Landmarc at the Time-Warner Center

[oakapple]

Landmarc at the Time-Warner Center opened today. Snack broke the story, with Eater following. There's a photo at Grub Street.

The dinner menu (MS Word here) resembles the TriBeCa branch, though it has more steaks on it than I remember seeing downtown. The low-priced wine program is also comparable to the TriBeCa branch, with a selection of half-bottles that supposedly runs into the hundreds.

The hours are 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., and the space seats 300. The question is: on that scale, can they maintain the quality?

Edited April 16, 2007 by oakapple (log)

[slkinsey]

I was at their F&F, and won't say anything detailed since it was a shaking-out period. But I will say that we were very favorably impressed, and all signs point to continued high quality from the Landmarc crew.

I think this will be the perfect combination of the quality UWSers crave (and which is in unfortunate short supply on the UWS) and the price point/value proposition UWSers are looking for.

Edited April 16, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[Megan Blocker]

I, for one, am eager to have something like this further uptown, even if Columbus Circle is still a bit far from my digs here in Yorkville.

I will definitely be in for a late dinner this week or next to see how things are going...promise to report back!

[Nathan]

I was figuring it was this week.

I was at Bouchon yesterday and there was a meeting of uniformed FOH and kitchen staff taking place outside the restaurant.

still...quite the stealth approach...

[tupac17616]

I stopped in tonight. I like the look of the space. I've enjoyed the downtown location, but eating at anyplace immediately after they open is not really my thing. I'll give them some time to make sure they've got the sh*t together.

[hshiau]

Hurray! Since Per Se and Jean Georges can't be my neighborhood place, Landmarc fits perfectly!

We went for dinner last night. It's a very large space and they weren't very busy. Perhaps it was a Sunday night but it definitely doesn't seem that there was a huge amount of publicity. Anyway, the menu's exactly the same as I remember it from downtown. Food was tasty and while the wait staff was professional and accomodating, they didn't seem to know anything about either the food or the wine list.

We'll give it a chance to burn in and will definitely be regulars. Plus they deliver!! How can you beat that!

[slkinsey]

I don't think they have "officially opened" yet. I have the feeling this is the "soft opening" -- which, of course, is harder and harder to do in any meaningful way in today's era of eGullet, Chowhound, Eater, etc.

[oakapple]

I don't think they have "officially opened" yet.  I have the feeling this is the "soft opening" -- which, of course, is harder and harder to do in any meaningful way in today's era of eGullet, Chowhound, Eater, etc.

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For a high-profile place like Landmarc, there's no such thing as opening quietly. Edited April 17, 2007 by oakapple (log)

[rich]

Dollar for dollar, I always thought Landmarc to be one of the top 3-5 values in NYC. And because of the wine program, arguably the top.

If they do half as well at TWC, that sould be considered an accomplishment. Good luck to them.

I would love to try it, but the downtown branch is so accessible for us Staten Island denizens.

[slkinsey]

So... I was at Landmarc for a quick bite yesterday evening, where I was pleased to run into both Sneakeater and Daniel, who I hope will contribute their own reactions.

They appear to be firing on all cylinders in the kitchen. Their foie gras terrine is still a ridiculous bargain and warm snail salad is a new favorite (I have no idea why I waited so long to try it). We shared a big plate of the Tuesday pasta, spaghetti alla carbonara, which was properly sauced and nicely al dente (which is no mean feat for a restaurant that only features one pasta dish). Ideally, I would have liked some cracked black pepper with the pasta, which as an Italophile I consider an important part of spaghetti alla carbonara, but this is a fairly minor quibble. There is now "a little bit of Ditch Plains" on the menu in the form of raw clams and oysters, and the possibility of choosing littleneck clams with one of five sauces in addition to the mussels their menu has always featured. The wine list has some very nice new additions, and the value remains tremendous. We had half bottles of falanghina, aglianico and prosecco, all delicious and none costing more than 16 bucks.

We had 2 appetizers, one large pasta, three half-bottles of wine and a cheese plate. We left full and a little tipsy, completely satisfied and even feeling like we had splurged a bit. Yet in the end, the tab was a little less than 60 bucks a person (including tax, but not the tip).

The service is good but lags behind the kitchen maybe a little bit. I assume this will pull together quickly as they have a bit more practice. All the signs are there: they have experience, they want to do a good job, they're enthusiastic and they all clearly want to be there. The one thing that, in my mind, has distinguished Landmarc's FOH since my second visit was also there: We were recognized, greeted warmly and received as friends. Both owners, the wine director and a few other managers we knew from TriBeCa stopped by our table for a quick chat, and we've already made friends with the new FOH people at the TWC location. This, in my mind, is the keystone to their repeat-business success as a neighborhood restaurant. I don't know anyone doing it any better.

