It’s always nice when you welcome a new neighbor to your hood, especially the bustling part of Manhattan we commonly refer to as “Midtown”. Midtown period is around some of the most iconic parts of NYC, including the Theater District and of course, Times Square. So when someone new comes in, they need to be able to keep up with the competition and really set themselves apart in order to thrive and stay alive. One place that is definitely do that and then some, is Ocean Prime, which me and my friend reviewed last night to two huge smiling faces upon our exit.
Ocean Prime, which is located on W. 52nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue, made its debut in Midtown only back in October. The Ocean Prime brand has several different locations sprawled throughout our country, including ones in Boston, Dallas and Tampa, just to name a few. The restaurant is essentially a modern lounge, from renowned restaurateur Cameron Mitchell.
Something that is very clear upon arrival at Ocean Prime is that this place is incredibly spacious, and seems to be endless in terms of seating options. There is a beautiful bar to the left of your entrance, if you are looking to wine and dine at a bit of a more relaxed atmosphere, and the lounge/restaurant aspect is towards the back. There, you will find a mixture of business men, families, and the after hours people all mixing together to enjoy what I came to find was an overall wonderful meal that I recommend anyone try in the near future.
The food at Ocean Prime reads as the best of the best in surf n turf, with some surprising choices to indulge in for your next meal. On top of some very unique appetizers, they also have a line of great sushi rolls to start your meal off that really combine a ton of great flavor into one bite. Let’s start with one of my favorite parts of the meal, the cocktails! The selection of cocktails aren’t the biggest, however they make up for it in their execution and taste that anyone would really want to order. The two that we had were the Cucumber Gimlet, with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Muddled Fresh Cucumber and Hand Squeezed Lime, as well as the Berries & Bubbles, with Belvedere Citrus Vodka, Marinated Blackberries, House Made Sour and Domain Chandon Brut. The former (Gimlet), had a very refreshing taste as well as a wonderful presentation, and the Berries & Bubbles not only tasted great, but was also a performance in itself with the bubbles floating to the top throughout drinking it, with the drink looking like it was smoking as well. Such an amazing way to start the dinner.
Regarding their appetizers, soups and rolls, each really brought a great deal of flavor and depth to them that made them the key starters to a meal at Ocean Prime. A cup of their Lobster Bisque was truly a great starting point, as it came with a tasty and warm corn fritter dunked right inside the soup. For me, bisque has to have a thicker base to it to really enjoy the overall flavor, and this one did and then some, not to mention the corn fritter that just added the taste value to it. For their line of sushi rolls, just like the cocktails, they aren’t plentiful in terms of the amount of selections, but most of the time you find that it is quality over quantity, and this is a great example of that. The roll that we chose and fell in love with is their Prime Roll, which came with Tempura Shrimp, Beef Carpaccio, Cream Cheese and Scallion. Four items that I never thought would pair well together, but that made for one amazing bite that I would recommend anyone getting.
Regarding their appetizer selections, we chose two that were a bit outside of the norm, and couldn’t have been happier with how both came out and our choices. The first is their Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Golden Oak Mushrooms. I have not had the biggest experience with goat cheese in anything over the course of my lifetime, however it really worked well with how perfectly the ravioli was cooked, and the sauce that was beneath it, which quite frankly, needs to be bottled up and sold because it really completed the dish overall. The other appetizer that we really enjoyed was their “Surf N Turf”, which consisted of Braised Short Ribs and Scallops on top of a delicious plate of whipped potatoes. Such a great combination of flavors from both the short ribs and scallops, and one that really should be in more restaurants as it’s a fun play of something you would normally get as an entrée in a small portion designed for an appetizer.
The entrees are essentially divided up into three wonderful categories- steak, chicken and seafood. It is as simple as that. And the options here are plentiful in terms of what you can order and what sides you want to accompany your meat or fish of selection. I dove right into the seafood side of things, trying their Blackened Snapper with their Corn Spoon Bread and Jalapeno Tartar. There was such a great mix of flavors from the snapper, bread and the tartar really added a level of heat overall that made this a great dish. If you are looking for steaks, they have a great selection of prime cuts from Filet Mignon, Ribeye, and Bone-In Filet to name a few. My guest chose the former (Filet Mignon), and paired it with an Au Poivre sauce to really elevate the steak overall, which completely worked. They also have a great line of sides to accompany the meal, and we recommend the Chophouse Corn, especially with it being in season, as well as their Black Truffle Mac N Cheese. The latter needs no explanation, as the combo of black truffle and mac n cheese really is splendid.
Overall, it was an amazing meal that you should definitely try the next time you are in midtown. For more information on Ocean Prime, check out their official site.