The Crab Cream Is For Later
Written: Sep 13 '07
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Pros: Pretty Art Deco interior, warm ambience, generous portions.
Cons: Presentation can feel like they're trying too hard; pricey.
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line can lead a horticulture, but it can't make her think.
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| disinclined's Full Review: Union Square Grill |
So, full disclosure: I only ate dinner at the Union Square Grill because they comped it. Normally you wouldn't catch me anywhere near a $30-a-plate joint (well, not if I was paying, anyway). But their website claims that they're "Don't-Miss Delicious," and with a catchy slogan like that, how could I resist?
I'd been here previously for a private event, and liked the warm, ambient Art-Deco-hotel interior - lots of burgundy, gold, and brown, and very cozy-feeling. They're really pushing the dinner-and-theater theme - our waiter asked if we had just come from a show or were going to a show, and seemed puzzled when we said no, we were just eating. They even have a "Young Frankenstein"-themed dessert on the menu, if you didn't get the hint loud and clear.
I had the Chatham Strait Smoked Black Cod, which came with poached Penn Cove mussels, sweet potato-carrot mash, and spicy crab crema sauce ($28). The presentation was attractive - a chunk of tender, flaky fish perched atop a small mountain of mashed sweet potatoes, with mussels arranged at each of the four corners of my square plate. It does seem like a bit of overload, and the combination of flavors and colors doesn't always seem that harmonious (I don't know why it needed a garnish of bright-red pickled ginger atop the fish, for example). However, the fish was nicely prepared and generously portioned, and the sweet potato mash was very good. Much to my amusement, though, a typo in the menu announced that the sea scallops came with "crab cream," which, as my dining companion noted, sounds more like something you'd get down the block at Rite-Aid.
We didn't have dessert, but I had the Blackberry Milkshake drink (Bailey's, Kahlua, half-and-half, blackberry syrup, $9), which the bartender had to borrow my menu to make, and which was so overwhelmingly sweet that it might as well have been dessert. Previously, I'd had the blackberry mojitos and cherry lemonade, both of which are tasty. But none of the dessert options struck us as all that "don't-miss delicious."
Overall, this is a swanky place with nice ambience and friendly service. Entrees run from $19-30, and portions are generous, so it's not as overpriced as I had thought, but it's still not exactly a bargain. They do offer a progressive happy hour ($3 appetizers from 3-4 pm, $4 until 4, etc., though 6 pm), and a late-night $4 happy hour, so that might be a more affordable time to try them out. You know, if you're spending your own money.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
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