Landmarc

[Suzanne F]

We finally made it back to Landmarc last night, and had an excellent dinner.

We were there at the same time. I was in a party of four upstairs that was seated at 8:30 p.m.

Food was outstanding. The $17 cheese course, which can serve four is the second best value in NYC (after their $12 fois gras pate).

Had a 2000 Hanna Zinfandel ($24) - incredible value.

This place is getting better and better. Hard pressed to find a better meal at any price in NYC - great views and ambience upstairs.

You were already seated before we got there. We probably saw each other but didn't feel that cosmic connection . . . When the three of us were back last night, we sat on the ground floor, in the back opposite the bar. (I had a great view of the grill cook at work. )

This place seems to be a model case of listening to criticism and acting on it to improve, rather than bitching about how unfair it is or how misunderstood they are. Would that there were more like it in that way.

So Marc, Pamela, etc., if you're lurking: please tell the cooks to use a little less dressing on the salads. Delicious, but a bit too damp.

[rich]

You were already seated before we got there. We probably saw each other but didn't feel that cosmic connection . . .

That's surprising. I always feel "cosmicly" connected to beautiful women.

[Bux]

My butter was absolutely at the perfect temperature and consistency for spreading and I had no need to scrape it off the top. I rather hoped that was typical and a sign that someone was paying attention to detail. The salt itself was another indication, but on the whole made little impression on me. Some people like salt butter, others like sweet.

[Suzanne F]

My butter was absolutely at the perfect temperature and consistency for spreading and I had no need to scrape it off the top. I rather hoped that was typical and a sign that someone was paying attention to detail. The salt itself was another indication, but on the whole made little impression on me. Some people like salt butter, others like sweet.

And so was mine -- perfect spreading consistency, that is. I agree that such attention to detail at Landmarc is happily far-reaching.

But in general that is the exception, I fear, rather than the rule: Far too many places pull the butter straight out of the fridge and slap it on the table, leaving the diner to tear the bread, put off for many minutes the gratification that comes of buttering good bread, or forego its use entirely. Which is why I have adopted that method when faced with a ramekin of the stuff. (Which, btw, is "Grand Reserve" at Landmarc.)

[Artichoke]

I went back to Landmarc last week and completed my goal of working my way through all of their offal dishes (I love them all, the liver is my favorite). I had the blood sausage, a heavy dish for this warm weather, but delicious. As has been described in an earlier review on this board, they were "earthy" and very good. I would have liked the sauteed apples that accompanied them to be more caramelized, but that is the only complaint . The french fries that were also on the plate were great as they have been during my previous visits.

I was with two other people and we ordered the roasted bone marrow, the sweet breads and the spaghetti carbonara to split between us as appetizers (we were eating light that evening). The sweet breads and the bone marrow I have had before and written about previously, both still excellent. It was the first time I had the carbonara and I loved it. A healthy amount of cracked black pepper, just enough to give a slight undercurrent of heat, and the thick pieces of lardon made the dish.

I have never had a steak at Landmarc and tried some of my friend's ribeye. It was a delicious, very tender and flavorful piece of meat, I will be ordering it the next time I go.

Since the butter has been discussed recently, let me add that it is greatly improved since my first visit to Landmarc. The butter's temperature has always been good, however, when I first went to Landmarc it was terribly salty. When I was there last week, the butter was unsalted with just a sprinkling of sea salt on top, much better.

I am still amazed at how reasonably priced the menu and wine list is. A great addition to our City's dining scene.

[bluecabochon]

My friend asked for her burger without the bun, and she also asked if the kitchen would give extra salad in lieu of french fries, which they happily did (notwithstanding the "no substitutions" policy).

was the salad dressed to you, well, her liking?

Oddly enough, I remember commenting to oakapple that there seemed to be too much vinegar in the salad dressing, and yes, there was a lot of it.

I so wish that I had been able to do the gazpacho but the carbs in tomatoes are lethal for my blood sugar. I did try the bread, which was excellent, even though I'm not supposed to have any. Their bread basket was just too good to pass up!

