Walking into Bazaar Meat by Michelin-starred chef José Andrés, tucked inside The Ritz-Carlton New York on West 28th Street, the first impression is striking. The dining room is grand and artistic, with high ceilings, oversized chandeliers, and lush fabrics that set the tone for a dramatic evening of open-fire cooking. The restaurant is as known for its decadent atmosphere and excellent service as it is for its quality ingredients and theatrical dishes, like Cotton Candy Foie Gras and the Caviar Cone with gold leaf. I arrived with high hopes for the meal, and while I did enjoy many parts of the evening, a few missteps kept it from feeling truly superb.
The strongest part of the meal was, without question, the steak. My table ordered a medium-well strip steak and a medium-rare ribeye. The strip steak arrived undercooked, a mistake I was surprised by at this level. However, they did remedy it and the final steak was thin, tender, deeply peppery, and marked by an unusual dark, nutty flavour. The ribeye was even more impressive. It was exquisite—extraordinarily tender and full of flavour.
The quality of the sides was more uneven. The broccolini with hollandaise, nuts, and chili was outstanding, with just the right amount of heat balanced by the richness of the sauce. The Potatoes Pau Gasol, fried potatoes with cured egg yolk and caviar, were an excellent, well-balanced appetizer. The Patatas Bravas were also good and perfectly crispy. I’d recommend all three. However, I’d suggest skipping the rather one-note waterlogged spinach with pine nuts and raisins, as well as the Caviar Cone, which had a delicate flavour but was far too heavy; it would’ve benefitted from more emphasis on the caviar’s character and less creaminess.
For dessert, the baked strawberry cheesecake had an excellent texture: creamy and pleasingly restrained in sweetness. I did find that the delicate flavour was overpowered by the abundance of mint served alongside. The key lime pie was excellent: refreshing, not overly sweet, and cleverly deconstructed. It had a delicate but distinctive lime flavour, with a biscuity base presented in a playful, sandcastle-like form. The chocolate dessert was also strong, unfolding in stages: the olive oil first, then the darker chocolate notes afterward, without becoming too heavy.
The waitstaff were excellent. Our waiter was attentive and precise without ever being intrusive, recognizing both subtle and less subtle cues and responding quickly.
The restaurant has moments of real excellence. The strip steak, ribeye, broccolini, and Potatoes Pau Gasol were the standouts. Still, the undercooked steak and the weaker dishes kept the restaurant from delivering the kind of consistently excellent experience I would expect from a Michelin-starred chef inside a 5-star hotel.
DETAILS
Bazaar Meat by José Andrés
35 W 28th St Second Floor, New York, NY 10001
Website: https://www.thebazaar.com/
Rating: ★★
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