[Sneakeater]

My opinion of the Uptown Landmarc is very similar to my opinion of the Downtown Landmarc. Which is not surprising, since the restaurants are almost identical (except this new one is MUCH bigger) and the kitchen uptown doesn't seem to be operating on a materially lower level than the kitchen downtown.

What I always say about the Downtown Landmarc is that every time I eat there I'm surprised how much I enjoy it, since between visits all I can remember is how boring the food is. Well, it's boring, but on the whole it's good. Just good enough to warrant paying for food that at bottom isn't much different from what you could make yourself. But, to me, definitely NOT good enough to crave.

What I realized on this visit -- something that's always nagged at me, but never came into conscious thought until my dining companions pointed it out -- is that the appetizers at Landmarc are much better, and much more interesting, than the mains. It's true: I usually have a hard time fixing on an entree choice there, cuz (unless I went there specifically cuz I'm in the mood for a steak) there are no entrees I can get really excited about. (The pork chop, for example, while perfectly fine, doesn't inspire revery like the pork chop at Little Owl does.) Last night's sweetbreads were, as always, solid but in no way notable.

Whereas the appetizers are something to drool over (if not to have hanging in your mind after you've eaten them). The snail salad -- much more snail than salad -- has long been a personal favorite. The steamed clams, with an optional (and absolutely delicious) onion & chorizo sauce, are a new favorite. And the marrow bones: well, this is a trendlet Landmarc hopped onto, rather than initiated -- but theirs are as good as anybody's.

The dessert program is almost as much fun as the vaunted wine program. Eight (I think) desserts for $15, each one simple yet delicous? What's not to like? (When the original Landmarc first opened, I found Amanda Hesser's criticism of the dessert program incomprehensible.)

And they now have something new: "adult" cotton candy -- the first non-sickening version of this dish that I have ever ingested.

The wine program remains as great -- and as much fun -- as ever. Three of us shared three half-bottles, enjoying the opportunity to compare and contrast. And this is the only restaurant in New York where you can order good Burgundies without guilt.

FOH is in work-up mode. It wouldn't be fair to criticize them at this point for the few minor slip-ups. Attitudes couldn't have been better.

I usually don't like to comment on my predictions as to a restaurant's success. That seems more of a concern for its owners than for me. But I think Landmarc is filling a huge hole in the Upper West Side. The only thing I wonder about is whether it's perhaps too far downtown to maximize its potential. (The place is HUGE.) But I can see UWS families flocking to this casual, friendly, fairly-priced venue.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Nathan]

I hope that's true.

But Compass is large, more uptown, reasonably-priced....and it doesn't seem to pack them in...

[Sneakeater]

Compass is NOT family-friendly. It's an adult restaurant, not particularly casual, and despite the prices, not really an everyday one.

Landmarc is a place you'd take your kids when you don't feel like cooking.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[slkinsey]

Compass has also gone through so many chefs and so many incarnations, and for a while seemed to be booked around 50% of the time for private parties, that I think they've lost a good bit of confidence from UWS locals. I should also point out that there's a significant difference in price point, which is very important to UWS customers. Check out their dinner menu. The least expensive entre is 24 bucks, the median seems to be around 29, and it goes up all the way to 45! Landmarc's dinner menu, on the other hand, has small pasta dishes and hamburgers in the 10 to 13 dollar range, and even the most expensive choice on the menu, the ribeye steak, is only 34 dollars. When you consider that Compass has wine by the glass at prices comparable to Landmarc's half-bottle prices, a dinner there will very likely be twice what you would pay at Landmarc.

When you think about it, Landmarc's UWS competition is going to be places like French Roast. This place is packed most of the time, and has a similar price point. Now, personally, I can't imagine someone who wouldn't rather go to Landmarc than French Roast.

Edited April 18, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[Sneakeater]

Yeah, exactly.

[Nathan]

Compass is known for its $35 dinner prix fixe...not its ala carte dining.

three courses at Landmarc will put you back that much.

edit: I don't know enough about UWS dining to disagree with your overall point.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Sneakeater]

It's not just about price. You would never take your family to Compass for the prix fixe as a substitute for cooking. The place is too formal, and the food is too "strange". Children would not seem welcome there. And, since Compass isn't open late night, you couldn't drop in there for a late-night bite even if you wanted to and the menu accomodated that (which it doesn't). Compass more of an "eating out" restaurant, even if you limit yourself to the prix fixe.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[hshiau]

Also, the kids menu is $6!! I don't know that I'd want my kid to pick the Captain Crunch cereal but fo the rest, it's a great deal.

Last night, the 3 of us ate for $70 including tax and tip. We weren't that hungry so my wife and i shared an appetizer, each had an entree, no dessert or alcohol and $6 for the kid. Simple, solid, reasonably priced and a block away. Who could ask for anything more?

