Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Red Cat - New York City

The Red Cat Exterior
I came here for a late night dinner on the last Saturday in January after a show. Reservations are needed and we had one for 10:15. It was standing room only at the bar when we arrived at 10. We had arrived early and after only 5 minutes we were seated. That's nice because for some reason a drunk at the bar thought one of my friends was interested in talking to him. She wasn't! Tables are tight and this place is loud. No real insulation to absorb any noise with their wooden floors, walls and tin ceiling. For some reason this just ads to the ambiance. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable.

They have a nice wine selection and a few interesting cocktails. One friend ordered the Cherry Masher cocktail. It was delicious! For a restaurant whose website plays Willie Nelson, I was a bit surprised that the bar lacked Jack Daniels. I was offered Jim Beam as a substitute, which in my opinion is a poor substitute at best. I'm pretty sure I made a face of some sort. Oh well, Makers Mark filled in as his second suggestion. On the plus side, they had fantastic marinated cherries for my Manhattan. They made the drink.

For dinner I ordered the Pan Roasted Salmon, with warm Brussels sprout salad, carrot ginger puree and walnut pesto. I don't even like Brussels sprouts. They were delicious! Clean plate club. My dining companions ordered the mussel appetizers, Fontina macaroni, herbed french fries, oven roasted cauliflower. I could go back just to work my way through the appetizer and vegetable menu.

Service was excellent, prices very reasonable. I would not hesitate to go back here again or recommend to anyone needing a dining option in or near the Chelsea neighborhood.

_Laine

The Red Cat
227 10th Avenue
(between 23rd St & 24th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 242-1122

Mon-Thur 5PM-11PM
Fri-Sat 5PM-12AM
Sun 5PM-10 PM

Lunch Tue-Sat 12PM-2:30PM

Red Cat on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good time was had by all. A lively place.

Anonymous said...

Yes it was lively. There was a rowdy crowd that night, which made for a fun evening.

Anonymous said...

I thought getting to know the neighbors was pretty fun, too...