Lure Fishbar is already so last week. With Bar Tonno, Cru and a host of other restaurants embracing the crudo trend, will Lure be able to prove that it is a contender in the raw fish race or will it get swallowed underneath the Soho sidewalk?
I embarked upon my personal pleasure cruise last night to find out. Welcomed warmly by the crew, seemingly unaware of what a hot spot they had already become, the interior space felt like a modern day Love Boat ready to embark upon a sentimental journey across tropic seas. With plush white booths, sparkling wood floors and portholes looking out at the street above, it could only be described as maritime chic.
The spacious room was divided into a main dining, a darker bar area and a small Fishbar illuminated by lights and mirrors. With three distinct dining spaces, I felt lost at sea sitting at a small table for two in the middle of the main dining room. Our waiter did however manage to find us and spared us any explanations of the menu other than to tell us that there were no specials.
Keeping with the maritime theme, the only non-seafood dishes on the menu were relegated to the bottom under "Meats." We decided on three items from the Raw Fishbar, one Skewer and one from the Fish Board. Our parker house rolls arrived with fresh butter reminding us that this was a casual fishbar, but after reading the ambitious, not to mention expensive menu, we were reminded that this was definitely New York not New England.
The three crudos we sampled really were excellent. Super fresh fish, snapper, sea bass and coho salmon, were paired with their own trio of ingredients and each seemed to also be sprinkled by chunky sea salt. The coho cubes checkered by a pickled cucumber floating in a basil-soy tea were the best in my book, but the plum wine vinegar gelee that graced the sea bass carpaccio was so icy and sweet, I was picking at it long after the bass had been devoured.
Two crispy hamachi and foie gras cubes fused together on a skewer were topped with dicey grilled pineapple, creating the most delicious and memorable combination of the evening.
If only there had been more if it to enjoy, I gladly would have indulged this meeting of land and sea. The items on the Fish Board had been the most unexciting to contemplate and as imagined, were the most dull to eat. When my steamed black cod in sake and miso with three mushrooms arrived, it looked so sad and small on its big plate, not at all what I had expected from an item printed in all caps from the big sounding Fish Board. Perhaps it knew that its raw cousins were the real stars so it politely accepted blandness.
Our waiter was absent but attentive, quickly trading our empty dinner plates for a dessert menu of homey east coast favorites of which we chose the chocolate pudding parfait with bananas and candied pecans over the peach and blackberry cobbler. It looked and tasted as described, basic without being boring, but certainly no match for the creativity breathing from the dinner menu.
It is this combination of S.S. Minnow meets QE2 that left me wondering about where Lure was actually headed. Had it set sail to shows its passengers the bounty of the sea in its purest form? Was it floating along the shore offering fare for everyone? Was it on a course for adventure? For now it does not seem to matter because people are lining up to shell out cash for hip food in a hip space. So before Lure's ship has sailed, come aboard, they're expecting you.
Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer Street
212 431 7676
BONUS: Reservations at Lure up for grabs.
I had anticipated going to Lure on 2 separate occasions, so now I am offering up these reservations for anyone who wants them. Email me and I will change the reservation to your name.First come, first serve
Saturday October 2, 6 people, 10 pm
Wednesday October 13, 2 people, 9:30 pm
A group of friends ate at Lure Fishbar last night. Although the food was excellent, the management of the establishment has extremely questionable morals. We originially had a reservation for 17 people with a price fix agreement. We called before we got there to say it would be 11. Only 11 people ate and they charged us for 17 people. When we complained, the manager refused to budge and we had to pay for 6 people who did not even eat and no food was served for them. Unbelievable! Future patrons beware - they like to cheat people out of their hard-earned money at this place.
Posted by: Alison | December 18, 2004 at 10:39 AM