From Fine Dining to Trendy Vegan.

NYC has it all.

I’m reminiscing about the wonderful weekend I just experienced—a union of two families in which nine people came together from various parts of the U.S. to meet in the city that never sleeps. To say I enjoyed these meals would be an understatement; the people made this weekend all the more memorable.

Now, let’s begin this food recap. I believe our Friday and Saturday night meals were the most elegant and important. Let’s recall some of the dishes we tried at Aretsky’s Patroon in Midtown East and Anixi in Chelsea.

Friday night called for steak and martinis, as one of my family members would say. Patroon is known for its steaks, dry-aged for 36 days and certified Angus beef. However, they do not consider themselves a steakhouse. This fine dining experience in Midtown East offered a wide selection of wines and crafted cocktails, as well as a well-lit and inviting dining room. Their menu features fish, steak, lamb, vegetarian pasta, and veggie burgers.

I want to start by talking about the waitstaff. It was a little unclear who the dedicated server for our party was, as three gentlemen approached the table often. The server insisted on taking our beverages, appetizers, and entrees very quickly. Having worked in fine dining in the past, I understand that the timing of each course is important. Given that we were a larger party, we should have been given more time. I want to mention that the staff truly knows the menu well, and I appreciated the owner’s son who came by to say hello and check how we were enjoying our evening.

Upon delivery of the dirty martinis, it was easy to notice that the beverages lacked olive juice. For those who drink martinis, you know that there is a bit of science to preparing them. It’s important for the beverage to be ice-cold but strained from the ice. It was mentioned to me that the martinis were slightly icy and not taken back when they had expressed that the martinis were not dirty enough. The martinis should have been remade to the patron’s liking, but rather, the waiter brought over some olive juice for the table to add on their own. Per A.B.’s recommendation, I ordered the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, which had a red fruity perfume to it. I truly enjoyed this red.

Those of us that do not eat meat ordered the mango avocado salad, tagliatelle pasta, and the kataifi and wasabi-wrapped tofu. The mango avocado salad was dressed beautifully but lacked mango. If there’s mango in the title, the mango should be prominent! I loved it, but it was mainly avocado, tomato, and cucumber. Mango is not in season currently, so I would suggest reconsidering this addition to the menu during wintertime. The tagliatelle was cooked to perfection. It included green peas, homemade tomato sauce, and burrata. The green peas added some texture and bite, while the warm tomato sauce was just what I needed on a cold evening in the city. My only critique is that the cold burrata on a hot dish was unnecessary. The burrata added great flavor and creaminess but could have been warmed slightly. Tofu needs a strong marinade or spices before it can be layered/wrapped and fried. The kataifi and wasabi-wrapped tofu are a cool concept but fell short as it was under-seasoned. Kataifi is not used often in the U.S., and interestingly enough, we’ll see a second kataifi dish in the next section of this blog.

The omnivores ordered côte de boeuf cab for two, a prime custom blend burger, and filet mignon. The steaks were cooked to perfection; however, only the côte de boeuf was seasoned well and came with a trio of sauces. While the filet mignon was cooked to a perfect medium, it lacked garnish and seasoning.

Overall, Aretsky’s Patroon is a great spot for fine dining. The waitstaff knows their menu well, and the food was cooked well. My suggestions for them would be to slow down a tad, take the beverages back to the bar when a patron suggests that the drink was not made to their liking, and adjust the fruits and vegetables to in-season offerings. Taking into account the ambiance, menu, waitstaff, flavor, and each party's personal experience, there is a little room for growth. I have high hopes for this restaurant!

⭐️ Rating: 7.3/10

Mango avocado salad, tagliatelle pasta, côte de boeuf, filet mignon, kataifi and wasabi wrapped tofu.

On Saturday night, we shared our second dinner at Anixi, a trending vegan Mediterranean restaurant. The restaurant is dark and gives an old bank building vibe. There are dark green velvety booths and beautiful chandeliers. I have been to this restaurant once before, as have a few others that joined us for this dinner. This is the spot to bring your skeptics! We had rave reviews from multiple people that are meat-eaters, and this is all thanks to the chef that designed this menu and the wonderful waitress helping us out. She was very knowledgeable, patient, and friendly. For our party of 9, we planned for a 4-course meal: Mezze, appetizers, entrees, and dessert.

To start off, we shared every single mezze dip option available. This included taramasalata, fire-roasted eggplant, hummus masabacha, whipped “ricotta,” and Kabocha squash accompanied by za’atar pita and layered herb bread. Do not skip the bread and spreads! At the very least, order hummus, za’atar pita, and layered herb bread! Personally, I could skip the taramasalata. This is an alternative to fish eggs, made by dropping liquid seaweed into calcium alginate. The food scientist in me was impressed, but the flavor was not my favorite. Appetizers included the chick’n gyro rolls, artichoke tots, manti “lamb” pockets, “ricotta,” and spinach borek, and the beet and citrus salad. Each dish was well-curated and super convincing. Around the table, there were orders of chick’n kabobs, grilled “steak” shish kabobs, wild mushroom kabobs, khachapuri, and the star of the show: the “beef” mnazaleh. A beef and chickpea pot pie. The hearty, well-spiced stew under the dough was absolutely amazing. The alternative meat was chewy and felt like beef. I hadn’t tasted anything like this in ages.

After all this food, we still needed dessert (said no one). However, we filled our tummies with delicious Medjool date cake, ekmek kataifi, and rose malabi. The kataifi is out of this world! You must try this if you find yourself at Anixi. It is a layered phyllo with vanilla cream and kataifi noodles.

I want to be transparent here and mention that as a vegetarian, I don’t often find myself craving meat alternatives; however, the textures and flavors here were spot on! My father, who generally likes to add salt and pepper to most dishes, did not adjust a single thing on any of his dishes. We really enjoyed our dinner, but I do want to mention that not everyone wants to be eating cheese and meat alternatives. I would suggest that the restaurant add some vegetable and legume-heavy dishes to supplement for those that do not like flexitarian alternatives.

It is safe to say we did not go hungry, and most of us were still full the next morning.

⭐️ Rating: 9.3/10

Mezze dips, chick'n gyro rolls, manti "lamb" pockets, beet and citrus salad, "ricotta" and spinach borek, "beef" mnazleh, mushroom kabobs, chick'n kabobs

“Ricotta” and spinach borek ↑

Khachapuri ↑

Medjool date cake, ekmek kataifi, rose malabi