A demure dining room filled with candles and flowers is fine for a run-of-the-mill romantic night, but sometimes you want a restaurant that sets a more seductive scene. Let the sparks fly at one of these top 10 sexy restaurants in New York, presented in alphabetical order, where the décor plays the part of an aphrodisiac.
A demure dining room filled with candles and flowers is fine for a run-of-the-mill romantic night, but sometimes you want a restaurant that sets a more seduc... more
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1
Benjamin Steakhouse
Dylan, 52 E. 41st St., New York, NY 10017 / 212-297-9177
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Peter Luger, the venerable Brooklyn steakhouse that launched a thousand spin-offs, is frequently imitated but rarely bested. Arturo McLeod, the chef behind Benjamin Steakhouse in the Dylan hotel, who spent two decades in the Luger kitchen before setting out on his own, comes pretty close. The big-ticket item is the Prime aged porterhouse for two, a juicy gargantuan steak that’s pre-cut before it arrives on the table. Service is attentive enough that most diners will never have to scoop chunks of steak onto their plate. Filet mignon is full-flavored and tender, while the rib-eye is surprisingly bland. Sides are essential---not just because the creamed spinach, the not-greasy onion rings, or plump and tender crab cake seem to complement the steak so well. The lobster bisque is rich and smooth; the fried calamari crisp and compulsive. The restaurant’s interior, full of sumptuous wood and leather, is warm and masculine. A perfect match for a macho meal.
2
Buddakan
75 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10011 / 212-989-6699
Who knew that a former cookie factory could ooze opulence? At Buddakan, the subtle concrete-colored entryway leads to an airy bar and lounge where lattice-screen walls offer hints that something impressive lies on the floor below. Like its sibling in Philadelphia, this eatery makes an impact with sheer size, its décor and its savory Asian-Fusion cuisine. Test your “Fate” (elderflower, pineapple and prosecco) at the bar or pump up the “Heat” (tequila, Cointreau and chilied cucumbers), both from the snazzy cocktail list, before descending down one side of a dual staircase towards an impressive banquet table in the center of an expansive room. Gargantuan chandeliers cast a warm glow over the candelabra-topped family-style table. As spicy aromas waft over from your neighbor’s nearby table, an eager staff is ready to cater to any dietary needs. For appetizers, indulge in the plump, crispy taro puff lollipops filled with pork and ginger. Dim sum choices include Shanghai soup dumplings with crab and pork or hoisin-glazed pork belly. Entrées range from ginger-glazed veal cheeks to whole Cantonese lobster to fried tofu and pineapple. The cauliflower stir-fry melts in your mouth almost as easily as the blatantly decadent desserts; and really, if it’s called "Crying Chocolate" (molten cake, white chocolate ganache, coffee ice cream and caramel), is there anything left to say? Okay---the chocolate-peanut butter bombe. Need we say more?
3
Daniel
60 E. 65th St., New York, NY 10021 / 212-288-0033
Daniel Boulud, born in Lyon, is very comfortable in the garb of Lord of the manor at this Venetian palace. Daniel is as majestic as modest in this aristocratic role, ruling this grand and elegant space with Byzantine and Moorish flair. The main dining room is a courtyard of graceful arches and stately columns. Light levels are romantically low. The staff layers on pinpoint service, discreet but always there, anticipating every need. Sparkling crystal and silver, fresh flowers and china (designed for the restaurant by Bernardaud) complement the Daniel experience. Dinner is preceded by three amuse-bouches. The cuisine of Daniel and executive chef Jean-François Bruel is a beguiling blend of informed hominess and truffle-steeped excess. There's no getting around Daniel's signature sea bass in potato shell with Syrah sauce. Carnivores can't resist the beefy double feature: short ribs braised in red wine paired with young carrot fricassée and a seared rib-eye teamed with allumette potatoes. Sommelier Philippe Marchal will help you choose from the wine list which boasts more than 1,000 selections. After dessert, perhaps a bittersweet chocolate praline crémeux with dark chocolate ice cream, the intricate petits fours are always delightful, but they are overshadowed by the exceptional buttery madeleines that are brought to the table warm from the oven. Forget Proust, the memory of these cookies is positively Pavlovian.
