<< previous review   next review >>

reviews

“Ed's Chowder House”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Seafood	Upper West Side	Moderate	Good

I conducted a little informal survey the other day with some random friends through an e-mail blast: "What food do you most associate with New York?" From a friend in California who'd never been to the Big Apple to a born-and-bred Upper West Sider, I got replies of bagels, pizzas, "any pasta dish from Little Italy" and street vendor pretzels (note to self: don't ask this friend for a restaurant recommendation). For an island flanked by the Hudson River on one side and the East River on the other, I thought it was a little funny that seafood failed to make the list. So often we associate the East Coast with seafood - Maine owns lobsters and Maryland's crab fests are legendary. What about New York City?

For starters, enter Ed Brown and Jeffrey Chodorow. Brown knows fish (he's the chef behind the book, "The Modern Seafood Cook," and the Michelin-rated Eighty One on the Upper East Side), and Chodorow is experienced at opening splashy, successful mega-restaurants (China Grill, Asia de Cuba). The two teamed up to open Ed's Chowder House in the Empire Hotel late last year, replacing Chodorow's Center Cut. The space is casual but refined. Wood paneling surrounds the rooms, there's a floor-to-ceiling glass case of wine, photos of boats and quintessential seaside life dot the room, the generous white banquets are comfortable and tall ceilings give it an airy feel.

Whether you're sitting in the more casual space by the bar or the main dining room of the restaurant, the hardest decision may be where to start ordering. Before you even start thinking about an entrée, the raw bar, appetizers and chowders serve as distractions.

While sampling as much food as possible is part of the assignment, I often eat more with my eyes than mouth. I couldn't pass up on starting with some East Coast oysters ($2.75 each). Some St. Simon oysters were neither too big nor small and struck a good balance between salty, briny and creamy. After slurping down some Blue Island and Beau Soleil oysters, a friend and I worked our way through a shellfish platter (medium, $49; large, $79; royal, $119). The clams, mussels and shrimp were all plump and generous and their shells quickly found new homes in a metal bucket. I would have been happy to stay here but a perfectly composed spicy chopped vegetable salad ($10) with carrots, cucumber, mango, cabbage, scallions and crispy calamari (add $5) cau ... [more, click below]

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  

 Make a reservation

<< previous review   next review >>

Posted: March 3, 2010

Other restaurants in Upper West Side :
+ 'Cesca   + Asiate   + Blue Hill Stone Barns   + Per Se   + The Neptune Room   + Spigolo   + Telepan   + Aix Brasserie   + 'Cesca   + Bar Boulud   + Dovetail   + BarBao   + Dinosaur Bar-be-Que   + Kefi   + Bar Luna   + Ed's Chowder House   + Red Rooster, by Rachel Barbarotta   + Loi by Dara Pollak   

Share ! Post a comment