5 & Diamond

I would not recommend this restaurant. I attended a work function with 50 attendees and the service and food left a lot to be desired. We waited over an hour before bread was placed on the table and orders were taken. Initially, a bread basket was served for a table of 10. The portion size were minuscule and lacking in taste. The wait staff seemed to be overwhelmed with the amount of patrons and repeatedly kept coming around retaking the orders. They took forever to serve the food and when serving, had no clue who ordered what. The wait staff was rude and had an attitude. I was so looking forward to eating at this restaurant but instead, I left hungry and disappointed.

On 1/16/2013 Wensday evening, I had a chance to visit 5 & Diamond. It is a very cozy restaurant situated about a few blocks north from Central Park. I usally would look for steak or fish dishes on the menu since I have surf and turf taste buds. But this time I noticed there was a pork tenderloin dish. Driven by curiousity, I ordered it. When waitor asked me whether I would like it to be served with medium rare, I was a little suprised. Because I thought there is only one choice for pork, well done. Then I thought if they could serve it, I should try it and it would not kill me. I do not regret my decision at all. It was the best pork I ever had. I did not know the pork could be so tender. That dish was such a sensation, great prsentation and excellent taste. I would recommand it to anyone. Afterward, I reseacedh the medium rare/well done question on internet. Guess what, in 2011 USDA had lowered the pork cooking temperature standard from 160 to 145 that makes medium rare possible. So it is safe.

We were here last week for a celebration, and had a fantastic time. Great food and wonderful people.

I went to dinner with 2 friends one night. I waited about 20 minutes for my lamb burger. However, the bill took WAY longer.

Had dinner here with two friends on a Tuesday evening. It was not crowded, and the weather was warm enough so that the front of the restaurant was open. We had the last inside table, and the people at the next table were actually sitting on the outside. I noted before going in that the prices looked very high for a restaurant located north of Central Park, but I was willing to be open-minded about the potential. Unfortunately, there's nothing about this place that merits either the higher prices or a trip out of the way. I do not mind under-sized portions if the food is truly exceptional, but that was not the case here. While each of our entrees were competently prepared, there was nothing outstanding or special about any of them. My pork was slightly overcooked and the over-riding flavoring for all of our dishes was salt, which is never a good sign. Service was cordial but inattentive at times.

Went to this restaurant for lunch yesterday. We were the only customers at first. While we were given tall glasses of (warm) water, when we ordered club sodas they were served in short "highball" glasses. We ordered club sodas because they didn't have any iced tea, which was on the menu. I don't know exactly how much club soda was there, but it was too little for a $3.00 charge. Next, we ordered cobb salads. I asked if the dressing contained sugar, but the waitress did not know. She had to ask in the kitchen first. After at least 1/2 hour wait, during which time another customer came in and was served, our salads arrived. In general, the salad was tasty. However, halfway through, I realized that there was no avocado (although the menu states that there is). Since the waitress never checked on us again, I didn't ask about it until she came over to offer us more of that warm water. When I asked about the avocado she said it didn't come with avocado. We asked to see the menu for dessert and were told that there was only one dessert, which we passed on. Of course, on the way out we saw the menu and in fact there was supposed to be avocado on the salad. Clearly, attention to detail is lacking here as we should have been informed that one of the ingredients was not available. After seeing such nice reviews on this site, I can only guess that the service and food are better at dinner. I won't be going back to find out, though.

Hands down, this is one of the best restaurants I've tried in NY, over many years! When I couldn't get a reservation at Red Rooster, I thought I would give 5 & Diamond a try - what incredible luck! The food was impeccably prepared, with exquisite attention to flavors and taste, especially the shrimp and mussel dishes. The wait staff was incredibly knowledgable and helpful with wine recommendations, and the service and ambiance only heightened the dining experience. A true treasure!