4
Dévi
8 E. 18th St., New York, NY 10003 / 212-691-1300
Named for an Indian mother goddess, Dévi delivers subcontinental delights, thanks to super chefs and owners Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur. A la carte menu items delight, like Gudiya’s mushroom toasts (fenugreek leaves, onions, tomatoes) with a side of “not-so-dull daal” (daal makhani) and Bombay-style tandoori halibut (bottle masala, coconut rice, spicy Indian slaw), but the real culinary paradise comes in the form of the various tasting menus (which may be paired with wine). A procession of small plates arrives at the table like seemingly perpetual gifts to the taste buds. The décor hovers between home and heaven. Multi-colored lanterns hang from the high red ceiling and a cozy banquette is swathed with oranges, purples and reds. The walls, draped with orange and gold gauze fabrics, boast temple artifacts, one of which is a centuries-old ornate stone door.
5
Duvet
45 W. 21st St., New York, NY 10010 / 212-989-2121
Eating on a larger-than-king-size mattress in a 20,000-square-foot room filled with 29 other beds, while the lights slowly change from pink to orange to blue to red and back to pink, feels very counter-intuitive. But once you settle in at Duvet, perhaps quaff one of the signature cocktails like the White Satin mojito (with vanilla bean), it's not hard to feel right at home. Eating on a mattress while propped up against sturdy yet comfy pillows is easier than you'd think. Hard-plastic donut-shaped disks in the center of the bed keep drinks stable while plates are placed on plastic TV trays. With such supreme (but very cozy) gimmickry, the taste buds tend to take a nap when it comes to the food. The progressive American menu is seafood heavy. The roasted black cod, bluefin tuna, and ginger-scented chicken with wild mushroom spring rolls are ambitious, but can't compete with the sensory overload of the dining room. In the end, however, you'll be sorry when the check comes---not because you'll have to pay it, but because you'll have to get up.
6
Fiamma
206 Spring St., New York, NY 10012 / 212-653-0100
Since the arrival of chef Fabio Trabocchi, foodies have been rallying to taste his unique take on regional Italian cuisine. The prix-fixe menu offers a choice of three, five or seven courses; in addition, daily specials change according to ingredient availability. Start with a duo of Wagyu beef: carpaccio and tartare with wild mushrooms and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Make sure to order vincisgrassi, a refined regional version of lasagna, a millefeuille of pasta and diced veal in a delicate sauce. Smoked gnocchi are first-rate and the Grimaud Farm duck or juicy wild striped bass a fine accompaniment. Pastry chef Thomas Wellings’s mascarpone panna cotta with Corbezzolo honey gelato and date purée or silky lemon mousse with toasted meringue and ricotta ice cream provide the perfect finishing touch for a meal. The elegant, multi-level space nestled in a chic SoHo townhouse on Spring Street is inviting and the staff swift and accommodating.
7
Jean Georges
Trump International Hotel & Tower, 1 Central Park W., New York, NY 10023 / 212-299-3900
The beat goes on---wonderfully and beguilingly so---at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's flagship restaurant. He doesn't cook here much; that honor goes to executive chef Mark LaPico. However, meals here confirmed for the umpteenth time that this is a high-wire act with breathtaking thrills. Jean-Georges is a global impresario who claims to travel only a week per month to his far-reaching restaurants (London, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, etc.). He must keep his ear glued to a cell phone the rest of the time as he is always planning, building, checking, succeeding, especially in New York where a handful of other operations, including Vong in Midtown---his personal rebuttal to fusion cuisine---as well as the Mercer Kitchen in Soho and Spice Market in the Meatpacking District keep him moving about town. Vongerichten, of course, is very smart and understands his reputation rests on Jean Georges, the centerpiece of his restaurant empire and the reference point for his astounding food. Since its opening, the turnover in the kitchen and in the front of the house has been virtually total, but the level of excellence on the plates and in the minimalist dining room has been consistently superb. His cuisine is one that is anchored in the classic French but has nouvelle tendencies---and plenty of Asian influences, which are seamlessly assimilated, perhaps, from his years working in that part of the world. Vongerichten influences not only the kitchens and chefs under his employ, but what diners experience as haute cuisine, simplifying many preparations to the bare essence by employing lots of oils infused with herbs and spices. At this restaurant, Vongerichten's relentless search for new flavors and vibrant, simple cuisine led him to introduce a range of wild edible plants, now more in the background than when he was at the stoves. Expect the highest quality ingredients and dishes that cannot be found elsewhere---for example, garlic soup with lemon thyme served with three tiny but plump sautéed frogs' legs or cauliflower served with a raisin emulsion. Expect a wine list that marries well with the cuisine and European-style service from a bygone era in the sleek room: the expert servers often finish off dishes at tableside---cracking lobster, slicing meat or just elegantly placing a garnish---adding to the intensity of the gastronomic experience. Architect/designer/restaurateur Adam Tihany-designed Jean Georges as a cool Calvin Klein-meets-Donald Trump space with a hand-laid mosaic floor of white marble and terrazzo, warm woods, soothing taupe and high ceilings. The restaurant has three areas: the dining room, which seats 70, the Nougatine Café bar-lounge dining area and, in good weather, the no-reservations Mistral Terrace.
