Seahorse restaurant is bringing the Union Square…
It took Seahorse, the new seafood spot in the W Hotel, 4 years to open after it was first deliberate — and only two weeks to conquer Manhattan.
The fantastic eatery from proprietor John McDonald and chef John Villa is a uncommon, prompt creative and business success that’s just what Union Square needed.
The blocks around the park misplaced their culinary cred after Brazilian-style Coffee Shop closed in 2018 and Bluewater Grill a 12 months later, leaving the well-known Greenmarket its only declare to glory. Seahorse, on Park Avenue South at East seventeenth Street, places the juice back. The nook will probably be even more of a food vacation spot when a giant STK steakhouse opens soon across the road.
Seahorse has been an prompt success. Tamara Beckwith
McDonald’s Mercer Street Hospitality Group owns a half-dozen crowd-pleasing eateries including Bowery Meat Company, Bar Mercer, and, most famously, Lure Fishbar in Soho, which may lose its home of twenty years to Prada.
Seahorse tops them all. The beautiful design by David Rockwell presents everybody open views of the sea of cubicles, banquettes and tables. Nautical blue trim units the theme. Walls of wealthy teak refer to, but don’t copy, Lure and its yacht cabin vibes.
Villa is equally at home in company and individual-restaurant settings. He was lately culinary head of Tao Group, but I keep in mind him as nicely for Pico — a great, modern-Portuguese restaurant that didn’t survive Tribeca’s road closings after 9/11.
The restaurant brings the Union Square culinary scene back from the lifeless. Tamara Beckwith
McDonald recalled, “When I met with him, I said, ‘Don’t take the job unless you want to put your heart and soul into it.’ ”
Villa delivers both and more at Seahorse, where he’s backed by Mercer Street Hospitality’s appreciable sources and first-rate ingredients — many from the Greenmarket.
I normally brace for disappointment when Dover sole is served tableside — many untrained workers battle to debone the fish, and it’s by some means both cold and still stuffed with bones in the end.
David Rockwell’s design is beautiful. Tamara Beckwith
Not at Seahorse, where the waiter did the job completely in seconds. It confirmed why the species is so prized — its buttery taste and meaty texture stand alone. Classic meuniere sauce and brown butter made the dish full. It’s a steal at $69 although the price will possible go up.
Villa and his group keep away from the common curse of overcooked and/or inadequately prepped fish that yields dry outcomes.
Roasted Maine cod ($42) is completely mild and flavorful, its mildness brightened with inexperienced olive tapenade and a tomato discount. Olive oil-poached swordfish ($44) was another delicate miracle in artichoke barigoule.
An assortment of uncooked choices kick off the menu. Tamara Beckwith
From swordfish to cod, seafood dishes are completely cooked. Tamara Beckwith
The few non-fish dishes rang the bell, too. A roasted half-duck ($42), completed in a brick oven, is served as a boneless breast and the leg on the bone, both in not-too-sweet orange sauce and duck jus. It was scrumptious enough to disgrace most French eating places.
Even a large, single raviolo ($22) introduced pleasure to the desk. It’s stuffed with ricotta cheese, corn, and a uncooked, pasture-raised egg yolk that oozed like an orange mist.
Unpretentious and completely executed desserts, like gluten-free darkish chocolate mousse, keep the streak going.
Restaurateur John McDonald (left) and chef John Villa have created a clear winner. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST
Seahorse arrived as half of a $100 million redesign of the W Hotel, where Todd English’s Olives closed ten years in the past. The new restaurant was price the long wait — and the long wait you might need reserving a desk.
Welcome back, Union Square!
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