Marea in NYC has, for years, been on my bucket list, but somehow, it has eluded me. However, when Marea graced the west coast with their appearance in Beverly Hills, I knew we were destined to meet. And so we did 2 weeks ago to celebrate a milestone birthday.
I'm so glad such a special meal was celebrated here because it did not disappoint. Well, there was one thing... our waiter, while competent, was a little too business-like. Honestly, I expected a "hello, how are we all doing. My name is... , and I'll be your waiter." Instead, this is what we got... "Are you ready to order?" No salutations, just straight to the menu. I was a little taken aback, and frankly, it was like that the entire evening. He did as we asked, but friendly? No. Did he wish my daughter a happy birthday? No. Not a word... but yes, he brought a dish out acknowledging her birthday (because my husband asked him to). Not even a smile. Is this horrible? No. Just weird to me. The gentleman doing the bread service was friendly, and he went beyond the call of duty in that regard. I would say that our waiter was ALL business and offered nothing extra. In the end, it didn't matter because our food was delicious, surpassed my expectations, and we wanted for nothing.
There were five of us dining for this celebratory evening. We dined on the following:
ASTICE - nova scotia lobster, burrata, basil, eggplant al funghetto. WOW !! This was amazing. Such incredible flavor and gorgeous textures. The burrata was melt-in-your-mouth soft. The lobster was buttery and sweet, the tomatoes were sweet as can be, and the eggplant was such a great addition. I originally said I'd share this with my husband, and while I gave him a taste, that's all he got. It was too good to give away. My daughter ordered this, as well, and agreed how fabulous this was !!
INSALATA - Marea's answer to a Caesar salad made with little gem lettuce, pecorino, mollica, white anchovy, tossed in barolo vinaigrette. This is what my husband had ordered. I was too focused on my appetizer to try it, but he said it was quite good.
CARCIOFI E CUORI DI PALMA - salad composed of artichoke, hearts of palm, meyer lemon, parmigiano, fresno chile, and parsley. Again, I didn't try this, but my cousins had this and said it was very tasty.
For our entrees, we had:
BRANZINO - expertly grilled filet and very nicely seasoned, served with braised leeks, tomato, and scallion. I ordered a side of:
PATATE - which were sliced potatoes, with mimolette and capers. The potatoes were intensely crispy, which I LOVE... and very flavorful. Great dish to accompany the branzino, which is always so light and mild in flavor.
SOGLIOLA - pan-seared wild dover sole, which came with one side, and my daughter chose the same potato side as I did. My daughter loved the sole. Marea definitely knows how to prepare fish.
ANATRA - pan-roasted duck breast, squash puree, mustard greens, pepitas, duck sugo. I have no knowledge of this dish other than my cousin ordered it and loved it. I find duck to be way too rich for me and ends up giving me stomach ailments, so I avoid at all costs, but he loved it.
My cousins ordered the CAVOLETTI as their side, which were the brussels sprouts, guanciale, and mustard.
SPAGHETTI - a mind-blowing experience. You're saying, "it's spaghetti, how mind-blowing could it be?" And when I further tell you, for all the simplicity of this order, you'll really think I'm nuts. This was my husband's dish, and when he didn't finish it, I swooped in to polish it off (the next day). It was basically spaghetti, LOTS of garlic (in taste only), chili flakes, oil. Not even any fish. Just pasta. When I tell you how great this was, you'll have to believe me. And BTW, it's not on the menu anymore. They seasonally change their menu. FYI, there's a spaghetti still on the menu, but it's NOT the same one !!
For my daughter's birthday dessert, she ordered...
BOMBOLONI - which is basically the Italian version of doughnuts, dredged in vanilla sugar, and served with creamy lemon curd and chocolate mocha for dipping them in. She said it was delicious... as evidenced by her devouring it all. She offered me some, but I was too full.
My husband ordered 2 flavors of gelato (maple pecan and salted caramel) and 1 sorbetto (apple cider). I did taste these, and each one was better and more flavorful than the next. Amazing and very refreshing !!
My cousin ordered the NOCCIOLA, which had hazelnut, milk chocolate and served with salted butter gelato. I didn't taste that either, but she loved it.
Along with the bill for the evening, we were also given 5 pieces of delicious dark chocolate with liquid caramel inside. A perfect ending to a wonderful meal. TBH, the prices are not for the faint of heart, but I expected it and wanted to do something really special for my daughter. This was a great restaurant, and I'm sure we'll return for other special occasions in the future. read more