EscaFish heavenIf you are a fish aficionado, Esca is a must experience.5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent Service and Great SeafoodWe thoroughly enjoyed this amazing seafood restaurant! The service was amazing as one would expect here - they did not disappoint! The wine was great too! Each of us tried something unique and different and all of us enjoyed EVERY BITE we took! We loved the freshness of every item and the willingness of the staff to make recommendations and explain unusual choices! We only regret that we did not get to try dessert as we were running for a show! It looked great too!5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMA great mealWe're not used to eating at fancy restaurants so we were a bit nervous about ordering. Our waiter was excellent. He explained everything and was able to make great suggestions. I had never tried "crudo" either, which means raw. Our waiter suggested a salmon plate and it was excellent! The whole meal, right down to the dessert, was perfect.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing FoodWould highly recommend this restaurant, it is a 10+. Food is amazing, great location if you are seeing a play, great ambiance.
Amazing service.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMNo surprises.Fantastic fish and wine as you would expect from Batali/Bastianch & Company. Interesting and expertly prepared. Service typically impeccable, courteous and professional.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMInteresting seafood dining!We were hesitant to try Esca after reading mixed reviews, but overall found it to be a good choice. We were greeted at the door courteously and seated promptly. Our waiter was helpful with suggestions, and even when he was not around, our water, wine and bread were refilled by staff. I noticed that a manager-type was always combing the dining area to assist and make sure that every table was attended to at every moment! The menu selections were vast and interesting. We went with several of the crudo (appetizers), a pasta to share (which the chef adjusted for me), several vegetables and the sea bass for two. It was all fantastic and very enjoyable. The only negative (typical for NY) is the noise level -- but overall a great experience.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMIst visit there from Michigan,Ist visit there from Michigan, found them via Zagat. Great neighborhood restaurant, a little out of the way from tourist hotels which is good.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat fishif you love fish this is the place best baked clams5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMMy dinner at Esca....I took my fiance to dinner for her birthday and could not be more satisfied.. we had a great meal,great appetizers and while we were there Tony Bennett came in and sat next to us. What a wonderful surprise that was ..I wish I could have got him to sing Happy Birthday to my girl..lol. highly recommend Esca to anyone..5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Special Occasion restaurantESCA is one of our favorite restaurants in NYC. I took my wife there for Mother's Day and had a great time. Our son who graduated from Johnson and Wales University (culinary) introduced us to it and love going there. While it is a bit on the pricey side, it is worth every cent. And compared to restaurants in NJ where you could spend just as much - there is no comparison. The food coupled with the pleasant and knowledgable wait staff, make it an excellent choice especially for special occasions.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMDoesn't get better than this...Great food, fresh, creative and exquisitely prepared. Crudo dishes the best, seafood (branzino superb), seafood pastas a must.
Too good to rush before theatre. This is food worth savoring.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMJust amazing!My second time at Esca, did not think it could get better . . . but it was! I live on the North Coast of Florida, great availability of sea food, but I have never experienced the quality and preparation of seafood that Esca provides. Bravo Orange Crocks!5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMDisturbanceThe restaurant and food were wonderful, but we had a very loud speaking "VIP" next to use who was insulted when I very nicely asked him to lower his voice. He kept up a constant flow of loud talking anyway. The manager came over and shook his hand and at the end of the meal apologized to the "VIP" for the disturbance. Really? How insulting to us. I guess you need to be a VIP to get treated fairly at Esca. Even though the food was excellent, I would not go there again, nor would I recommend it to anyone. I don't know anyone who would appreciate this type of behavior by the manager.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMMario Batali's fish: the BEST ever!Flinty fresh oysters, wild fresh Mahi Mahi perfectly prepared, Arugula salad, great wine list AND perfect service!
Well done, as always!
