MyWorldReviews.com

The Water Club

New York, New York, United States

The Water Club restaurant is located on a docked boat on the East River. While the boat seemed very sturdy, at one point during the dinner, a particularly large wave made the boat shake for a bit. The dining room is a bit fancy and has large windows looking out on the river. Unfortunately, from this location you don't get much of a view except of a barren coast on Brooklyn and some of the nearby apartment buildings in Manhattan.

The restaurant presents itself as fine dining - recommending jackets for patrons, but I didn't find they offered the kind of quality of food and service I have come to expect from fine dining restaurants. I thought the food varied from very good to disappointing. However, the prices were reasonable for a fancy Manhattan restaurant. I was also surprised by the number of children and families there were for a restaurant that didn't seem to be a family restaurant. Perhaps this was because a lot of people were celebrating graduations today?

Being on the East river, this place is not easy to get to by public transportation. It is quite a hike from the nearest subway stop at 33rd and Park Ave. It is also a bit awkward to walk to since it's on the other side of the FDR and seems to be right at an exit ramp.

Dress

Business attire - jackets recommended. Most men wore jackets, but some only had dress shirts. I didn't see any jeans.

Cost

Appetizers were around $10 with entrees around $30.

Service

The service was acceptable - the waiters were attentive and polite. There seemed to be a bit more table side presentation than usual at a restaurant, which was a bit of fun.

Reservations

They do take reservations. Early in the evening the restaurant was mostly empty, but it was full by 6:30.

Items Ordered

Bread Basket

The bread basket had a nice variety of bread - some delicious warm corn bread, a buttery biscuit, raisin caraway bread, and some plain white baguette. I was quite pleased by the selection.

Prix Fixe Menu

A selection of one of three appetizers, one of three entrees, and one of three desserts.

The restaurant was continuing to offer their restaurant week three course menu. I thought the choices on this menu sounded better than some of the entrees, and it was a pretty good deal.

Herb Roasted Tomato Soup

baguette crisps, fresh mozzarella fondue

This soup had a bit of table presentation. The brought out a bowl with a slice of baguette and slightly melted cheese on it. Then the waiter poured the hot soup over it. The soup was pretty good. It was a chunky tomato soup. It didn't have much in it besides tomato, and had a fresh tomato taste.

Seasonal Green Salad

young greens tossed with a sherry-shallot vinaigrette

The salad was just what the description said, but I was a bit put off by the title. There wasn't much seasonal about it. It was just the kind of baby green package mix I buy at any grocery store with some dressing mixed in. I did like the dressing though.

Pan Seared Salmon

potato and cauliflower puree, sweet and sour roasted eggplant, fresh fennel pollen

This dish was excellent - the best dish that we ordered. The salmon was cooked perfectly with a bit of a sweet crispiness to it. The sauce went really well with the fish. The potato and cauliflower puree was also delicious. I've never had the combination before, and I just thought it was perfect. I also really liked the eggplant. Everything went surprisingly well together, even with all the different flavors.

Panko Crusted Chicken Breast

marinated in buttermilk & spices, crisp vegetable slaw, soy & black pepper sauce

This was a disappointing dish. It turned out to just be a chicken schnitzel. I found it to be quite greasy and not particularly tasty. The side vegetable slaw was ok... it was quite acidic and the greens selection wasn't ideal. The dish was missing something - possibly potato.

Luscious Chocolate Layer Cake

mocha cream, candied orange peel, hazelnuts

The cream on this cake was strange and mostly tasteless. The cake was very dense and fudgey. The hazelnuts went really well with the cake. The orange peel was all kept off to the side, which was good for me (since I don't like mixing fruit and chocolate). There wasn't much of it, anyway.

Golden Delicious Apple Tart

vanilla ice cream, vanilla bean caramel sauce

This tart was more like a pastry with some apple slices on top. It was pretty good. The caramel sauce was very sweet, but went nicely with the apples. There was a small scoop of vanilla ice cream - it was a typical vanilla ice cream.