Earlier this week I was in New York City for work and after attending an evening event my co-worker, her friend and I went in search of some dinner.
It was already after 10:00pm so we put our heads together to try and think of places that would put us back near our hotel. My co-worker's friend suggested a place called Landmarc in the Time Warner Center.
Believe it or not, after all the time I've spent in New York, I had never set foot in the Time Warner Center. This building is basically New York City's version of a shopping mall, minus of course, a massive parking lot. The doors we entered through led to a Whole Foods, a Williams Sonoma, and a Cole Haan.
Landmarc is on the third floor of the Time Warner Center and as soon as we walked in I thought, this feels exactly like City Table in the Lenox Hotel.
The restaurant had exposed brick walls, mostly black and chrome furniture and dim lighting which gave it a warm, city chic feeling.
We were seated in a comfortable, leather booth, right up against the window. The lights of the city twinkled outside our window.
Landmarc's menus are easy to miss or move aside as they are made of paper and then folded and tucked into your napkin.
We were quite hungry at this point (though eating at 10:15pm may be normal in New York, not so much for Bostonians), so we were thrilled and relieved when our waitress brought over a basket of bread. The bread was so hard it was nearly impossible to rip! Don't waste your calories.
The ladies were interested in ordering wine, but when they tried to order a glass, the waitress snobbily informed them, "We don't do by the glass. You'll have to buy half a bottle." Half a bottle? I've heard of a carafe, but this seemed odd.
The ladies decided on a half bottle of Pinot Noir, which did indeed come in it's own bottle (not a half empty bottle).
To start we ordered two appetizers. The first, the goat cheese profiteroles. I don't eat goat cheese, but the ladies loved the combination of the fluffy pastry and creamy cheese. The plate was garnished with a frisee salad, topped with roasted red peppers.
I helped split the smoked mozzarella and ricotta fritters, which also came with fried zucchini and roasted tomato sauce for dipping. The cheese fritters were amazing! The smoked mozzarella flavor dominated each bite and when combined with the roasted tomato sauce it was sublime. I could have eaten that entire plate myself. Times two.
We started to come back to life (and regain the feeling in our heel crushed feet) after the first course. When our entrees arrived, we behaved a little less like vultures.
My co-worker ordered the Monday night pasta special - rigatoni with pesto. She was kind enough to let me have a bite and it was incredible! The rigatoni was the perfect vessel for the pesto which was super fresh and bursting with basil flavor. I was surprised that this dish was served hot, as I normally think of pesto as a sauce that is served cold.
Our friend and I both ordered the Mediterranean salad which was lettuce, cucumber, tomato, pepperocini, kalamta olives and feta cheese garnished with two pieces of grilled pita bread. Are you drooling?
The salad was the perfect portion size and the symphony of ingredients came together beautifully.
Our waitress asked if we'd like to see a dessert menu to which my co-worker answered, "We always look."
Our waitress returned with three menus, each with a cartoon ice cream cone on the front. As soon as I saw the graphic I knew there would be something on there for me!
All of the desserts at Landmarc are mini, making it easy for you to try multiple choices without committing to finishing a huge plate. All three of us were tempted by the ice cream cones, so we each picked a flavor.
When our cones arrived they could not have been cuter!
Seriously, how fun is this? When is the last time you had an ice cream cone? From left to right that's: mint chocolate chip, coffee and hazelnut.
Our table went silent as we each had a moment with our cones. We were in heaven!
Our perfect meal ended on a sweet note when the check arrived with a saucer of caramels. What a lovely parting gift!
The service at Landmarc was a bit slow and our waitress was definitely ready for her shift to be over, but our food was incredible and I can't deny the charm and whimsy of the dessert menu.
If you find yourself near Columbus Circle and seeking a meal, climb into a booth at Landmarc.
