Marea, New York City, 5/8/15

Marea exterior
Marea exterior

This is a large and elegant dining space. They have had a couple Michelin stars for years and it shows in the seamless service. At lunch they offer a 2 or 5 course fixed price menu, with the latter including some of the upcharge items and dessert. With the 5 course tasting they do scale down the portion sizes. They were willing to substitute the pasta course offered for another on the menu but do not offer any items on their dinner menu that are not on the lunch one. We started with the crudo tasting with 3 wonderfully fresh and nicely seasoned fish bites. The lobster burrito course was outstanding with totally creamy burrata and perfectly cooked lobster. A nice combination that was accented with something pickled and tart – that really brought out the flavor of all the components. The urchin/crab pasta was nice but the star was the fusilli with tender, tasty octopus made richer by the addition of bone marrow. The slight spiciness of the sauce made this a total “lick the bowl” course. The scallops were accompanied by a layered potato dish that I could have eaten a plate of and really tasty Morells. Very nice, but the pasta was still dancing on my tongue. We finished with the strawberry panna cotta that was smooth and really well flavored. I didn’t detect the pepper in the meringue but it didn’t matter cause they just added a nice crunch to an otherwise fine finish.

The only stumble here was the overfilled chiller bucket that had so much in it our wine never achieved the chill I wanted, but when your palate is this full of tastes and textures the wine takes only a supportive roll.

Table set up
Table set up
menu
menu
wine
wine
Table flower
Table flower
Couple of the bread choices, olive foccacia and whole wheat
Couple of the bread choices, olive foccacia and whole wheat
crowded chiller
crowded chiller
Crudo: Pacific Jack Mackerel, kale pesto, lentils, beech muchroom. Pacific snapper, prosciutto, celery, tomato. Bigeye tuna, oyster crema, crispy artichoke
Crudo: Pacific Jack Mackerel, kale pesto, lentils, beech muchroom. Pacific snapper, prosciutto, celery, tomato. Bigeye tuna, oyster crema, crispy artichoke
Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant, basil
Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant, basil
Interior
Interior
leading to another room
leading to another room
Fusilli: durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow
Fusilli: durum wheat pasta, red wine braised octopus, bone marrow
Strozzapreti: crab, sea urchin and basil
Strozzapreti: crab, sea urchin and basil
Capesante: seared sea scallops, crispy potato, bluefoots, spinach, mushroom cream
Capesante: seared sea scallops, crispy potato, bluefoots, spinach, mushroom cream
final chocolate treat
final chocolate treat
Frankie found her orchids in the ladies room!
Frankie found her orchids in the ladies room!
Downstairs by bathrooms
Downstairs by bathrooms
room for a group downstairs
room for a group downstairs

Bar area lovely wall

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