Marea NYC-Holy Crap

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

lived up to the expectations and then some.

lobster w/burata

risotto w/ shave alba truffles

seafood stew bouilibaisse(sp?) like

90 DP i brought was ridiculously good. matched or passed the 82 i had in 09. just had everything going on. virtually perfect champagne

2

Better than Per Se?

3

overall, i enjoyed Marea more

4

Just for the sake of those who might be entirely unfamiliar with it, Marea is not even remotely trying to “be” or compete with Per Se or its like, and neither the restaurant nor potential patrons would be well served by mismanaged expectations along those lines. What it is trying to be is an original–and one of the best-- Italian restaurants in NYC. In those terms it is a tremendous success, and personally speaking one of my favorite places to dine in the City.

5

I just know Jordan went to the two joints on consecutive nights, who better to contract & compare?

6

I think Jordan answered your question about which is “better” by simply stating which he “enjoyed” more, and I think that was a very honest way to frame his response. For those who haven’t experienced Marea I just wanted to offer some objective context not contained in Jordan’s very brief post.

7

Jordan,

How’s the wine list? Can you BYO? If so, how much. I’d like to update the NYC BYO thread.

8

we BYOd the 1990 Dom Perignon. they charge $50. list is of course Italy focused. didn’t really check prices much. noted the 02 DP @ $420 [wow.gif]

9

10

I think Marea is great, but its not in the league of Per Se, Jean Georges, EMP, etc. But its a different type of place. I LOVE it…its absolutely fantastic and that pasta with the octopus and the marrow is to die for. (I had it for lunch there about 2 weeks ago). The wine list is broad and fairly priced with some real qpr finds.

Its an excellent place but as others have said, it doesn’t pretend to be like Per Se.

11

wifey had that one. another amazing dish. pretty extensive menu. very hard to choose.