Manhatta
As a splurge due to this incurable money sucking disease of gourmand syndrome, we splurged for Manhatta. Manhatta is known for its gorgeous views at the 60th floor facing up-town. It is part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, which includes The Modern, Gramercy Tavern, Marta, etc. to name a few. Aside from the view that the restaurant offers, the last few years they have made an effort to improve the food. We were able to make a reservation for 2 for the Chef’s Counter without much issue for 5:30 PM.
When you arrive at the lobby of the building, you simply just check in with the concierge, and they direct you to take the elevator to the 60th floor. The elevator is a non-stop ride, but nothing like any of those tourist buildings where it tells you how fast you are going. When you arrive to the floor, the host will bring you to your table.
From the website:
Manhatta is a modern New York restaurant, inspired by the unmatched energy of our city.
Ambiance & Service
The interior of course offers a very bustling view facing uptown of Manhattan. The ambiance is very lively, with a lot of chatter especially during the early evenings on a weekend. It was a bit loud though. Because we sat at the chef counter, my back was facing the window, but my partner can see with their left eye the gorgeous view of the whole city. We were there for the sunset, and it was quite breathtaking.
The service was very pleasant though you can tell they can still use some work. For example, they could’ve approached on the sides of our body to take away our food, but some servers served between us. What I did like about their service is they kept asking if it was OK to proceed with the courses, but also what I didn’t like is they couldn’t read our body language expertly enough. It’s these small things that really separate a high end service from others.
One notable gotcha was when I booked the reservation on Seven Rooms, they already charged tax and tip (off the pre-tax amount) already. Even though the site says that tax and gratuity are not included, you don’t really have much a choice to specify when you make the reservation. Any additional cocktails or drinks will incur a separate bill at the time of dinner.
The restaurant offers three courses for $115, four courses for $145, or the counter menu (10 courses) for $275. We went for the Chef’s counter menu, and I got the wine pairing at $165. The price is up there with a lot of other fine-dining Michelin star restaurants.
Food
The Bae Room ($22) came with Grey Goose Citron, Cointreau, Lillet Rose, White Cranberry, Rosé, white tea, ginger, and lime leaf. It was carbonated, and as expected it was ultra smooth and not too sweet.
The first pairing was a Champagne Miniere F&R, Brut Zero, from Champagne, France, NV. I’m not a big champagne person, but this one definitely had much more sweeter finishes than other champagnes.
The canapes came with the following (starting at 9’o’clock):
- Oyster Manhatta with champagne and uni. This one was pretty good.
- Buckwheat Tart with tuna, artichoke, and osciètre caviar. The buckwheat tart was crispy, and they gave you a generous dollop of caviar.
- Raw Lobster with mango, peanut, and basil. This was really good as well. The wrap reminded me of a thin radish slice.
The second pairing was a Brundlmayer, Gruner Veltliner ‘Ried Lamm’, from Kamptal, Austria 2018. This is one of our favorite grapes, and we haven’t had the best of luck buying decent wines of this grapes from stores. This one though was pretty good from a single vineyard.
The bread was a whole wheat black sesame roll made in-house with espelette butter. Despite it being noticeably red, the butter was not spicy at all. The bread was warm and delicious.
The Hamachi came with kumquat, sesame, and saffron. On top, they poured some sesame milk concoction. This was pretty good as well.
The third pairing was a Champagne Oudiette x Filles ‘Uni Terre 2’, from Beaunay, France, NV. This was very crispy and sparkly meant for the following caviar dish. This is a blanc de blanc champagne, which means it was produced entirely from white grapes (usually Chardonnay).
The Kristal Caviar came with sunchoke, hazelnut, and rye. This has smoked potato white cream, and there’s an egg yolk in it. Alongside is bread from Frenchette down in Tribeca. This was a very rich dish, but it was quite delicious with the toasted bread. The bread had a lot of butter though, almost to a point of too much.
The fourth pairing was a Ceritas Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Colima’ from California, USA 2020. This was to complement the chawanmushi dish. This was a blend of 5 different single vineyards.
The Chawanmushi came with foie gras, shiitake, and coffee ponzu. This was absolutely delightful. The foie gras, albeit rich, was a nice complement to the egg. The coffee ponzu was a little on the salty side, but it was very rich in flavor.
The fifth pairing came with Nathan K Riesling ‘Solera’ from Finger Lakes, NY, USA NV. The only thing that was Riesling about this was just the grapes. It tasted nothing like other Rieslings. This was very dry and a sherry inspired blend of 2013, 2015, and 2019 Riesling. It’s meant to provide a savory complement to the next course.
The Hudson Valley Trout came with morels, white asparagus, and Vin Jaune. The trout was delicious as well as the Vin Jaune. The morels were good, but I gave them to my partner who would enjoy them infinitely more.
The sixth pairing was Domaine Pattes Loup Chablis ‘Vent d’Ange’ from France 2020. This classical chablis was very good.
The Live Scallop came with seaweed beurre blanc and maple cured trout roe. The scallop was cooked perfectly, and the beurre blanc was lively. The spinach garnish on the side was definitely oversalted though.
The seventh pairing was the Aurelien Chatagnier Saint Joseph, from Rhone, France 2016. This was a Syrah and that has a very earthy, savory flavor. It has black pepper and herbal flavors to complement the next dish.
The Painted Hills Ribeye came with grilled caraflex, smoked beef heart, and sauce charcuterie. The cabbage was smoked and was fermented. The smoked cabbage puree was a little too salty and rich for me. The ribeye tasted like it was sous vide because it was slightly rubbery. The ribeye definitely was just OK.
The Pear came with riesling, yuzu, and dill. There was no pairing with this course. This was very uplifting and bright, especially with the yuzu.
The eighth pairing came with Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvée from Burgenland, Austria 2019. This wine was a sweet wine and very easy to drink.
The Citrus Givré came with ginger crème, mint, and meringue. There were little pieces of citrus in there and the ginger was not strong at all.
The final and ninth pairing was a Quinta dos Pesos from Carcavelos, Portugal 1996. I was already drunk by this pairing. This was a fortified wine with a blend of red and white grapes. This was like a port, but a bit thicker in texture. I didn’t enjoy this as much because it was quite heavy in alcohol.
The Toasted Barley Ice Cream came with Chocolate Crémeux and soy caramel. This last dish was quite sweet.
The last bites came with chai macaron and lychee rose jelly. The jelly was very sweet and tart. The chai macaron definitely tasted very herbal.
They also give you a take-home jar of trail mix nuts.
Final Verdict
Manhatta has a gorgeous view of the city, but the food isn’t quite there yet. Some of the courses came out overly salty or too rich. It does feel like they are still experimenting with some dishes, and perhaps in time, they will get their first star. I felt the ingredients are very accessible and of high quality. Their wine pairing was good, but cannot compare to a restaurant like Bom.
Yelp Jabs
As frequent patrons of Michelin-starred establishments, we couldn’t help but wonder why this gem hasn’t yet earned its own star. The only suggestion for improvement would be to offer a menu with more courses and a wine pairing option.
This Yelper did not realize that they do offer a menu with more courses and a wine pairing option. It’s called the Chef Counter. Because Michelin Stars are solely given out for food only, there was not too much creativity in the food, and the cook and seasoning was slightly off.
The food was also incredible! I love the experimentation with flavors and the presentation of everything was STUNNING. And!! It all tasted delicious! I think the pricing is fair given the food and experience.
The Counter menu definitely was more experimental, and it had its hits and misses. I do not think the pricing is that fair based on food alone because I think you’re paying a surcharge for the view.
Revisions
- May 26, 2024 - Initial revision.