Fred and Johnna Kleisner5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMtop notch seafood, expertlytop notch seafood, expertly prepared and presented. like a trip to a seaside town on the back side of the boot. excellent wine selection. very highly recommended.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMBEST SEA FOOD & SERVICE WORLDWIDEThe best sea food you will find anywhere in the world. Prepared phenomenally. Fantastic, attentive service. Great value for the great meal you savor. Excellent wine list too.5/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful Saturday afternoonWonderful Saturday afternoon lunch at Esca. Got bigeye tuna crudo, fritti which was mixed fried seafood, and the maccheroni chitarra with sea urchin and crabmeat. All was delicious and the service was great as well. Only knock is that the prices are a bit steep for this type of restaurant. Overall, a great experience.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for Italian seafoodIncredible food ....great wine....they made sure we were done in time to make our show. Just know they don't open doors until 5 pm. We had 5:15 reservations and arrived eArly to have drinks first but ended up waiting outside for doors to open. Bar is too small anyways....the banana pudding for dessert was also awesome!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMThis place is fantastic. It'sThis place is fantastic. It's small, so when we were dining at 5:30pm it got pretty busy with the pre-show dinner crowd, but it was a great ambience. The service was on point. My water and wine glasses were never even close to empty. As for the food, amazing! I had the linguine which they say is their only dish that gets complaints for being too briny--I am the pickiest of eaters you'll ever meet and I thought it was the best linguine I've ever had. Definitely save room for dessert, too. The price was a lot more reasonable than I expected, especially considering we went with a recommended bottle of wine without asking the price of it.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMOur second visit was as memberableOur second visit was as memberable as our first. The staff were all friendly and attentive. Every bite of food from the amuse to the cookies were delicious. I can't wait to go back again.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMEsca is perfect for diningEsca is perfect for dining before attending a Broadway show in the neighborhood.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMI took a client and his family.I took a client and his family. What a great choice. They marveled at the food and knew the history. The service was extremely attentive.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMI had requested a corner typeI had requested a corner type table for I hadn't seen my dinner companion in many years and wanted a trifle more intimacy. That was not honored. And the service was rushed. The food was excellent and deserving of savoring in a slower atmosphere.
Thank you.4/22/2013 12:00:00 AMWe liked the music selectionsWe liked the music selections but the volume was too loud. We were early evening so with little competitive noise from customers talking and waitstaff activities, it may have been more noticeable than later in the evening with a full house.4/22/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was great and ourThe food was great and our waiter Chris was fabulous!!! But I think he was a manager (tall african-american fellow), He stalked the table. It was a little unnerving and quite annoying. He made us feel rushed. Otherwise was a great experience. I don't know If I would recommend Esca to a friend, I would feel bad if the service wasn't good.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMPasternak is a treasure. ConsistentPasternak is a treasure. Consistently excellent fish and terrific wine list. Had the 2008 Aragone at the waiter's suggestion and loved it.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMThe wait staff was very attentiveThe wait staff was very attentive and was thrilled that our dining experience was great. They take pride in the restaurant and it shows in everything they do. I was very impressed4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMA perfect pre-theater dinnerA perfect pre-theater dinner spot. Food is very good, service was quite attentive, wine list has many interesting selections and it is only one or two blocks to the theatre.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMIf splurging for a specialIf splurging for a special occasion or if money is no object, this place is definitely a winner. Charming, rustic atmosphere and fabulous food and wine. The staff could not have been more accommodating...just enough attention without being overbearing. Can't wait for a return trip to NYC and dinner here. We could not decide from the many options on the menu so went with the tasting menu. Be sure to get the added sushi flight as it is worth it.4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed the ambience andWe enjoyed the ambience and the service was great. We ordered the grouper for 3 and were aghast at the meager servings. The cost was astronomical!!! $37.00 for 3 forkfuls of fish. Would not recommend to friends!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was stunning andThe food was stunning and delicious. A truly great lunch.