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“7Square-- CLOSED”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Midtown	Moderate	Good

ass of wine if you're running late before a show.

Entrees follow the steakhouse route with chophouse portions paired up with sides ($6) like caramelized brussel sprouts, righteously good Southern creamed corn, and a heart-stopping crock of gooey, creamy mac and cheese capped off with a bubbly golden brown crust. But main courses vacillate between just okay and really great, which can be frustrating. In the Really Great category I'd list the Wolf's Neck Farm Ribeye with Buttermilk Onions ($32). The people at Wolf's Neck Farm must be putting some mighty fine grass (wink, wink) in the feed they are serving their cows because this beef was wildly good-impossibly tender and beautifully marbled. But it's not just buttery without depth or dimension; it's got some tooth, with a crust that's salty and smoky. Sadly, the thin buttermilk onions the steak was served with were dry and unimpressive.

The pork chop ($24), a giant cut the size of a catcher's mitt, was quite juicy and the meat had a slight sweetness to it that I loved. Perhaps it came from the accompanying apple cider and bourbon braised apples that were wonderful-the sugar in the apples tamed by mustard seed. I devoured the side of slow roasted hen of the woods mushrooms that came with the Upstate New York veal chop ($34). The ‘shrooms were rich and woodsy, but the chop itself, while tender and moist, was rather plain, like a blank slate. It was as if the flavor forgot it was supposed to show up. But I would not say that about the Amish Farm's chicken breast ($21), a humble bird with crispy brown skin capping a plump breast served over a hill of bright green garlicky spinach. Braised short ribs ($25), the house signature, are set over a silken parsnip puree. They've got a slight hint of ginger that could even be amp'd up a bit, but they are soulful and fork-tender, built for winter's most bitter cold nights.

Desserts by pastry chef Douglas Behrman were impressive. I'd even suggest coming in for dessert after the theater. You really don't want to miss the Square Ding, a house made version of the Ring Ding that puts that old childhood favorite in its place. The dessert, a fluffy cube of rich, moist and dark Devil's Food cake, is layered with Chantilly cream and set on a thin Oreo cookie crust (nice texture there) and then glossed in a sheen of dark chocolate. I don't even like chocolate desserts and my fork found this d ... [more, click below]

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Posted: November 6, 2006

Other restaurants in Midtown :
+ Lever House   + Aquavit   + RM   + Joseph's (formerly Citarella The Restaurant)   + Town   + Artisanal   + The Oyster Bar   + Geisha   + David Burke and Donatella Restaurant   + Riingo   + Amma   + Cafe Sabarsky   + The Stone Rose Lounge   + BLT Steak   + V, The Steakhouse-- Closed   + Bar Masa   + Cafe Gray   + The Bar Room at The Modern   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + Bistro du Vent-- Closed   + Shaburi   + Xing   + The Modern   + Bar Americain   + Alto   + Park Blue   + Mainland-- Closed   + Nobu 57   + Quality Meats   + Dona-- CLOSED   + Daisy May's   + 7Square-- CLOSED   + Amalia   + Fireside   + Anthos   + Patroon   + BLT Market   + Toloache   + Mia Dona   + Park Avenue Summer   + Convivio   + The Oak Room by guest reviewer Julie Besonen   + At Vermilion by guest reviewer Elaine Weiner   + Lunching at Inakaya, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Marea, by Guest Reviewer Susan Kane Walkush   + Le Bernardin   + New York Central -- A Reason To Eat at the Grand Hyatt Again   + Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak   

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