Marea

Marea

240 Central Park South

New York, NY 10019

212-582-5100

Open daily for Dinner, Monday - Friday for Lunch

This new addition to the NYC fine dining scene is fabulous. Seriously. Located on Central Park South in a large, yet intimately styled spac

e, the proprietors of Marea turn out beautiful, Italian-inspired seafood dishes. Additionally, for the level of quality, both in

food and service, it is somewhat reasonably priced ($89 four-course prix fixe). This is quite surprising given the location and the "see and be seen" crowd (my coworkers and I saw Madonna the night we dined there). If you are looking for an elegant, NYC haute cuisine experience this is a place worth checking out.

The interior is quite luxe - all creams, and dark, brown woods and soft, sinkable leather chairs. The bar is a showstopper. The backwash is made of a softly striped marble that was very thinly cut and back lit to make it almost glow. The whole atmosphere is of refined luxury, though it is not entirely relaxed. It’s popularity is evident in the crowded bar space and throngs of patrons waiting to be seated on a reservation only basis. The crowds are amusing though as there are some definite mogul-types and ladies-who-lunch in the bunch.

Let me say something of the wine list before I delve into the cuisine. It is quite immense as well as Italian-focused. And while it does have its fair share of high-priced offerings, it is amazing how many reasonably priced wines there are. The two bottles we ordered at dinner were tasty northern Italian whites that

were priced around $50. That’s right, $50 (the Dorigo Ribolla Gialla 2008 and Meroi Sauvignon Blanc 2007). The sommelier was attentive and helpful in his descriptions of the wine. He also didn’t try to push an extremely high-priced alternative on us.

The food was uniformly lovely. We opted for the 4-course prix fix and set about ordering our starters, pastas, entrees and desserts. The menu has several options for appetizers - Crudo al Taglio and Antipasti. The Crudo section is dedicated to Italian-style sashimi. I ordered the Passera - fluke with ligurian olive oil and lemon thyme. It was light and refreshing with out allowing any of the flavors to overpower the delicate fish. One of my fellow diners ordered the Zuppa (lobster and butternut squash soup, porcini mushrooms, brown butter) and she kept exclaiming over it.

Moving on to the pasta, I ordered their specialty the red-wine braised octopus and marrow fusilli. It was luscious, unctuous, and delicious. The octopus had almost a smoky edge which balanced with the velvety tomato-based sauce (enriched with the marrow). I was using bread to sop up the sauce! My friends ordered some of the stuffed pastas such as the Mezzaluna (lobster ravioli) and the Pansotti (ricotta ravioli). All were impressed with the blending of flavors and the delicate finesse of the pastas.

I ordered the Capesante - porcini dusted sea scallops, braised leeks, celery root, soppressata - for my entrée. They were the apogee of perfectly pan-seared scallops. Slightly crisp and salty on the outside, sweet and mellow on the inside. My coworker, Dyan, ordered the Spada - grilled Hawaiian swordfish, charred yellow peaches, baby eggplant, almonds - and couldn't sto

p muttering about how fantastic it was. Overall, the entrées were a continuation of the finesse and precision that characterized the first two courses. Chef Michael White definitely will impress you with his range and versatility.

Finally, we had our desserts, prepared by Pastry Chef Heather Bertinetti, which were masterpieces as well. I opted for the very simple Affogato - zabaglione gelato, amara and espresso. It was well balanced and light - exactly what I was looking for. My friends were a little more adventurous. The Gianduja - cocoa nib crema, hazelnut, chocolate, fior de latte gelato - was luscious and rich; the Torrone - torrone gelato, black cocoa cake, sour chocolate cake - perfectly tart and delicious. We were not finished however, as they brought around a selection of chocolates that were delish. I might have sampled more than my fair share....

Marea is a culinary tour de force. I completely understand why it has received its Michelin star and why it is so difficult to get a reservation. The food was revelatory, the wine list well-priced, and the service impeccable. If you have any reason to have a “splurge” of an evening in NYC, make your way over to Marea, you will not be disappointed!