New York City: Park Avenue Winter (December 2018)

Park Avenue Winter (December 2018) – Huge Restaurant That Offers Several Dining Rooms
My spouse and I and two family members visited Park Avenue Autumn/Winter/Spring/Summer for dinner on a Saturday evening in early December 2018. The restaurant is open for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner daily. You can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system.
As the restaurant’s name implies, since 2015, it has occupied a position on Park Avenue (at the corner of East 26th Street) in Chelsea near Madison Square Park. Prior to that, for 22 years, the restaurant was located on the Upper East Side. The Quality Branded Group operates Park Avenue, along with Quality Eats (Upper East Side, Nomad, West Village), Quality Italian (Midtown East, Denver), Quality Meats (Midtown East, Miami), Don Angie (West Village), Maloney and Porcelli (Midtown East), and Smith and Wollensky (multiple locations).
The last part of the restaurant’s name changes with the season, as does the interior of the restaurant space, including the server uniforms. Upon entry to the building, guests encounter a host podium, behind which hangs a piece of unique art. A coat check is available. Next, patrons walk through the trendy-looking bar area and a casual dining space. The main dining room (with its adjoining side room) is the focal point of the restaurant, with high ceilings, large windows, big chandeliers, and seasonal decorative touches. We were seated in the rearmost dining room, which has some sliding “windows” that open onto the main dining floor. At first, we were disappointed not to have been seated in the main area, but we soon found that the rear dining space (which had some interesting decorative touches like high ceilings and a faux fireplace) offered us a more intimate place to dine and converse.
Park Avenue Winter serves New American cuisine that changes with the seasons (just like the restaurant decor and attire). As we looked over the menu, our server delivered some bread and dipping sauce, as well as an amuse bouche that appeared to be a bowl of small black truffles perched atop rice. As our entrees, we ordered filet, scallops (which were disappointingly tiny – smaller in diameter than the size of a dime), chicken, and duck. We shared the latkes, Brussel sprouts, and broccoli (oddly topped with Cheetos) as sides. For dessert, we shared the “Broken Ornament” (eggnog mousse, gingerbread, and pear) and the sticky toffee pudding.
We enjoyed our dinner at Park Avenue Winter; the space is attractive, and we liked the changing seasonal decor.


















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