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMHigh (priced) Seas AdventuresThis is a very good Seafood restaurant with many different out of the ordinary choices. Not for the unadventurous though, that being said, I really enjoyed trying some special appetizers such as white anchovies. Our lunch entrees - we both chose the pasta special. Handmade ruffle ribbons of delightful pasta in a wonderful lemony garlic sauce topped with grilled shrimp and scallops. It was very good! The only thing stopping us from dining here more often is the price. It is highly overpriced for the small portions of food they serve. Lunch cost us &140.00 and we did not eat very much.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMWe loved everything aboutWe loved everything about this restaurant. The food was delicious and the service impeccable. We had a late reservation and were the last table sitting yet the staff was warm and encouraged us to take our time and enjoy! We did and will return.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMA delicious restaurant onA delicious restaurant on a stormy night in the City. Esca set the mood for an exciting evening (viewing Matilda) with its delicious crudo and marvelous black bass. A little pricey but a very special place. I always recommend it to my Jersey friends!4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulousFabulous menu... our server /service was impeccable .. I ordered a challanging seafood dish and our server talked me through it without making me feel like I needed it! We will definately be back .. every course was amazing!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMexceptional in every wayesca is our personal favorite.. because of dave and christian. i was raised on Long Island on south shore and have a fondness for dave because of his Long Island roots.......i have been an avid eataly fan since it opened and ate at the fish restaurant counter almost every saturday and would talk to the christian, the chef..was so happy to see him at esca
it is outstanding in every way!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMEsca for fishExcellent food and attentive service. Always crowded with a high noise level. Reservations a must.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMWe've been regulars at EscaWe've been regulars at Esca since it opened, and in the last couple visits we thought it might have slipped from 5 stars to 4...but if so, it's back. A spectacular meal, topped of by the most perfect piece of wild king salmon, the skin crusty as a grilled steak, the flesh moist and tender as a soufflé, paired with a previously unknown Slovenian Reisling that couldn't have been better. Bravo all around.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMterrific Italian RestaurantFood was fresh and tasty hitting many different parts of your plalate. Not your traditional Italian place. Terrific Italian Restaurant.the spagetti neri is an oustanding dish.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had the tasting plate,We had the tasting plate, it was great. Service was excellent an all round good experiance4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMThe freshest fish. The crudoThe freshest fish. The crudo is always a special treat. Whole fish baked in sea salt is so moist and tender.4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMFour star dining. Best fishFour star dining. Best fish restaurant I've ever dined at.
Great use of seasonal items, could taste Spring in every bite.
Loved it here.4/2/2013 12:00:00 AMTranscendentalExcellent meal from start to finish. Delicious aperitivi using authentic Italian liquors-mirto and prosecco. Scrumptious food selection. Contorni were authentically prepared. My dessert-the affogato- was transcendental. Dinner was finished off with a digestivo-aqua di cedro-that I haven't found in the USA since my return from Italy. I would highly recommend this restaurant.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMLose the attitude at the door...So much for first impressions. Arrived for lunch Saturday, March 30th and was greeted by a hostess far too young to already be a snob. No friendly welcome, no smile, not even a hello, nada. "Follow me" were the only two words out of her. Same with the female wine steward who turned her nose up at my (lower priced) Rose with the Bastinach name. Why put it on the menu if you do not approve ? Anyway, the wine was great once we got rid of her attitude as well. The server however, was outstanding. Young man with glasses who has been there a while. Food was PERFECT in every way. Best liguini and clams in the city with a great kick. Lobster and spaghetti was also terrific as were desserts.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMgr8 theatre restaurant gr8gr8 theatre restaurant gr8 restaurant period would go back3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMQuasi PerfettoTasting menu excellent: terrific crudo, asparagus, pasta, extra crudo enthusiastically brought and promoted by waiter. Food quality sagged a little toward the end with with dry, austere principal fish dish. House wines quite pleasant and only slightly over-priced.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMI was impressed at the levelI was impressed at the level of service at Esca, staff was attentive and never arrogant as suggested by other critics I had read. The spaghetti Neri (black pasta) is just delicious, the best of its kind. Very good wine list.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMWhole Branzino is amazing!Whole Branzino is amazing! I am never disappointed when I come to Esca!3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesome food! Can't imagineAwesome food!
Can't imagine visiting NYC without a nice dinner at Esca.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was even better thanThe food was even better than expected..Wait staff very enthusiastic. Everyone who worrked there was very efficient and pleasant.3/19/2013 12:00:00 AM