We had a cute waiter, who was very friendly. I enjoyed the retro music that seemed at odds with the industrial setting. After lunch oakapple took me upstairs to show me the round, closed-off booth for a private dining experience that would be fun to share with a special group. The upstairs section seemed airier and I noticed a few small tables squeezed into the tiny outdoor balcony, where some couples were sitting, enjoying the sun.

I liked the textural aspect of the design of the place, simple yet not bland, which gave a feeling of space and serenity that was most welcome on that warm day. I did agree with oakapple that the bar in the rear seemed a bit small. I would not choose this bar as a place to hang out but a place to wait for my table if I was sitting nearby, I doubt I'd enjoy weaving my way toward it through a full dining room if I were going to be seated upstairs.

It was a very enjoyable lunch and Ihope to go back again!

[Fat Guy]

Major recognition for Landmarc's wine list in a feature by head wine writer Eric Asimov in today's New York Times:

Open the hard-bound binder of 22 laminated pages, and you might just slap yourself to see whether you are dreaming.

[slkinsey]

I'm very happy to see Landmarc's wine program getting the recognition it deserves. Also happy to see that we were ahead of the curve in this respect.

I was interested to read in the article that Marc and Pamela own the building. That certainly has to make some things a lot easier in terms of reasonable pricing.

[Suzanne F]

I was interested to read in the article that Marc and Pamela own the building. That certainly has to make some things a lot easier in terms of reasonable pricing.

Interesting: I wonder if that was part of the deal to buy the business. The first place I remember being in that building was, I think, owned by the team who opened the Odious, I mean the Odeon, and Cafe Luxembourg on West 70th Street -- Lynn Wagenacht and Steven something? I could be wrong, but I don't think there's anything else in the building besides the restaurant. So it would make sense that the Murphys could have bought the whole schmear. And with interest rates still relatively low, if that's the only use for the building, it might not be costing them all that much. Which, to reach the logical conclusion, means that they can get away charging reasonable prices.

[tommy]

does the monthly nut on a commercial mortgage in that part of NYC differ that much from a lease payment? and then factoring in the downpayment as well (unless there are some investors), i'm wondering if cash flow is greatly affected. the implication, of course, is 'yes', but i'm curious about the differences.

Edited July 15, 2004 by tommy (log)

[jauster]

Went to Landmarc for the 3rd time last weekend. Ran into the same problem as last time, under-cooked food. Two of us ordered steaks (hanger and ribeye) medium rare. The steaks came out rare-rare. To the point that our waitress looked at mine and said, "Eww, that's really rare." Anyhow, they put them back on the fire and brought them back out cooked appropriately. The steaks were good, not great. If it weren't for the awesome fries, I don't think I'd order steaks there again. I so want to love this place and show it off to friends, but every time something goes wrong. It's just so close to being the perfect neighborhood place, I might be a sucker, but think I'll keep going until they get it right.

Jennie

[Bond Girl]

Finally went to Landmarc for dinner. I love restaurants with no reservation policies, it appeals to the spontaneous side of me. What else do you do on a barmy friday night? I started the meal with the goat cheese profiteroles. The appetizer of three profiteroles pipped with goat cheese on a bed of frisee with roasted pepper. The goat cheese was mild but full of tang, and the profiteroles had a good bite to it. It was a mouthful of flavors. A creative simplicity that is well executed. Next up was an entree of grilled tuna with heirloom tomatoes and sprouts. The Tuna was perfectly grilled and played well with the tomatoes and greens. The dish tasted like summer. However, the parmesan chip was too salty and does nothing for the dish. Dessert was a sample of everything that included a blueberry cobbler and a peach sorbet. The chocolate mousse didn't quite work for me (too sweet), but everyone else seemed to like it enough.

Waitstaff was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely a place to visit more often.

[coughy]

We went to Landmarc last night and I LOVED it! We spent a long, very hot and extremely humid day shopping in Soho and got to Landmarc at just about 7. When I called to make a reservation that I learned they don't take, the person was nice enough to tell me to get there by 7 and we would get a table right away. A very nice waiter explained their wine list to us and we ordered a half bottle of a beautiful champagne that we really enjoyed.

