A restaurant worth visiting
If you are ever in the Upper East Side area and are dying for a tasty meal that doesn’t break the bank too much then TBar is the spot to head over to. Located between E73rd and E74th on 3rd Avenue, this restaurant has many different faces. The main dining area has white tablecloths, fancy wine glasses, nice chairs—everything you would expect to find in a nice and classy restaurant. But at the same time there is also a section where you can sit that is a little bit more relaxed and has a nice ease to it. The hostess we talked to described it as the ‘cooler section.’ And the bar scene at this venue was nice and lively too. It had a very energetic vibe.
As far as drinks go, TBar has the typical assortment of wines and beer. Their wine list has everything from Rose to Pinot Grigio, to Stella Artois. And as far as cocktails go, their list is a little limited but they do have some interesting drinks nonetheless. The TBar Cosmo, made with Chopin Vodka, Triple sec Blood Orange, and Cranberry Brittle, is a nice and refreshing. The orange flavor comes through very well and is accompanied with a nice and subtle bitterness. You get a little bite from the vodka but it goes down fairly smooth, which is something we appreciate in a cocktail. The Cucumber Sake-Tini is another drink we tried. Made with peeled cucumber, sake, and vodka, this drink is simple and strong.
For some reason, at every single restaurant we have gone to, the appetizers have been the star of the night. Not to say that the entrees here are bad (they were actually very good) but these appetizers were on a whole other playing field. We first ordered the foie gras and chicken parfait with a cherry compote and toasted bread. This foie gras was incredible. One of the best ones we have had ever. It was creamy and smooth and paired really well with the bread. It tasted almost like butter and had a nice subtle saltiness to it which was nice. This dish is one of those dishes that you could order twenty of and be content with that decision. You could also pair it with the cranberries that they provide on the plate which would give it a good sweetness that pairs well with the savoriness of the dish.
Another dish we ordered was the seared Spanish octopus with potatoes, celery, and olives. The octopus itself had a nice crunch on the outside from the char. The octopus meat was chewy but tender. You have to chew it a little bit but then it just melts in your mouth. The dish had a lot of citrus on it and you could taste a lot of lime on the meat but it wasn’t overwhelming in any way. The add ons of the potatoes, celery, and olives were a good pair with the different textures and flavors.
And the last dish we tried was the yellowfin tuna tartar with soy, ginger, and sesame seeds. This tartar was so good. It was bright, refreshing, sweet, and paired well with the crostini. It doesn’t taste fishy at all which is a problem with a lot of tartars out there. And the soy and ginger added to it was subtle but gave it a great burst of flavor that really accentuated the sweetness of the tuna.
For the entrees, we got the Chilean Sea Bass with bok choy and a ginger soy glaze. It was an Asian inspired dish with a lot of sweet and spicy notes to it. The fish was flakey and cooked well. The dish itself was light and tasty. However, the glaze on the fish was a little overpowering.
The desserts are something to be talked about. Each of TBar’s signature desserts serves 2 people, so naturally we got more than one of those desserts to try. The first one we tried was their strawberry sundae. The way this dessert works is that layers of strawberry shortcake are stacked together with vanilla ice cream in between. This dessert is every sugar tooth’s dream. The shortcakes were moist and soft. The ice cream was smooth and creamy; sweet but not too much so. The ice cream paired with the cake was a marriage made in heaven. Both complimented each other so well and with the light and airy meringue tossed in too, this dessert was amazing. Another dessert we loved was their chocolate sundae. It has the same concept with the layers but instead of shortcake it has brownie layers with vanilla ice cream. The brownie layers were moist and full of chocolate flavor and the vanilla complimented the chocolate really well. But we have to say that when they say it feeds 2 people, they aren’t joking. These desserts are huge and you won’t be able to finish any of these desserts without another person.
Overall, TBar gave us some great food that we will remember for a long time. If anything, come to this restaurant for the desserts. They are so worth it.
