Location: 1278 3rd Avenue
Cuisine: American Steakhouse
Best Dish: The steak was absolutely amazing thick and flavorful, second only to the Cavatelli. The pasta’s rich sauce and texture are a must have.
Overall: TBar is a comfortable place with great service and appetizing food. The beautiful surroundings and soft lighting make it an ideal and impressive date place.
On a bustling block on the upper east side lies an oasis. T Bar Steak and Lounge has been making its mark on the local food scene with fresh unassuming classically delicious food. We ventured to the beautiful steakhouse a little over a week ago to sample some of their dishes. The night began as always with a perusal of the menu. With restaurant week in full swing the space offered its ala carte menu as well a prix fixe menu of their most popular dishes. We spent just a few short moments looking over the goods before getting into our first courses.
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The Pizza Margherita arrived next. It was a simple cheese pizza with an amazing tomato sauce and just enough melty cheese on a super thin crust. It was perfectly sized to enjoy with 2 or 3 people without ruining one’s appetite.
My partner in crime and I have never passed up chared octopus and this evening was no exception. The seared Spanish Octopus was exquisite. Despite the char on the inside was moist and tender. The octopus arrived with a small helping of potatoes and olives.
We took a brief break from eating to enjoy the view. Despite it being a Monday evening the eatery was bursting with activity. Many excited and happy diners filled the space. Despite the busy dining floor service was impeccable. The staff here works hard to provide good service to all diners.
For our next dish we went with the pasta. We ordered the “Cavatelli Antonucci”. Cavatelli is a rounded shell shaped pasta. Though it may look similar to basic shells, the texture is softer allowing it to soak up sauce easily. The pasta is served with a delectable veal ragu.
As we watched our fellow foodies, we noticed a surprising number of fish dishes leaving the kitchen. Most people were eating the salmon but we took the road less traveled and went with the Branzino. The fish was expertly prepared, the meaty flesh was soft and melt in your mouth tender and the skin lightly charred and crisp.
You can’t go to a steakhouse and not try at least one steak. We went with the aged bone in rib eye. All of the steaks are seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper and served with your choice of three sauces. Naturally we went with all three options: Steak Sauce, Béarnaise Sauce and Poivre Sauce. The steak was juicy and thick. The sauces each added an element of flavor that enhanced the natural beefiness. The steak sauce added a little sweetness, the Bearnaise added some creaminess and the Poivre a warm peppery flavor.
Like most steakhouses your steak does not arrive with a side. For our steak, we decided upon the macaroni and cheese. The mac is topped with a buttery bread come topping and filled with gooey creamy cheeses. YUM!
After ingesting what we thought was more than enough for our dear stomachs, we were shown the dessert menu and simply couldn’t resist the temptation. Four, yes four desserts appeared from the kitchen, each one a masterpiece of sweet perfection.
Banana Parfait Mille Feuilles is a delicious mix of banana, waffle, and drizzled with coconut and cream.
Sundaes at TBar aren’t your typical ice cream affair. The strawberry sundae has a soft buttery shortcake cream and light merengue topping with fresh strawberries.
We adore apple pie and the apple crisp is to die for!
Last was the Chocolate Mousse. This creamy confection is flavored with rum and coffee then topped with fresh rasberries.
In contrast to its gourmet cuisine and beautiful decor T Bar is a casual yet elegant restaurant. The great service adds to the dining experience at T Bar Steak and Lounge. Head over to tbarnyc.com for more information.