Javier D.
Yelp
Amavi - Latin for "I loved."
New to the Herald Square area, this Mediterranean-inspired restaurant aims to provide a sophisticated dining experience. The main dining space features a backlit logo, a DJ booth, and a soft linen monochromatic color scheme, finished off with a golden chandelier-like centerpiece that adds an elevated touch to the space. However, I was not fooled by the smoke and mirrors for long.
As we entered the dining area around 6:45 PM, I was put off by how brightly lit the space was--almost bright enough to perform surgery. It felt like a restaurant at an all-inclusive hotel in the Caribbean or on a cruise (and I mean that in the worst way). I kindly suggested to the server that they might consider dimming the lights, to which he responded, "We're working on that." About twenty minutes later, I heard a manager say, "It doesn't make sense to dim the lights if it's still daylight outside." It was 7:15 PM. About thirty minutes later, the lights shut off abruptly, startling everyone in the dining area.
The second thing I noticed was the ridiculous prices on the entrées. A simple rigatoni dish with a lackluster red sauce was about $34. We ordered the watercress salad with pickled cucumber, apple, walnut, blood orange, and sweet citrus dressing, as well as the tzatziki with fresh mint and walnut to start. I had the Amavi Martini, which featured yuzu and lychee, while my partner had a very forgettable red drink. I love a creative and tongue-tantalizing drink that makes you crave another sip, but these were neither creative nor memorable. My martini tasted like the sweet $5 lychee martinis you can get at Verlaine (shoutout to L.E.S.).
Now, on to the salad, which was NOT watercress. I grew up eating watercress; it's my mother's favorite green, and I know it when I taste it. This was probably baby spinach, and the dressing was... meh. When I asked the manager, who came to check on us, if it was watercress, he said, "I'm not sure; let me check," and then never came back with an answer. The tzatziki was watery and bland.
On to the entrées. I ordered the filet mignon, and while it was well-cooked and I did enjoy it, as well as the accompanying fingerling potatoes, I don't think it was actually a cut of filet mignon. It was served as two thick strips of steak, not in the usual round medallion style I have come to know. Needless to say, we did not stay for dessert or order another round of drinks. So, as the saying goes, we came, we saw, we did not Amavi.