Tag Archives: theater district

Tenpenny- A surprisingly great meal near Broadway

23 Apr

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.

DSCF1037

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.

DSCF1038

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).

DSCF1043

We tried the OPP or “Other People’s Pinot.” It was a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it.

DSCF1045

It was from a winery called Mouton Noir and I really enjoyed the cap.

DSCF1049

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.

DSCF1046

The bread on both was fantastic and I really enjoyed the pork and apple combination on the second one.

DSCF1048

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.

DSCF1056

 

I chose the Heritage Pork Rach which was house brined, pan seared, and served with bourbon pork jus.

DSCF1061

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.

DSCF1062

It also came with a small onion tartlet that I really enjoyed. The onions were perfectly caramelized and the pastry itself had great flavor.

DSCF1064

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!

DSCF1057

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.

DSCF1070

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.

DSCF1073

I went with the chocolate caramel mousse with espresso anglaise and toasted hazelnuts.

DSCF1075

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.

DSCF1077

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

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

 

Tuesday Treats- Episode 1

26 Apr

On select Tuesdays, I’ll be posting “Tuesday Treats” which includes a few quick tidbits, links, and tips that I found interesting in the last few days about (what else?) Nomming.

Here is today’s first installment!

Some cool deals for food in NYC that sounded great (click on the links below to get more information and purchase the deals):

Some buzz and blogs around the food world that I found interesting:
  • Daniel Boulud doesn’t have gas for his new NYC restaurant, but the show must go on!  I love Boulud’s restaurants, and I love that he can weather the hiccups that would normally whither any business owner.
  • A friend recently recommended I visit a food blog, and it has a design that makes me very envious: http://www.immaculateinfatuation.com/
  • Another food themed blog that I have been enjoying lately is The Way We Ate, which posts photos of ads and recipe pictures that were in Gourmet Magazine from decades past.  This week is from 1942!
Happy Nomming!

La Masseria – Theater District

11 Aug

So after the miss at Scarmella’s, Mike’s family redeemed themselves in my foodie heart when they chose La Masseria.  I wasn’t expecting much as they are in the theater district (on 48th near 8th Ave), however, we walked in to a lovely setting and then it just kept getting better.

I can honestly say that I have NO idea what I ordered.  I know I enjoyed it and lopped up every last drop with the delicious bread… but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it was.  It must have been a special. 

(Side Note: I have remedied this recently by buying a little pad of paper that has a metal cover… to avoid breaking apart… and a pen that latches in… to avoid losing of the pen.  Thank you for the inspiration Lori!)

The tagliatelle alla bolognese was fantastic.  All the flavors were so fresh and the pasta was obviously JUST made.  Delish.

Mike ordered the prawn.  And it was the biggest freakin prawn I have EVER seen.  I did a terrible job at showing the size, however, consider that this is not a small dinner plate.  Oh no… that is an average sized dinner plate right there.  It was at least the length of a remote control.  Oh… and it tasted awesome!

I was so impressed with this place.  Everything just tasted so. damn. good.  A great little find in the middle of a typically sub-par food neighborhood.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10