We live near Broadway, so we go out in the area more than most. The Broadway/Times Square area is not known for having great food. There are some gems, but almost the entire area is over priced, over crowded, and underwhelming.
We were looking for another hidden gem so I pulled open my Immaculate Infatuation app and found their recommendation for Tenpenny. They had a reservation at the right time (and wound up being pretty empty at the early, pre-theater hour we visited) so we went for it. It is also within walking distance of Grand Central station, so it’s located near a lot of places where I am frequently asked to find restaurants.
Tenpenny is located in the Gotham Hotel on 46th Street. The restaurant has a great feel and you certainly wouldn’t believe you’re right in the middle of all the city action here.
There is a skylight in the back that offers a lovely NY high rise view and lots of sun light on a nice day like when we went.
Immaculate Infatuation also had mentioned crispy artichokes (which are one of my favorite foods ever), however, they were not on the menu this time. ::sad face::
The bread was a really nice crispy crust and fluffy inside. And I really enjoyed the garlic and rosemary sliced into the olive oil. (The other was red pepper flakes, so I had to stay away).
We tried the OPP or “Other People’s Pinot.” It was a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it.
It was from a winery called Mouton Noir and I really enjoyed the cap.
We decided to start with the crostini and we tried the smoked salmon & dill creme fraiche crostini and the crispy pork belly, spiced yogurt & fuji apple crostini. The smoked salmon and dill one was okay (though I’m not a huge fan of salmon) but I really enjoyed the crispy pork belly.
The bread on both was fantastic and I really enjoyed the pork and apple combination on the second one.
Mike went with the Lamb Porterhouse which was cast iron seared Colorado lamb with house butter. It had a great lamby flavor that we both really enjoyed.
I chose the Heritage Pork Rach which was house brined, pan seared, and served with bourbon pork jus.
There was a really nice sear on the chop and it was surprisingly juicy and tender all throughout. The bourbon jus was also a really great compliment.
It also came with a small onion tartlet that I really enjoyed. The onions were perfectly caramelized and the pastry itself had great flavor.
Tenpenny serves their entrees as mostly just the meat, so you do need to get a side on its own (which definitely puts the meal further into the pricey category). We chose the brussels sprouts. They were delicious and the way we like them (with pork) but weren’t as crispy as we like. We are quite particular about our brussels, however!
We then decided to try some dessert, and we started with 2 glasses of after dinner drinks. I chose a dessert wine and Mike got a port.
Mike chose the pecan pie with cinnamon gelato and caramel sauce. This was quite good. The pecans were nicely cooked without being over sweet, and the pastry was a nice compliment to the sweetness.
I went with the chocolate caramel mousse with espresso anglaise and toasted hazelnuts.
The mousse was the perfect texture with the crisp chocolate on top and cookie-like crust on the bottom. Really nice dessert and looked beautiful.
Overall, Tenpenny was a great find. A bit expensive (especially since the entrees don’t really come with any sides), but the quality is there to make it a worthwhile place to eat and worth the midtown price tag. It’s hard to get away from a costly meal in that area of town, but with the others being much lower quality, I think Tenpenny is a great place to go. All our food had great flavor and was cooked and presented with obvious care. It’s also just a nice place to spend an evening. We sat and leisurely enjoyed our meal and drinks.
Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10
