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“Landmarc”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Tribeca	Moderate	Great

LANDMARC

You will love eating at Landmarc, the debut restaurant of chef Marc Murphy and his wife Pamela Schein Murphy. Marc has been out of the spotlight for a while, having taken turns cooking (and wowing critics) at Cellar in the Sky (rest in peace), and at La Forchette, and so it is a pleasure to see him back in his whites, with buddy and chef de cuisine Frank Proto (formerly of Layla) turning out some seriously ambitious, but decidedly down-home rustic French and Italian fare.

Landmarc is a high design space that is easy to slip into, never to leave. (This is an issue at times. The restaurant does not accept reservations for parties under six people, and people don’t leave, so waiting times for tables can stretch to an hour. Though, in my book, an hour for pre-dinner cocktails is just about right.)

Dark, sultry, and seductive, Landmarc is warmed with natural elements like exposed brick, soaring ceilings crafted from original wood beams, and pounded copper and silver accents that give the space a sense of warmth and intimacy. The menu is large and invites neighborhood locals to become regulars by offering enough variety to keep you fed every night of the week without repeating a dish. Daily pasta specials will draw you back on Tuesdays for a killer carbonara ($9/16), and Saturdays for a rich and sultry Bolognese made with delicious shredded short ribs ($12/$19). Marc gets creative in some plates, like goat cheese profiteroles with roasted red pepper salad ($8), but most of his menu showcases simple bistro favorites, done very well. Steak Frites is available in all sorts of cuts with a choice of sauces. We chose the Strip ($24), with a vibrant bordelaise, and were very pleased. It was spot on—a great charred crust, juicy, rosy and tender the center. The mussels, served in these great little cast iron pots, are fat and sweet and are bound to inspire a fan club (small ($11) and large ($18, with fries). They come in five preparations. I have tried two so far—the chorizo and onion (loved it), and the dijonnaise (see previous parenthetical).

As I mentioned earlier, the menu is very large; Marc and Pam really want the place to be a neighborhood spot where folks can drop in a few times a week and always find something new and something they crave. (In keeping with their desire to make their restaurant accessible to regulars, they have also priced their wines very fairly, with markups that are well below industry ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 4, 2004

Other restaurants in Tribeca :
+ Lunchbox Food Company--Closed   + 66: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED   + Ola-- Closed   + Bouley   + Dominic   + Landmarc   + Pace-- Closed   + EN Japanese Brasserie   + Centrico   + Cercle Rouge   + The Harrison   + Turks & Frogs Tribeca   + Devin Tavern   + Dani-- Closed Now   + Bacaro/Smith & Mills   + The Harrison   + Matsugen, By Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Forge   + Macao Trading Company   + Harbour   + Review text tbd...   + Mehtaphor   + Brushstroke   + Jung Sik   

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