My husband didn't know whether to order the goat cheese profiteroles or the chilled corn soup with rock shrimp so he had both! They were terrific. I had the endive salad with blue cheese that I loved.

For our mains he had the rib steak and I had the tuna. Although I enjoyed everything I felt there was a little too much salt on my fish.

We had the dessert sampler. The lemon tart was our favorite. With coffee and cappucino our bill came to $125 without a tip which we thought reasonable for what we had. We will definitely return.

[ewindels]

At the risk of raving here, I have to state that Landmarc is flat out my favorite restaurant right now, and more than worth the slightly extra commute (though for those of us near the No. 1 line, it's a snap). Now, I openly admit that I've been enough times to have developed some sort of relationship with both Marc and Pamela as well as many of the staff, so there's always a very friendly greeting (such a rarity anywhere in NYC these days). But that aside, there really is a magic or chemistry about the place. We can all quibble and nit-pick till we're dead about this or that (and after all, why else does egullet exist?), but overall there's nothing bad on the menu and much of it is terrific, and as has already been discussed ad nauseum, the wine policy is dynamite. The space is unassuming but comfortable, the staff are incredibly friendly -- it all works. I have now taken three friends or groups thereof, all of whom have been dazzled -- including one notoriously finicky number who has never liked any restaurant he's been to with me, EVER! And he loved Landmarc!

As I have told both proprietors, thank God the place isn't in my neighborhood -- catastrophic for both the wallet and the waistline.

[tommy]

Now, I openly admit that I've been enough times to have developed some sort of relationship with both Marc and Pamela as well as many of the staff, so there's always a very friendly greeting (such a rarity anywhere in NYC these days).

one of the reasons Landmarc stands out in my mind is that i've gotten a friendly and warm greeting from day 1. although a they've slipped up a few times, every neighborhood needs a Landmarc, especially with wine prices like that.

[mjr_inthegardens]

Had a pleasant dinner at Landmarc on Saturday last

Were eating light because of a heavy night of partying ahead so just split an appetizer, had an entree each, and followed with 2 desserts. We split a 1/2 bottle of a '00 Chateau St Georges, I think a cabarnet blend that was very nice and a good price $18. The goat cheese profiteroles were very light and the goat cheese had a strong sweet flavor. I had the quail with bacon, mushrooms and halved cherry tomatoes in a reduction which was loaded with flavor from the bird and the lardon. The sides combination with the quail definitely appealed to the englishman in me.

I have to report that my girlfriend's medium hangar steak came out decidedly medium rare. Still delicious, if a little chewy, but I think the kitchen may want to pay a little more attention to color/temp in the steaks. Our desserts and espresso (nice layer of "froth") were perfect in portion -- not too much to burden us but ample to share. We had the ideally tart lemon tart and the blueberry crumble on suggestions from here.

Our waiter was friendly and conversant about the menu. We also discussed Amanda Hesser's insult of their desserts as "priced at $3, alas $2.75 too high". I take it they were taken aback as they consider the desserts to be not revolutionary but certainly good and innovative in price structure.

At <$100 before tip for the meal we will definitely be back.

-mjr

edited for grammar

Edited August 2, 2004 by mjr_inthegardens (log)

[Artichoke]

I had yet another meal at Landmarc recently, my fifth since the Spring. I am still impressd every time I receive the bill as to how reasonable the prices are.

Having happily eaten my way through all of Landmarc's offal offerings as well as a cow's worth of their roasted marrow bones, I ordered differently this time.

I started with a small order of the mussels in white wine, shallots and parsley. Sadly, they were overcooked. I have tried the same dish on other occasions at Landmarc when the people I was with had ordered them and they were cooked perfectly, so perhaps this was an off night. I do wonder about cooking mussles in cast iron pots as Landmarc does. It makes for a nice presentation, but there is so much residual heat with cast iron, that unless they are served immediately, the musels will continue to cook. The saving grace was that the liquid at the bottom of the pot was very tasty when soaked up with the crusty bread.

My ribeye was delicious. Cooked medium rare as I had ordered it, wonderfuly fatty and full of beefy flavor.

