Simply breathtaking – that’s the first impression you get walking into Manhatta, the latest addition to Danny Meyer’s restaurant empire, Union Square Hospitality Group. Perched on the 60th floor of 28 Liberty Street, the floor to ceiling windows of the restaurant provide stunning views of the city, stretching past the Hudson River to New Jersey on the west and across the Brooklyn Bridge to the east.
While its downtown peers offering great views tend to get away with mediocre food and so-so service, Manhatta instead follows Danny Meyer’s ethos of high quality food and warm, friendly hospitality. The solid lineup of seasonal, French-inspired fare by Chef Jason Pfeifer is served as a three-course tasting menu in the dining room, with reservations highly recommended. The $78 tasting menu (gratuity included) offers 5-6 options for each course, with a variety to appease most palettes and dietary restrictions. We particularly loved the lobster quenelle starter, a fluffy egg-shaped mixture of breadcrumbs and lobster topped with a creamy lobster and trumpet mushroom sauce, and the perfectly cooked cavatelli with a satisfying ragu.
The wagyu bavette is the most visually stunning item with taste to back it up – the incredible ring of crispy potatoes pairs with the perfectly cooked steak and creamed spinach. Other protein options of veal “blanquette” and Elysian Fields lamb were also executed with precision, with flavor profiles that are sure to satisfy.
Our favorite of the final course was easily the vanilla souffle, which is finished with a butterscotch sauce at the table. For a savory finish, the La Marotte cheese is a great option, cleverly presented so that the cheese is cut to look like the hen of the woods mushrooms its served with.
Outside of the dining room, Manhatta has a large bar area at the entrance to appease the Financial District happy hour crowd. You can order drinks and a limited menu of a la carte items while still enjoying a great view.
Some of the coolest seats in the house actually face away from the view and into the open kitchen, as Manhatta strategically has mirrors placed above each seat and angled to the window so that diners in these seats can simply look up to see the view behind them, or look straight ahead to see the chefs in action.
Overall, Manhatta is a great addition to downtown Manhattan, with seasonal, approachable food and stunning views that are sure to provide a memorable dining experience.
Eat this: lobster quenelle, cavatelli, wagyu bavette, veal blanquette, vanilla souffle, La Marotte cheese
