There are a few restaurants in New York City whose names everyone recognizes. “Foodies” flock to these places. Social media is crowded with pictures of food and cocktails from these restaurants …(including mine — I’m OK with being basic.)
On Friday, I was fortunate enough to try a lunch tasting menu at one of these restaurants — Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House. Located in the heart of midtown, down the street from Rockefeller Center, it’s a very large and beautiful space, with a lovely outside terrace, (which offers such beautiful views as a “chock full o’ nuts” cart, a hot dog stand, and Radio City Music Hall, as well as a fascinating blend of tourists and people in suits for people watching — ah, New York.) Because of Del Frisco’s well known brand, and centrally located address, it’s a very desirable place for corporate New Yorkers to have a power lunch, or for the rest of us to make our friends jealous by spending an afternoon indulging in excellent food and killer cocktails.
Friday afternoon was promised to be rainy, so obviously it was 70 degrees and gorgeous. We were seated on the patio, under large canvas umbrellas, and surrounded by a fence made of bright potted flowers. (That might be the single Spring-iest sentence I’ve ever written.) A team of extremely well informed and very personable wait staff placed plate after artfully arranged plate in front of us. The new lunch menu boasts twists on classic dishes, as well as some lunch staples that are always winners.
For example, everyone has seen a raw bar seafood platter. But how often do you see one like the “Seafood Plateau”, with shrimp, crab claws and crab legs, with an option to add a truly delicious Crab Louie, or a fresh lobster cocktail, made bright and zesty with mangoes? And a Caprese Salad isn’t a new creation, but when made with multi-colored, sweet tomatoes and paired with burrata, it’s truly fantastic. The favorite appetizer of almost everyone at the table was the Tuna Tartare. This rendition is served with a seaweed salad and avocado, with light and fluffy wonton crisps.
There are the obligatory sandwiches (all delicious) – a Wagyu Beef French Dip, a chicken salad wrap with quinoa, and an amazing Lobster Roll – as well as several entree options – a Chicken Piccata, a Crab Fried Rice served with shrimp, and a wonderful Bay of Fundy Salmon, served on top of crab hash and finished a with a lobster jus. But my hands down choice, which I (embarrassingly) kept eating long after I should have stopped eating ANYTHING, was the Seared Ahi Tuna, which was rare, and served with haricots vert, mandarin oranges, and drizzled with a soy ginger wasabi cream sauce. (I really couldn’t stop eating it.)
There were several excellent cocktail choices, including the Maple Manhattan (served with bacon! Which makes everything better!) and the VIP cocktail, which just tastes like summer in a glass, and we tried two incredible desserts – the Butter Cake with butter pecan ice cream, and the 6 Layer Lemon Cake….words cannot describe it, so go yourselves and try it! You won’t be disappointed.
To find the full list of my photos from Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, follow me on Instagram at @whitneygentile or use the hashtag #manhattandigest. You can check out their new offerings here.