing around and asking each other stupid silly questions. One friend said this could be our version of a book club or knitting club, and that we should do this once a month (although depends when crab season ends...). This would also be such a fun place for a date ~ I love activity dates, and you could also see whether the girl is too prissy or not if you take her here lol.

I love living in NYC because the neighborhoods are so different from each other and you can really do so much "traveling" even within a 10 block radius. Fish was in West Village, near NYU. The area has so many great restaurants and I love the tree-lined streets between West Village and the Meatpacking District - it feels so cozy and quaint, a definite escape from the skyscrapers in midtown. Fish in particular felt like a beach-side seafood shack and worlds away from the hustle & bustle of the city. It's a nice place to escape for a couple hours.

*Oh! Another thing I forgot to mention - $4 beers! There's nothing like crabs and beer on a nice summer day.