My side of roasted wild mushrooms were very good as well a big improvement over the last time I had them when they were overly salted.

For dessert, myself and the girl I was with had it all (I do no know how the rest of you men feel, but I can not go out with a woman who does not eat well). My favorite as always at Landmarc was the blueberry crumble, the nougat glace was so-so, nothing special, creme brulee was good with a nice thick sugar shell, and the peach, berry and coconut sorbets we had were all very good, fresh tasting, and not too sweet.

I drank a wine that I have written about previously when reviewing Landmarc, Quintessa 2000 from Rutherford. It is a pricey bottle at around $95, however, not only is there a zero percent mark up, I have seen it at Morrell wines for a few dollars more. It is a 60% cabernet, 40% merlot blend and is one of my favorite new wines. Full of deep berry, cherry and plumb flavors, round, soft tannins, the taste lingers in your mouth for an incredibly long time.

[Brooklyn]

Went to Landmarc last night for the first time. Sat at the bar, had wine, appetizers, and a truly great experience.

The food is delicious, the decor warm and attractive, and the wine list is one of the most remarkable, revolutionary things I have ever seen in a restaurant.

Prices like this are simply not available anywhere else, except your local wine store. Only my wine store doesn't have nearly as exciting a selection, nor does it have a huge grill pit for steaks.

After one experience, I am sold - and considering making it 2 nights in a row!

Edited August 24, 2004 by Brooklyn (log)

[johnjohn]

I had a nice dinner at Landmarc last night with my family. There were 6 of us - so we were able to put a nice dent into the menu (which is quite big with a variety of choices), and try a number of different things. I'll only report on what I personally tasted.

Apps -

- Frisse aux Lardons - perfectly cooked soft boiled egg, lots of crunchy yet tender bacon. But as someone noted in an earlier post - was missing the vinegar bite.

- Goat Cheese Profiteroles - served warm, had a nice tang, and were quite rich

The table also had French Onion Soup, Chopped Salad, and the air dried beef (is it called bresoile?)

Entrees -

- Sweetbreads with Green Beans - I thought it was a small portion, but I loved it. The beans were nice and crisp and the sauce had a nice punch from the horseradish. Some starch on the plate would have been nice.

-Mussels with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes - I almost wished I had ordered this dish. A huge order - very fresh tasting. I thought the fries were excellent.

-Mussels with Shallots, Parsley and White Wine - very good - I liked dipping my bread in this sauce better than the one with the pesto.

Hangar Steak - perfectly cooked - nice flavor - French fries did get soggy from the steak juices as mentioned earlier.

I didn't taste the Quail (she said it was the best she ever had) or the pasta special spaghetti alla Bolognese (the only clunker of the group - she barely touched it - it looked like no Bolognese sauce that I have ever seen - it actually didn't even look attractive on the plate).

Desserts - I like the size and cost of these desserts - wish more restaurants would follow suit, no complaints here.

Blueberry crumble with vanilla ice cream (you have to order the ice cream extra) and the chocolate mouse tasted fresh and were well prepared.

Others at our table had crème brulee, lemon tart, and a hazelnut nougatine.

We had wine - I didn't order it, but I liked it and drank plenty of it.

Service was strange - Our waiter was very friendly, knew the menu well, and totally charmed my parents and sister. However, there were a few hiccups. A comment that the waiter made sticks out in my mind - while explaining the menu he asked if we had any questions about the "Landmarc Specials" (this part of the menu consists of the organ meats). I said no - he said that he was surprised because most people that aren't advanced eaters didn't know what they were. The way he said it - made it sound like a slight, but my family is a bunch of Midwestern hicks - so I let it slide. Other service issues - I had to ask for bread 3 times before it finally arrived, I had to ask for one of our bottles of wine twice, and not a single item was correctly placed in front of the person that ordered it. I am not joking - each app, entree, dessert and coffee went to the wrong person. That is kind of a pet peeve of mine, but it was so bad - that it was comical, and we had to laugh about it. The reservation policy is also a bit strange (they will take one for 6 or more people), and there was an issue with us getting a table - they eventually sat us, but made us feel as though they were breaking some rules, and bending over backward for us. This was odd - because only 3 tables were filled at 7pm when we got there, but the place was packed when we left a little after 9.

