One of the nice parts of living and working in Manhattan is that there is so much you can do and improvise after work. We had a show at 8 PM from winning a lottery, so it was easy to meet up after work and look for something to eat. Pre-theater prix fixe menus are a nice thing. They are basically a small tasting menu that won’t fill your belly too much, and the price is reasonable. We ended up at Oceana here since we realized we were within its small pre-theater hours of 5-6 PM on Friday.
Ambiance & Service
The ambiance of this restaurant feels like an extravagant, high end seafood restaurant essentially where you would expect a lot of business clientele to meet and eat. I known that from walking past this restaurant during lunch several times, I’ve seen a lot of Midtown people dine here. It seems they have small rooms in the back, so that you can have private events if desired.
The service was very speedy and attentive. Our waters were always filled without asking, and they cleaned our table after each course.
We both ordered the three course theater menu for $55 per person only on Friday/Saturday between 5-6 PM. They do offer this theater menu with wine pairing for $95. I’m not sure what wines it comes with.
Food
The complimentary focaccia came with a side of olive oil dip. It was warm, and tasted pretty good.
The Frosé ($20) came with Rosé wine, Helix vodka, fresh lemon juice, and strawberry purée. This was just OK for my partner. The strawberry purée was a bit subdue, and the drink tasted quite alcoholic at first. As some of the ice grains melted, it was a bit smoother.
The Pinot Noir ($19) came from Talbott, Kali Hart Estate, Monterey County, CA 2021. This pinot was medium body, but it definitely had some acidic bite to it. It did pair well with the hanger steak, but it’s not something that I really enjoyed drinking on its own otherwise.
For appetizers, my Four Oysters came with a classic mignonette. I was a bit surprised by how small these oysters are, but they were definitely not subtly briny. My guess is they were probably smaller bluepoint oysters.
For appetizers, my partner’s Swordfish Ceviche came with orange, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. The swordfish was quite dense, and not the best complement for ceviche flavors and plating. The ingredients were quite fresh though.
For entree, my partner’s Seared Chicken came with gnudi, English peas, spring onion, basil, and chicken jus. The chicken tasted like it was sous vide, and it was very tender and juicy. The chicken jus was quite pleasant and has inspired me to want to create jus for the chicken I cook at home during the week.
For entree, my Hanger Steak came with fries and some type of semi-sweet glaze sauce. This was ordered medium rare, and it felt like it was slightly more medium. The meat reminded me a bit of brisket. The fries were not crispy at all, arguably doughy and soggy a bit. I would’ve liked it if it was in the fryer for a few more minutes, so that it can crisp. The glaze sauce was ok. It tasted like some sort of reduction, but it’s missing some flavor from it. The hanger steak itself was pretty tender despite the slight overcook.
For dessert, my partner’s Orange Dreamsicle Parfait came with orange cream, olive oil cake, oatmeal crumble, orange sorbet, and orange espuma. This was pretty good. It was not heavily orange flavored and also not too sweet.
For dessert, my Mixed Fruit Sorbet came with shortbread. The mixed fruit sorbet tasted basically like strawberry sorbet, and it reminded me a bit of Jamba Juice “Caribbean Passion” flavors.
Final Verdict
The pre-theater menu is pretty reasonable for the price, and the food quality is pretty decent. If you’re around the area, definitely consider Oceana an option.
Yelp Jabs
I was looking forward to the caviar menu which they apparently only serve in the bar area and not in the main dining … Maybe I’ll come back and try that caviar tasting menu at the bar next time.
Of all the places to go to in Midtown, it feels like this Yelper decided to focus on this restaurant as the primo caviar place to go to. It doesn’t make much sense.
The food was okay. The salmon burger was only okay: it wasn’t very flavorful, so was a little difficult to eat. It was essentially just a basically just a salmon patty on the bun
To add to this Elitist’s keen observation, I believe that a hamburger is basically a beef patty on the bun.
Revisions
- Jun 23, 2023 - Initial revision.