Marea

My food expectations are very high at these prices. But at Marea it tasted very institutional. Crudo trio was well done but my pasta tasted warmed over. It was definitely not made to order. And at that price they should have added more than 3 shrimp. The service was abominable. We waited for 15 minutes for anyone to come to the table at the start. Once we ordered, the starters arrived at the same time as our oysters eventhough I had specifically asked to enjoy the oysters on their own with champagne. Very poor.

First the food: My rating scale ranges from poor to great, the expectation being that at a multiply-starred restaurant the food will range from very good to great. Unfortunately, there was only one even very good dish, my wife’s octopus. The worst was the amuse bouche, a squash soup that was undrinkable. My pasta, described as with baccala (salted cod) and fava beans, was just mediocre, essentially pasta with pureed fava beans and, literally, four one-eighth inch squares of fish that added no taste to the dish. My mushroom risotto was good and would have been very good had the parmesan added to the stock not overwhelmed the mushroom taste of the stock and created an unpleasant oiliness. My wife’s swordfish was just fair, nothing that we could not cook at home. One of the three breads was good; the butter was fair. As regards the poor attitude: 1) When we arrived at the restaurant I gave my last name to the maitre d’. When we were seated, I was called by my first name with the letter S added. 2) My wife ordered swordfish which also is accompanied by potato. She requested any vegetable as a substitute for the potato with the swordfish. The waitress replied, choose one of the “contorni,” which were vegetables, the only items on the menu that, aside from the listed sauces, are not priced. I assumed that this would be a substitution as requested, but knowing how some restaurants work, I mentioned this and was told that the contorni are extra, ranging from $9 to $12. My wife again repeated her request not for an extra dish but simply the substition of some vegetable for the potato. The request was escalated to the chef and the maitre d’ and was categorically refused. This is the first time in memory that such a simple request has been refused by a reputable restaurant. The potato turned out to be a simple cube of potato, nothing integral to the entree as one might have supposed from the chef’s adamant refusal to substitute. 3) When the waitress asked how we enjoyed our first courses, I replied that I did not like the pasta. Her response was not as one might expect, to be dismayed and ask what was wrong with it but rather to say, “but you ate it.” I have come to the 2500 character limit, but there were two other major discourtesies.

just had an awesome dinner... service was impeccable even though our main server was a little smug... first course was great... pasta course was awesome... i had the fusilli with octopus and bone marrow. perfection. friends also enjoyed theirs. scallop entree was delicious with very complimentary grilled tomatoes and eggplant, but grilled peaches were hard and not quite ripe... dessert was a relatively bland chocolate slash caramel something, but i'm being critical... the dinner was great. celebrity sighting included. marea is recommended.

yes, i'm insane, having gone to marea 3x in the past five weeks, but each visit has only gotten better. today i took a friend/coworker there for lunch to thank her for her support and we received the best treatment yet. this is probably due to the fact that my friend is part of the michael white army as the executive chef of the soon-to-be-open ai fiori. i went back partially because i cannot stop thinking about the spaghetti with sea urchin, and i was not disappointed. the other reason is that i needed to try the astice (lobster with burrata) and that was just as dreamy as the other reviewers have already observed. unfortunately for my dining companion, she's allergic to lobster & crab so she didn't get to sample. we were treated to the ricci as an amuse bouche, a most lucious way to start. it was a bit difficult to eat, but the flavors were mild, delicate and just perfect. nothing like a little pig fat to kick off the meal! the spaghetti was every bit as glorious as i recalled, and though i'd considered ordering the fusilli with octopus and bone marrow since it's received numerous accolades, i went with my first love. but i didn't need to fret since the server brought a plate of it out as a treat! oh, it's great - rich and deeply flavored, very intense (similar to the alto offering of the pappardelle with oxtail ragu) but it will never match the perfection that is the spaghetti. my dining companion had the tuna tartare with caviar to start and enjoyed her scallop entree. the lovely woman who comped my wine last time remembered me! sure, i'm covered in tattoos and don't look like the average patron of columbus circle restaurant but this charmed me. hands down, marea is officially my favorite restaurant in NYC. way to go, michael white & co: you've made a lifetime fan and i'll be back, time and time again.

the spaghetti with sea uchin, crab & tomato will blow your mind. a friend and i went and we had three courses each, a wine for each dish, and a cheese plate for dessert (with more wine). we shelled out a pretty penny for lunch ($150 for my share alone) but it was so worth it. in fact, i'm going back this sunday just for that pasta again. i cannot stop thinking about it!

granted, we went for lunch, and looked like two little kids playing hooky next to the adults in their business suits and the tourists in their gaudy polos, but guess what? i am someone who has no problem spending a lot of money on food even if i might not be wearing my "fancy pants." the server was a little smug, but the runners were great. food quality is beautiful, everything is expertly cooked. stupidly, i had eaten a huge breakfast earlier and could barely stuff down the two courses for the "business lunch" special of 42$ (each additional course is 21$) but wow, the tastes were superb. i didn't get the seafood pasta and am now lamenting based on the numerous reviews extolling its glory. i suppose i'll have to return for lunch again.

Don't be surprised if you are seated considerably later than the time of your reservation. We were seated 40 minutes later than our 8 pm reservation (on a Wednesday) because the maitre d' gave away our table when we were 10 minutes late, even though I had called to say we were running 10-15 minutes late and they knew we were there to celebrate a special occasion. The manager really made it up to us by offering us complimentary appetizers and dessert. The food was very good, especially the lobster with burrata appetizer and the affogato dessert. After we were seated, the service was good, and the maitre d' did apologize. It was ultimately a good evening, with a very rocky start.