Conversation was very easy - it wasn't loud where we sat upstairs.

Also, the menu changed in the last week or two - the waiter said they added a few new choices for each course. The new items had been run as specials in the past and had been very successful. So, if you haven't been in awhile - it might be worth trying it again.

johnjohn

[jimk]

What's up with Landmarc? Went for dinner on Wed night and it was dark and locked up tight, with some major construction work underway in the main room. No sign on the door - nothing to indicate that this is merely renovations (which would surprise me anyway, given that it's been open less than a year ... ended up having a so-so dinner down the street at Odeon - would have been good had the frites not tasted of calamari ... anyway, anyone know what gives at Landmarc? Would be a shame to lose them from the scene ...

[slkinsey]

According to their web site, this is a planned closure of the restaurant.

Landmarc has been such a success down there, and deservedly so, I am quite sure we won't be losing them from the scene anytime soon.

They reopen on January 10.

[slkinsey]

Some nice stuff about Landmarc in this Sunday's NYT Magazine's food article by Sam Sifton:

At Landmarc restaurant in TriBeCa, you can order a grilled pork chop with caramelized apples and onions, served with a pile of spinach and a little thickened veal stock drizzled over the top, for $22.  This is worth doing. There is a lot of terrific grub on Landmarc's menu – roasted marrow bones, heaping bowls of mussels, salty-rich frisée salads, buttery steaks – but in the parlance of those who eat at restaurants for fun and profit, scribbling down notes in the bathroom, the pork chop is ridiculously good: sweet and smoky, with a base line of salt and a slight, welcome acidity.

The article is, more or less, about "cheating" in an attempt to replicate Landmarc's pork chop dish at home. Landmarc chef, Marc Murphy, takes Sifton through the process of making their pork chop dish and later Sifton describes his "cheat" for making it at home. Along the way, Murphy dispenses with culinary wisdom like this bit he let drop as he was salting the chops for the grill: "You want to get to the point with the salt where your relatives are looking at you and saying, 'what are you doing?'"

[jgould]

dinner last fri, excellent as usual. crowded, but controlled. wonder what sat nite produced, after the above article was read by new yorkers?

unfortunately & selfishly, but pleased this restaurant/bistro's quality is being rewarded; it is due to become more difficult to "just pop in" & be seated in a reasonable time.

meaning what's WRONG with this picture: TriBeCa location, very pretty layout, excellent wines & prices, excellent food, good service = "no-brainer".

[Artichoke]

I had a late night dinner at Landmarc a couple of Saturday nights ago and it was as good as the numerous other times I have gone. I had the onion soup for the first time and it was what onion soup should be. The soup base, so often mediocre in many restaurants, was a rich beef stock.

I ordered the braised lamb shank, which was delicious, incredibly tender and served with root vegetables. It was only after I ordered that I noticed a new item under the "Landmarc Specials" portion of the menu, a braised pork belly. Just saying "braised pork belly" gets me excited, has anyone had it at Landmarc? I will certainly be ordering it on my next visit.

I have always received good wine reccomendations when eating at Landmarc and this time was no different. I had a 2000 Cabernet from a Napa winery called Eponymous and it was fantastic. Medium to full bodied, silky with rounded tanins and tons of dark berry and plum flavors. It was perfect with the braised lamb shank. It was the best new bottle I have tried in a while. Has anyone heard of this winery? I could barely find mention of it on the web.

[fauxtarga]

I will be out of the city this weekend so unable to get to Landmarc till next week but maybe some of you can help me make the argument to my dining companions to trek across and down.

How do the Foie and the Marrow compare to their counterparts at Blue Ribbon? I love those dishes there, as well as the sweetbreads. Hmm, there seem to be a lot of commonalities between these restaurants. Coupled with the Landmarc wine program, those two dishes alone are worth the trip. Why do I feel like I'm looking at someone else's girlfriend or car a little too intently? And they have Boudin Noir too? Oh me.