Date Night: Landmarc

Chez kept me guessing for the whole week, and I could not come up with where he had in mind for our anniversary dinner. Doesn't take reservations? Celebrity chef? I've been there but I haven't been there? And something significant about the name? I have to admit that I enjoyed the game, and by Saturday evening my curiosity was driving me crazy.

After an afternoon walking and enjoying one of the first warm and sunny days of the year, we came across 212, one of our old favorites on the UES. We stopped in for a few cocktails, and after discussing the bartender’s uniform and ideas for a future vacation, Chez offered to tell me where we'd be dining to celebrate our three years and still wanting to share a Manhattan closet with each other. The surprise: the new Landmarc had opened in Time Warner Center, earlier than expected and without warning, and that was our destination that evening.

I was impressed- Chef Marc Murphy's original Landmarc in Tribeca is a frequent late-night haunt for many of us in hospitality, as it serves a full gorgeous menu well past midnight, when managers and chefs around the city are finally ready for their dinner. Also known for a rare low mark-up on bottles of wine, the bar at this industry hotspot is often still full past the time when other cities have shut down, well, everywhere. We don't get down to that area of town very often anymore, and when we saw that Murphy was opening a new location uptown, we were thrilled. But we didn't know when it would happen.

Time Warner Center houses The Shops at Columbus Circle, The Restaurant and Bar Collection, The Five Star Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jazz at Lincoln Center, One Central Park Luxury Condominiums, 60 Columbus Circle offices and Time Warner World Headquarters. Yeah. Of course my favorite part is what they call the Restaurant and Bar “collection”, consisting of two of the most expensive restaurants in the world: Per Se and Masa, as well as what many consider to be the new best steakhouse in NYC, Porterhouse New York. Also included is a casual Thomas Keller café overlooking Columbus Circle, the Bouchon Bakery, Café Gray by Chef Gray Kunz, and the Stone Rose Lounge, owned by Rande Gerber. We knew that Landmarc would be a welcome addition, and for a whole new -younger and less-affluent, obviously- crowd.The new Landmarc opened early and stealthily; I heard nothing about it (most likely because I left hospitality three months ago, but still, I was not happy to be out of the loop). Chez and I dressed for dinner and hopped a cab down to Columbus Circle, and entered through the big glass doors. Past Hugo Boss and Williams-Sonoma, up two flights of escalators, past an art exhibit and CNN, Sisley and A/X. A peak into the new restaurant, with a similar industrial design as its original, discovered that the 300-seat space was packed. It was 9:45, and the hostesses informed us that there may be a 45 minute-to-an-hour wait for a table for two. I was excited for them, but starving. Still, I wasn’t going to miss being one of the first people (relatively) to check out the new digs. We sucked it up and went over to the long curved bar- a much-larger version of the little circle one downtown. We managed to grab two empty stools when another couple was seated, and start with a 1/2 bottle of Pinot Noir, which of course led to chatting with the bartenders.

Much like downtown, the staff at Landmarc v. 2 is unpretentious, knowledgeable, and fun. We expressed our excitement over the obvious immediate success, and asked if Murphy was actually in the kitchen tonight… he was. Even better. We were halfway through our first glasses of wine when one of the hosts informed us that our table was ready; less than twenty minutes after we’d arrived. Everything was looking up…

We were seated at a large booth next to the grand windows and overlooking Columbus Circle. We pulled the menu out of the folded napkin, and eagerly searched for the first food that we would try out of this kitchen. It was an easy choice- a dozen Malpeque oysters to start, with the traditional accoutrements.

The rest of our dinner was a tougher choice- there were just too many tempting options for appetizers and entrees. We settled on ordering one appetizer: foie gras terrine with pickled red onion ($13), and two entrees: grilled quail with sauteed mushrooms, bacon, and cherried tomatoes ($24), and steak tartare with grilled country bread & field greens ($24). Both of us were debating between the above choices individually, so once we shared our thoughts, it was decided to do as usual and split everything.

Chez recently, through his writing, was contacted by an old friend from MIami that he hadn't seen in twelve years. During the day on Saturday, we planned to meet up with her after dinner. We left late, however, and sat down later than expected, and so our friend was able to join us halfway through our evening. She was a blast, and I loved sharing our food, two bottles of Rioja, and lively conversation with her. The food was as fantastic as expected, and the portions large enough to satisfy us all, with plently to spare.

The original Landmarc was also known for its exceptional desserts, and I'm sure that this one will be no different. As full as we were, though, and eager to continue on with our evening on the west side, I quickly ordered an old favorite for the table, and Chez paid the bill. While finishing up our wine, our sweet finish arrived: a big blue puff of cotton candy.

Try getting that at Per Se.


www.landmarc-restaurant.com/twc

www.shopsatcolumbuscircle.com