8
Kittichai
60 Thompson, 60 Thompson St., New York, NY 10012 / 212-219-2000
As you enter this SoHo hotspot in the 60 Thompson hotel, you'll quickly notice model hostesses, teak cabanas with ottoman seating and black bamboo screens, goldfish swimming in a gorgeous aquarium, and walls that are cut by laser to form a poem about the restaurant. The owners, Robin Leigh, Michael Callahan, Jean-Marc Houmard and Huy Chi Le, are no strangers to Asian motifs, having opened Indochine, BondSt, and Republic, but this is something far more seductive, unless you don't find loud restaurants seductive. One oddity to note: the bare tables are set with chopsticks, even though Thais eat with forks and spoons. Those expecting the fiery blasts of the kind of food you actually find in Thailand or even in the storefront Thai eateries that dot American cities, will not find much of it here. Only one of the dozen or so savory dishes we tried had all that much chile-spiked heat. Nevertheless, most of the food was delicious, starting with a cute little tartlet with minced chicken, dried chili and coriander. Very good and a lot of fun to eat were Siamese spiced crispy chicken lollipops marinated in tamarind-palm sugar. These two fall under the category of Thai Tapas, so we moved on to a superb galangal and coconut soup with chicken, lemongrass and kaffir lime. Clay steamed mussels, the one dish with a lot of chile here, lost in the bargain, because the heat and spices overpowered the delicate shellfish. Among the entrees we liked most, prawns cooked in a clay pot with glass vermicelli, scallion, and bits of prosciutto was very good, and marinated loin of lamb with a trio of eggplants, Thai basil pesto, and some foie gras snuck into it was much better and balanced than a lackluster, too-sweet honey-glazed duck with a Champagne/mango and micro-bok choy accompaniment. The wine list is serviceable, though it's very difficult to match wines with Thai food. There is a lot of conceptualizing here, from the front door to the last sip of tea, and it's all very appealing.
9
Koi
The Bryant Park Hotel, 40 W. 40th St., New York, NY 10018 / 212-921-3300
Koi is designed to impress. Housed in the achingly hip Bryant Park Hotel, Koi is a spin-off of the scenester-central Los Angeles eatery of the same name. The décor is highlighted by the attention-nabbing net-like contraption that hugs the ceiling of the long room. The food, unfortunately, is less memorable. The creative sushi rolls are tasty but will have a hard time competing with the city's better sushi spots; the creamy rock shrimp tempura is a delight at first bite, but then marred by too much salt. Other dishes, such as the grilled lamb chops and the seared albacore, are passable for the type of eatery Koi aspires to be. Still, celebrities (and those who want to be like them) don't come to Koi for the food. And if that's the case, this Midtown eatery won't have a problem putting smiles (or smug grins) on patrons' faces.
10
STK
26 Little West 12th St., New York, NY 10014 / 646-624-2444
Sensual STK in the Meatpacking District is a steakhouse in nightclub attire. Early evening, before the scene kicks into high gear, the room---featuring a fireplace and white leather banquettes---might still pass for romantic. The dry-aged steaks, listed in sizes to accommodate every appetite, are offered with a choice of mix-and-match sauces and sides. The eclectic menu also features fine duck, lamb and fish preparations (the skate with ponzu is particularly winning). Innovative starters include an over-the-top foie gras “French Toast” and zippy tiger prawns in shrimp bisque.
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