Todd English's Olives New York

Dear Olives,

You've been on my TO DO list for some time... I was always interested in Todd English's take on food. I wanted you to be so good so badly. I suppose all this time and anticipation got me a little carried away.

What was ordered:

Carpetbagger Oysters crispy oysters
I wasn't blown away by the flash fried oysters wrapped in beef carpaccio but the truffle mash was light yet creamy and very tasty.

Porterhouse Lamb crispy
I like lamb but the porterhouse reminded me of pork chops. The dish was too salty and too much things were going at once.

Tender Veal Agnolotti ‘Al Plin’ prosciutto, truffle butter, parmesan
Handmade pasta and very delicately presented. The veal was tender and paired very well with the truffle butter sauce.

One more thing--The W Hotel Bar and its throbbing and club noise music didn't quite give an appropriately enjoyable dinner atmosphere.

Olives 201 Park Ave. South, at 17th St. New York, NY 10003 212-353-8345

Benjamin Steakhouse

Synopsis

Standard Steakhouse. And nothing out of the ordinary. Male waiters serving male clientele. An occasional glimpse of a female patron. Though, I did see many at the bar. NY Strip cooked very much like Lugars. Crab cakes are nicely packed with chunks of tender crab but way too salty. Rack of Lamb was cooked quite well.

No dessert.


Benjamin Steakhouse 52 E 41st (Between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue) New York, NY 10017 (212) 297-9177