Damian

Just popped out to pick up lunch at Hallo Berlin, it was exactly where Holly said it would be, 54th and 5th. Delicious little meal, I ordered a brat and a knockwurst, and it came with German potatoes, kraut, red cabbage, onions, and a crusty roll on the side. Great winter fare.

Thoroughly enjoyed One If. We arrived about 5 minutes after nine for our 9 o'clock reservations and had to wait 15 minutes to be seated, but the wait was pleasant in the cozy bar area with the pianist gently playing holiday tunes. Extra Dry Grey Goose martini with extra olives - actually came extra dry, and was requisitely chilled. We were then led to a small table in the side room, this was a little disappointing as the main room seemed like the place to be. The side room was nicely decorated and not too loud, but did not have an "old townhouse" feel about it. In fact, the whole restarant seemed to lack this feeling with its modern drywall, etc. I was expecting a more historic vibe. We were served an amusee bouche of duck confit and dressing with a single, marinated cranberry. It was like having a bite size holiday meal, and the taste evoked memories and emotions of Thanksgiving dinners. Perhaps not overly imaginitive, but it certainly added to the cozy feeling. I had the Mosaic of Yellowtail and Hamachi Tuna to start. It was served with wasabi creme fraiche over a salad of "microgreens" with radishes and beets. Not sure what microgreens are, but it seemed like arugula. They were dressed in a light vinaigrette with a hint of dijon (could have been wasabi). The sushi was in small cubes which had been assembled into a cake in the center of the salad. The assemblage alternated fish and looked like pink harlequin. Delicious, the fish was fresh and chilled and the sauce was creamy and did not overpower. The radishes were crispy and added texture. My wife had the Potato Gnocchi, it was served in a simple red sauce with parmesan shavings and white truffle oil, and mushrooms. It was savory and salty and the gnocchi were that perfedct balance between mushy and firm. They melted in the mouth. I ordered a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape, 1999 Vieux Telegraphe - overpriced and overchilled, but lovely once it warmed to a proper temperature. It was a little light in character to compete with the main course - you guessed it, Beef Wellington. In retrospect, a sturdier wine would have been better, but my wife was threatening to get duck when I ordered the wine, so I tried to choose a happy medium. We both had the Beef Wellington, what a decadent dish. It is served as individual, inch and a half thick filets, with a smear of pate on the top and surrounded by puff pastry. It was huge. The filet was cooked perfectly medium rare and the pastry was flaky and crumbled to the fork on the outside while a little gooey where it met the meat. It was set on a powerful sauce bordelaise, true to its name it seemed to be a slightly sweetened, sticky reduction of a Bordeaux wine. (The sauce was what rendered the wine I ordered into a weak sister). It also came with puffed, roasted potatoes and some haricots verts which were pretty to look at but were clearly an afterthought. The BW was delicious with the crisp and chewy pastry giving a nice contrast to the tender meat. The pate imparted some flavor, but left the beef as the star, and this seemed right. For dessert, (not an easy task after the monster main course) I cannot remember the name of what I ordered! it was a kind of coconut gelee with a vanilla creme sauce and a small scoop of ginger ice cream. It was good, but not overly memorable...the coconut was slippery, but rather bland tasting. My wife had a warm banana-coconut cake with peanut ice cream and passion fruit cream. That was delicious with the ice cream and cream sauce melting onto the firm cake and creating a lovely moist sponge effect. Service was friendly and we never felt rushed or ignored, glasses were always filled in a timely way. The waiter was happy to discuss the menu and made recommendations (the sushi - good, the dessert - not as good). The maitre d' was charming and welcoming and helped us bundle up for the cold night like a favorite, smartly-dressed auntie. All in all, a very good night out. The beef wellington was the star of the meal and is a decadent, heavy dish that is perfect for a bitterly cold winter night. I could almost picture the founding fathers sitting down to this noble, festive dish on a snowy night by the fireplace.

Sounds like Beef Wellington is the word on the street consensus for One If, looks like that is what I'll be having. My dad made Beef Wellington for Christmas dinner once, the cousins dubbed it "the caterpillar" for the encrusted tenderloin's long and bumpyish resemblance to our our furry little friends. My memory is that it was wonderful and very well received by all. Unfortunately, that somewhat rosy-tinted experience is all the comparison I'll have to offer when I report on the version being served at One If.

Has anyone been to Gabriela's? I just moved near their Amsterdam Ave. location and have been thinking of popping in.

Hello All, I stumbled onto this board today. My wife and I just moved to NYC from D.C. and are excited about experiencing the food scene here. One of the plusses about a taking a high-powered job here is a little extra disposable income - the big minus is that time to spend it becomes very precious. This place looks like a great resource for saving time by helping us avoid the places to be avoided. That said...my wife has made reservations at One If for tonight. I know the place is the subject of mixed reviews, especially for food, but a good friend of ours went and loved it and she wants to go. There is no talking her out of it, so my question for this knowledgeable group is: What should we do/not do, order/not order for a memorable experience there?