Reviews: NYC Top 3 Power Lunch Destinations

It’s been a while since we last ran a restaurant review in The Glass Hammer. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been eating! Here, we offer you our three top recommendations for downtown power-lunches in New York City.

Our top three …

• Nobu
• Bouley
• Chanterelle

Check out our reviews after the jump …

1. Nobu (105 Hudson Street, Tribeca) – A classic bastion of Japanese fine dining, the difficulty of getting a reservation here at lunchtime or any time is legendary. Still, if you can prevail upon your secretary to call them on speed dial as if she were voting for American Idol, then you too can partake of their life-altering miso black cod. This fish dish is sweet, savory and rich without feeling too fatty for lunch. Of course, the sushi is impressively fresh and varied. Try a few rolls or the o-toro tuna, or get an order of the chef’s Omakase (special recommendations of the day), if you are dining with adventurous eaters who like to share. The rolls are rather traditional—you won’t find any super-sonic fusion rolls here – but the fish is pristine. As for the hot appetizers, the popcorn shrimp and the creamy spicy crab are also delicious. In general, this restaurant works well for sharing with a group, as long as you get miso cod all to yourself. For dessert, the chocolate bento box with green tea ice cream will send you back to your office in a food coma, but it is completely worth it. If you’re in the mood for some of Nobu’s famous sushi, but don’t feel like dropping a big chunk of change, try Nobu Next Door, conveniently located … next door.
2. Bouley (120 W. Broadway, Tribeca) – This classic bastion of French cuisine is the perfect place to impress an out of town business guest, if you have a bit of time and money to burn. This restaurant is detail perfect, and creates the ideal balance between the hominess of a French country house and haute cuisine. You know you are someplace special when the bread cart comes around, and you have your choice of half a dozen or more fresh baked breads. The phyllo-crusted shrimp, squid and scallop dish is a seafood lover’s paradise. I don’t know what they put in the broth, but I think its crack-of-the-sea. (Try asking Jessica Simpson whether she thinks that’s chicken or fish.) In my opinion, the three course lunch tasting menu is an excellent value for $38 and provides more than enough food for even a hearty lunch eater, after you throw in the amuse bouche, multiple runs of the bread cart, and the three bonus desserts. However, try the 6 course, 2 entrée menu if you are feeling truly gluttonous. The menu changes seasonally, but the salmon with morels and the sucking pig (complete with details about the poor little guy’s diet in his final days) have recently been raved over. And for the ladies, if you weren’t full enough, you get a little (but rich and surprisingly heavy) pound cake to take home and eat as a snack if it turns out you have to work late. If you are not in the mood for full fanciness, or just crave a bite of Bouley, try Bouley bakery across the street, or Bouley upstairs for a more informal dinner.
3. Chanterelle (2 Harrison Street, Tribeca) – Also fancy, French and in Tribeca, but with a light airy dining room and a leisurely but formal pace of service. Chanterelle is perfect for hammering out the details of a complex deal or congratulating yourself on a job well done. Tables are widely spaced out, so you don’t feel crowded, but the lack of music in the dining room and high ceilings combine to create an eerie quite sometimes. So don’t be the three-martini lunch girl who tells an unfunny joke here. The menu changes every few weeks, but some past standouts have included crispy skate and seared duck breast. For $42 for the prix fixe lunch, you can enjoy a range of Chanterelle’s delicacies for much less than you would pay for dinner service. Desserts really stand out here, with creative sorbet and ice cream flavors, and deceptively light but rich confections like Valhrona milk chocolate and peanut butter dome with caramel ice cream.

Enjoyed these lunch recommendations? Have a few of your own to add? THG might not be the new Chowhound, but we still want to hear what you think about these restaurants and other business lunch hotspots, so don’t be shy with your critiques.