Amanda G.
Yelp
I met up with my gf here for a Saturday brunch. She'd been dying to try this place and I've never been, myself. The pictures looked pretty cool, especially with the views. Unfortunately, the worst April showers were occurring on the weekend of our brunch date, so all we saw were clouds and fog. I made reservations, which are somewhat hard to come by. They only open reservations about 8 days in advance. You're also required to put a CC on hold for your reservation confirmation. Keep in mind that there is a possible charge for no shows. Our reservations were for 2:15p because I like to have a 15-30 minute grace period in case anyone is running a bit late.
The restaurant is located at the top of a hotel in a business district. Parking isn't the best but to avoid parking fees, you could definitely park 1-2 blocks away in the nearby residential area. Unfortunately, because of the torrential downpour, we opted for the parking garage. The garage is located across the street from the hotel and the restaurant validates parking, saving you a whopping 95 cents.
From the parking lot, we had to exit the building and then cross the street to the actual hotel, and then take the elevator to the top. From there, we were directed to the host podium for the restaurant. All of the staff was very nice. The dining area has what would be beautiful views of the NYC skyline. I thought the dining room was quite underutilized. There was plenty of space but very little tables.
This particular day the venue was setting up for a private event so it feels as though we were in the middle of a construction site. People were all over the oalces, setting things up for the anniversary party they would be hosting later that day. I feel like it affected service a bit.
Our server was attentive at first, she came to the table multiple times to take our orders. We took a bit of time because we were catching up and more interested in seeing how each other were doing, rather than checking out the menu. However, once we put in our orders and the food came to the table, we had to wave for assistance at the table. There were literally only 3 tables dining during our visit so the front of house staff were mostly just standing around the podium. Other than a few moments of needing assistance, everything else was fine.
Grub Rundown:
Shrimp & Grits - this is considered a small plate, despite the price. My friend ordered it and was underwhelmed.
Omelet - my friend also ordered this dish. She said it was OK. It was served with baby taters.
Steak & Eggs - I ordered this and thought it was OK. The steak was a filet and it was cooked to the temp I requested. It was served with baby taters. They were kind of dry but the restaurant only had ketchup available. I would have preferred some sour cream but they did not have any and I made due. The eggs were cooked to my liking. My biggest issue was just with the flavor. Everything was lacking seasoning.
Biscuits & Jam - I ordered this for the table. The biscuits were good. They were warm and the jam tasted really nice.
Sausages - I ordered this for the table. Initially we were told that the side is just one huge double sausage but we were actually served four small patties. They were not good at all. Very dry and salty.
The drinks we had were very good. I ordered a paloma and loved it. Our brunch was short and sweet. I don't think I would come back here unless I was in the area. After our meal we walked upstairs to the bar area to check it out and I'm sure at night, with all the city lights, it's amazing. The food at the restaurant was mediocre and not worth the menu pricing IMO.