36 West 52nd Street (bet. 5th and 6th Avenues)
212-582-6900
http://www.anthosnyc.com/
http://www.opentable.com/
NY Restaurant Week is always a terrific incentive for us to try new pricey places or revisit old favorites, especially if a new chef has made a mark. And if we can catch up with some old friends, it’s better yet.
This year, we kicked off our winter restaurant week challenge on Tuesday with a $24.07 lunch at Anthos, an “haute” Greek that landed in Midtown last year. There were a number of compelling reasons that we choose Anthos: one star in the 2008 Michelin Guide, a 25 food rating in the 2008 Zagat, and one of the top 10 newcomers in 2007 as reported by Frank Bruni in The New York Times.
So while our hopes were high, the results were disappointing. As what unfortunately can happen with these restaurant week promotions, you are left feeling that you ate at a different restaurant than the one you’ve heard so much about.
Overall, the food was mostly good, and the braised lamb shank was especially tender and flavorful, yet there really was nothing memorable about any of our choices. And the one rather significant complaint was a main course of grilled arctic char came out of the kitchen bordering between room temperature and lukewarm. On the plus side were some really nice and unusual Greek wines by the glass ($9) that made for a pleasant complement to the promotional menu. The wait staff were all top-notch professionals, although we did feel a bit rushed—we were done with three courses and the check was on the table in under an hour.
Anthos regularly offers a $28 three-course lunch menu and perhaps these selections may be a better barometer of what the kitchen is capable of offering. But we guess that the best foods are had by ordering off the regular menu, and there are no bargains here. And with our disappointing start, we doubt we’ll head back any time soon to try our luck.
212-582-6900
http://www.anthosnyc.com/
http://www.opentable.com/
NY Restaurant Week is always a terrific incentive for us to try new pricey places or revisit old favorites, especially if a new chef has made a mark. And if we can catch up with some old friends, it’s better yet.
This year, we kicked off our winter restaurant week challenge on Tuesday with a $24.07 lunch at Anthos, an “haute” Greek that landed in Midtown last year. There were a number of compelling reasons that we choose Anthos: one star in the 2008 Michelin Guide, a 25 food rating in the 2008 Zagat, and one of the top 10 newcomers in 2007 as reported by Frank Bruni in The New York Times.
So while our hopes were high, the results were disappointing. As what unfortunately can happen with these restaurant week promotions, you are left feeling that you ate at a different restaurant than the one you’ve heard so much about.
Overall, the food was mostly good, and the braised lamb shank was especially tender and flavorful, yet there really was nothing memorable about any of our choices. And the one rather significant complaint was a main course of grilled arctic char came out of the kitchen bordering between room temperature and lukewarm. On the plus side were some really nice and unusual Greek wines by the glass ($9) that made for a pleasant complement to the promotional menu. The wait staff were all top-notch professionals, although we did feel a bit rushed—we were done with three courses and the check was on the table in under an hour.
Anthos regularly offers a $28 three-course lunch menu and perhaps these selections may be a better barometer of what the kitchen is capable of offering. But we guess that the best foods are had by ordering off the regular menu, and there are no bargains here. And with our disappointing start, we doubt we’ll head back any time soon to try our luck.
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