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The Shop at Andaz 5th Avenue
Review of Midtown’s casual cafe
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Located in a less chaotic part of midtown is the recently opened restaurant The Shop at Andaz on 5th Avenue. You’re not going to feel deprived of a true NYC experience even if you’re only staying for a day or two. The Shop is bringing you the best of town. The restaurant features a deli-styled shop offering a variety of goodies, such as Murray’s Cheese Shop, Russ & Daughter’s and Stockin’s Apiaries. The Shop is also the only place where Blue Bottle Coffee is sold.
While their retail section is receiving fantastic reviews, I wanted to see if the sit-down experience is just as great.
Small Plates
Seared salmon, roasted beet root, sliced carrots, parsley and tarragon
This is one of the best items on their menu. The salmon is excellent and holds its form as you cut into it. It’s very pleasing by itself but together with the vegetables, it is tantalizing. The carrots are grilled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. The tarragon flirts with the salmon’s subtle lemon flavor with its sweetness. This could be in their large plates section.
Veal meatball, English peas, parsley and tomatoes
It’s tasty, but slightly too familiar. It comes in a fairly shallow pot and is intended to be eaten with a fork, but I think a deeper bowl and a spoon will do better. The meatballs are certainly the stars of this dish with the peas acting like sprinkles. This dish has potential to be amazing.
Large Plates
Poached fish, tomatoes, cucumber and mint salad with extra virgin olive oil
Side: Sautéed Asparagus
It has a gentle citrus flavor due to the lemon infused striped bass. The fish is very moist and tender. The souring agent of the fish plays up the sweetness of the asparagus.
Chicken Schnitzel Milanese with Hudson Valley greens and lemon
Side: Celeriac Mashed Potatoes
Perhaps the best dish on the menu. A generous portion of crispy exterior, juicy interior chicken is served, and the potatoes also tasted amazing. I love that they added finely chopped celery to the dish.
Dessert
S&S Cheesecake
It has a great balance of tangy and sweet. It also tasted a bit lemony which isn’t bad at all. It’s super rich and creamy. You’ll need to order coffee with this.
Seasonal fruit (Peach Plus) tart with vanilla ice cream
I enjoyed this more than the previous item. It is absolutely decadent. This gorgeous dessert has varying textures. The plum is sweet and soft, and only the slightest bit tangy. It just makes sense to serve it with vanilla ice cream.