Christmas Eve Dinner at Robert

As a “welcome home” from my first semester at college, my parents took me to Robert, the new restaurant within the Museum of Arts and Design, located on Columbus Circle. I have always adored this museum, and attend the exhibitions whenever I come home.

As we entered the restaurant, located on the ninth floor, we were presented with a fabulous view of Central Park, Columbus circle, and north bound Broadway.

Needless to say, the view is fabulous!

Peering into the mirror next to our table and along the far wall, we were under the impression that the restaurant was a vast, never ending line of tables, so long, that the other side of the room might have been across the street. Dozens of fluorescent neon-pink, boxed lights lined the ceiling, with against the dark walls and sculptural furniture designed by Philip Michael Wolfson.

We ordered a signature cocktail called the Isabelle, named after the famous floral designer and event planner, Robert Isabelle, after whom the restaurant was named. The presentation was simple and lovely, a martini glass of Prosecco and Elderflower liqueur, adorned with a pansy.

After we had ordered, our waiter brought each of us a complimentary oyster. My mother, not one for shellfish, delegated her portion to my father who gladly obliged. My father and I downed the succulent meat, our throats tingling from the pickled pineapple with shallot, and the pink-peppercorn vinaigrette. We expected sweetness from the pineapple but instead the swallow was clean and yielded just a simple hint of parsley.

The torchon of Hudson Valley foie gras, which accompanied a pillar of brioche circles and a lump of quince chutney, offered no flavor. We learned that a torchon is foie gras wrapped in a towel and poached, in this case, court bullion, a vegetable stock with white wine and lemon. The texture was creamy, but there was no taste unless a mouthful contained the sweet chutney. Pistachios encrusting the torchon sides provided a saltiness. We are big fans of sauteed foie gras, which is why we opted to try this appetizer. But my mother and I were not pleased

Next, I ordered the charred octopus. Sweet onions and shaved fennel offered a layer of flavor along with tender and slightly charred pieces of octopus, which were salty with a bite of Gaela olives. It was delicious.

My mother was confused once her shrimp cocktail was set in front of her. She had expected the martini glass, with shrimp on ice and a side of cocktail sauce, but instead two, very large pieces of shrimp were presented to her. The shrimp were crisp and sweet, encircled by tomatoes and immersed in a mildly spicy horseradish gelee. Despite the shock, she enjoyed it.

As an in- between appetizer and entree course, we ordered a pasta. We all enjoyed the Pappardelle. Pieces of wild boar, olives, raisins and pine nuts hid under flat rivulets of noodles. The meat was juicy, not stringy or chewy and the raisins offered a sweet burst layered among gamy flavors. The consistency of the dish was thinner than a stew, but just as hearty. I greedily sopped up the delicious sauce, meat, olives and raisins on a tiny piece of warm multigrain bread. I'm actually surprised I didn't spill it all over myself. We all agreed it was the best dish of the night.

As we waited for our entrees, my parents complained about the reflection in the window. The video screen, hung from the back wall, displaying digital images of falling leaves and twisting branches at a nauseating pace, disturbed their fabulous view. My mother probably switched seats four times throughout the course of the meal until the image on the screen changed to a woman's feet wearing silver stilettos stomping on silver ornaments. The art piece is an installation titled "Happy Holidays."

Our entrees arrived promptly. My mother's strip steak, a robust portion, was served with baby carrots, halved fingerling potatoes, and creamed spinach. My mother, a hardened meat eater, could only finish half of her buttery steak and begged us not to waste the other half immersed in it's own juices. I couldn't even get a picture before she tore into it. The side vegetables were a bust, but the meat could hold it's own.


A pristine rectangle of poached halibut, blinding in it's whiteness, contrasted by festive red and greens of spinach, chives and tomatoes offered a nice presentation. The flavor was tame and in my father's opinion the dish was "just fish," neither impressive or satisfying.

Then the server set my plate of roasted Pekin duck breast onto the table. A torrent of clove, cardamom, star anise, coriander, and cinnamon smells wafted beneath my nose. I was more excited by the initial smell than the taste. The meat was pink, not tough, or overly spiced. The sides, kernels of corn throughout quinoa were sweet, compared to the mustardy taste of turnips. I was more taken by my initial impression of the dish than the flavor.

Dessert was passable. At the start of the meal we were told to order the chef's special Bombolini, described as ricotta fritters dusted with cinnamon. They were basically doughnut holes, light, but very sweet. Served with a choice of chocolate, caramel and vanilla dipping sauces. The extra sugar covering the fried dough and the immersion of more sugar was too much.

My father wisely stuck to plain vanilla ice cream and was better off than the my mother and I.

Mom ordered the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a side of vanilla ice cream. You could have a coronary from all the sugar. The cake contained moist fruits and the overly sweet frosting canceled out almost every other flavor except for a hint of traditional carrot cake spice on the final swallow. Was the cream cheese frosting really necessary with a scoop of ice cream? The ice cream made the dessert swallowable and was fine with a forkful of cake.

In retrospect, the service was impeccable. Even the bread servers were friendly cordial and professional. The view is fantastic and no food can diminish the magic of Central Park or the brilliant patterns of New York traffic at night. The price was reasonable and I hear that lunch service will start on January 4th. The restaurant is exciting, and even after the room had filled up it was not noisy. There is also the possibility that live jazz will play during dinner service in the future, and the full service lounge bar is a great place to hang out and have drinks. I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a healthy New Year!