Terrific Takeout: South Gate Bar and Restaurant at the JW Marriott Essex House Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
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It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we knew South Gate from our friend Kerry (who is just as amazing with cars as he is with food.) Kerry was featured before Whom You Know was even a month old. We were sad to know he was no longer at South Gate, but we do like the Marriott in general and have had great experiences with this brand in our personal life so we thought we'd drop in and see what South Gate is up to. And we mean drop in literally, they did not know we were coming. South Gate is owned by the Marriott. Manager Greg Cochran of South Gate is professional and on his toes and we had a superb initial experience at the new South Gate! He's only been there since April 2014 but he behaves in a manner consistent with restaurant owners that know everything about their brand and want to share their expertise with the world.
Not all hotels have great restaurants when the restaurant is owned by the hotel and not an independent restaurateur. And especially not all of them put someone intelligent at the host desk when someone super inquisitive might drop in unannounced and ask them a million questions (we have not told you what brands have failed our drop in test)...Greg welcomed us with cheer, enthusiasm and class and we noticed the beauty of the interior from the fireplace, which creates a warm, elegant but simple atmosphere. Oftentimes, less is more.
There is quite the wine collection at South Gate.
The highly decisive Peachy perused the menu, and Greg graciously ensured that warm bread and butter and the glass of wine she wanted to try were brought to her promptly at the fireplace while she waited for the rest. As you might imagine, patience is not high on the list of Peachy's laudable qualities but waiting in this atmosphere was a total pleasure because of the emphasis on hospitality by Greg and his stellar team. They followed all of our requests and directions to a T and put the P in professional.
The second wine we tried we ordered a glass of, and the robust depth of the Louis M. Martini 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa was indeed glorious on our palate.
Everyone in Manhattan is going to want this seating area near the fireplace this winter, so we would advise you to get there early!
Because we like to ask the hard questions and see if venues are masters of the eight-armed wonder, for an appetizer we chose the Charred Octopus. It was very good and joined by poached spring corn, edamame, red sorrel and highlighted by a quintessential grapefruit vinaigrette. This creative combination was delightful and was the right amount of interesting for Goldilocks Peachy, who does not like boring and does not like overly creative stomach-turning endeavors either. Of course, she likes everything just right. This was balanced, just like the decor and atmosphere.
Green salad is in our lineup before the puck is dropped at every game, and under "Greens" we chose the Kale and Ramps. The pleasant array of fresh vegetables included tomato, farro, crisp pancetta, roasted marcona almonds, and a poached egg. They listened and put the dressing on the side! The best part of this salad was the pecorino: it was the perfect highlight.
We like asparagus, and we like it even better with just the right accent of bacon! Grilled white asparagus with bacon lardons and truffle oil boast a nice smokiness. And did we mention truffle oil. We love love love it!
The best edible entry was the entree, as it should be (shocking to us how some places do a better job at other components of the meal! the star of the show in every case is meant to be the entree, period.) The Halibut was fresh, delicious and seared to perfection. We never edit or photoshop anything we take because we are honest with you- it did really look this fantastic. Normally we are not fans of quinoa at all, but we liked it here with our most favorite vegetable, green beans! ...otherwise known as Haricots Verts of course. South Gate really has the highlights and accents on dishes done well because we noticed the Lemon Dill Yogurt really brought out the flavor of the fish-just tops!
We hope to tell you more about South Gate as the season continues, and Greg please save us the seat near the fireplace in the upscale lounge!!!
South Gate Bar and Restaurant at the JW Marriott Essex House is Terrific Takeout.