[Sneakeater]

I wonder what percentage of the posters on eGullet's NY Board ate there last night.

50%? 70%? 95%?

[Jesikka]

I wonder what percentage of the posters on eGullet's NY Board ate there last night.

50%?  70%?  95%?

←

Unfortunately I didn't. Disappointing meal at Provence with nice wines. I can't say I'd recommend the food, though.

Does anyone know when Landmarc TW will start delivering to midtown offices? I know they deliver downtown. That would certainly make my seamless web choices more appealing...

[hshiau]

Does anyone know when Landmarc TW will start delivering to midtown offices?  I know they deliver downtown.  That would certainly make my seamless web choices more appealing...

←

They told me that they deliver from 55th to 66th streets. No indication that it hasn't already begun.

[JosephB]

When you think about it, Landmarc's UWS competition is going to be places like French Roast.  This place is packed most of the time, and has a similar price point.  Now, personally, I can't imagine someone who wouldn't rather go to Landmarc than French Roast.

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French Roast is really in a different neighborhood than Lanmarc, especially for the stroller set. I see the choice as one more between Landmarc and PJ Clarke's in the old Iridium space on 63rd Street at Lincoln Center.

[slkinsey]

Well, the choice between PJ Clarke's/Josefina/O'Neals/Fiorello and Landmarc is a no-brainer IMO.

When I spoke of French Roast, I was more speaking of places like French Roast than French Roast in particular. But, just to make an example, if I'm standing on 72nd and Broadway and I can either go uptown 13 blocks to French Roast or downtown 13 blocks to Landmarc, I'm going downtown. At least in my experience, 13 blocks is reasonably within what I would consider "neighborhood restaurant area" (which is to say that I'll walk 13 blocks for a quick bite without thinking too hard about it).

Edited to add: There's a Steve Cuozzo writeup in the Post.

Edited April 19, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[Mulcahy]

My husband and I ate there last night. It was terrific. He had the bucatini (excellent, not as spicy as I would like), and hanger steak (really excellent and well cooked). I had the snail salad, which I loved. You really have to like snails though as there are a lot of them in the salad. I followed with the littlenecks and fries. We also shared the ricotta/smoked gouda fritters, which were light and delicious. My only complaint about the food was that I found it a little too agressively seasoned.

We'd never been to the downtown landmarc so have no comparison. I agree with Sneakeater that this is not food I will be craving, but I will go back a lot because the options on the UWS are very limited for food of this type. French Roast is terrible. Nice Matin more expensive. And the number of places that line Amsterdam Avenue are largely just ok.

I, for one, think they'll be mobbed.

[Eatmywords]

I think Sneak summed it up well emphasizing the apps and desserts. I would deviate by saying the mains required some attn.

Open two days or not Shellygirl's rock shrimp risotto simply should not have left the kitchen. It looked like a plate of gruel. Zero presentation, no difference in color from the plate to what was in it. It was overcooked and worst of all, a key ingredient (one we aren't fans to begin with) salt, was missing. My pork chop, cooked as requested (MR) was not a good cut, tough even. The spinach, onions and baked apple sides were good enough but they were swimming in a puddle of glaze. Way too much. I think it fare game to make these observations since it is Landmarc and these weren't timing or service issues. I appreciated that one of the female mgrs came around and was very interested and thankful for our comments. Very nice of her to offer us dessert (though we were charged for them and the cotton candy we didn't order......not a big deal......the blueberry cotton candy is unique and flavorful)

That said the apps we sampled were awesome. Bone Marrow was predictable but when combined with the sweet onion relish over toasted sour dough its a big winner. As well the sizable (smaller) portion of Littlenecks steamed in an a creamy onion chorizo sc with a peppery kick. I've never had them like this. Finally we were spoiled by the obscene quantity of snails in the warm watercress salad. Rich with garlic butter, this artery buster was one of the best "salads" and almost challenging to finish.

The desserts really are fantastic and possibly one of the best values around. Individually, $3 each or $15 for a selection of all including a lemon tart, blueberry cobbler, chocolate eclair/puff, tiramisu, creme brulee and chocolate mousse. (did I forget one? hmm) It worth going back for alone. We also had 3 for $8 Gelado/Sorbet ice cream cones. Coconut and Hazelnut were as good as I've had anywhere. The cones and their presentation, sitting in spiral steel coils will be popular with the kids.

The room and staff are very welcoming. You don't get that Time Warner restaurant feel. I like the layout. The bar seems very conducive for a full meal, burger and.....uhh.....dessert.

Kudos Sneak on choosing that Conundrum (Moscat?) and amazing French Burgundy. The split prices really are ridiculous.

Edited April 19, 2007 by Eatmywords (log)