Recently amazing people from the past have reconnected with me. These friends have beautiful souls and come with lots of love. It's always a pleasure to spend time with these people.
Coming from Cuba and growing up in New York City, I am always grateful to have the ability to experience good food. Reconnecting with my old friends, I had a chance to try a new restaurant and revisit an old favorite that I haven't been to in years.
High Street on Hudson (West Village/Meatpacking District)
Photo courtesy of OpenTable
I went to visit friends in the West Village and Meatpacking District, noticing less locals actually living in the area and many establishments shut down to a lack of retail traffic. With our old favorite Pastis no longer and the neighborhood nothing like before, we tried something new and went to my friend's suggestion of High Street on Hudson.
We were seated promptly at a large wobbly table in front of the kitchen. The restaurant decor was pretty straightforward, more on the predictable and expected for newer establishments. I ordered the fish and chips to start with the sword fish as my main entree. I finished with the carrot cake for dessert. Overall, the food was fresh and tasty but the portions were quite small. The sword fish was cooked well but the portion minuscule. Perhaps it was the Restaurant Week effect on the dishes (although we didn't order from the Restaurant Week menu). As grateful for the experience and as much as I found the food tasty, I left hungry.
I found the service in need of improvement. Our waiter forgot to place in two orders for our starters and our carafe of water remained unfilled until we had taken care of the check. At that point, while still drinking our tea and coffee, it seemed like they wanted us out.
Restaurant: High Street on Hudson
Neighborhood: West Village/Meatpacking District
Address: 637 Hudson Street
Click here for High Street on Hudson's website
Cafe Luxembourg (Upper West Side)
Photo courtesy of Cafe Luxembourg's website
My friends who I went to High Street on Hudson with reminded me of Cafe Luxembourg when we began discussing "quaint and delicious" options in Manhattan. It served as a perfect place for reconnecting with an international Opera loving friend who said she had always wanted to go to Cafe Luxembourg since it opened back in the 1980s.
Cafe Luxembourg is the same as I can remember it, from the same Jean Perzel fixtures and deco mirrors, to the food delicious and filling. I ordered the soup du jour, fish and chips and had the pecan bread pudding. They definitely have one of the best fish and chips in NYC. My friend had the Luxemburger and devoured it. The pecan bread pudding was out of this world. Portions were just right and this time around I left full!
I found the waiters very attentive--aware but not overbearing. The restaurant had the finesse of a well run operation, perhaps a testament to its relatively long presence in the Upper West Side.
Restaurant: Cafe Luxembourg
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Address: 200 W 70th St
Click here for Cafe Luxembourg's website