The Mark Restaurant – Jean-Georges in the Upper East Side

It was by chance that I found out Jean-Georges Vongerichten was opening a new restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, caught the corner of my eye while clicking around dining websites.

JGV in the UES?

On the surface, it looks to be the perfect combination. A large group of his clientele already live in the neighborhood. Plus after a pleasant evening of culinary bliss, I would rather step out of the restaurant  onto Madison Avenue than of the madness that is the Village or Meat Packing District. It completes the evening. Even Time Warner Center seems a bit anti-climatic after Per Se.

Every time something new by Jean-Georges opens, it’s a big event in the food world. As foodies in Manhattan, it was our duty to go.

The reservation was made a week in advance, for a very late dinner. For the entire week prior to our reservation, I kept referring to the restaurant mistakenly as “The Standard”. Perhaps this was a rather subconscious mistake, as in my mind Jean-Georges, the flagship, is still the bar restaurants are measured against in food, service, and ambiance. The Mark, before it was opened, has been set pretty high.

On a cool, Wednesday evening, we arrived at The Mark hotel. The landmark 1927 building to date still exudes old fashioned wealth and social status. Except for a few tourists speaking foreign languages, you would not imagine this to be a hotel, but rather apartment housing New York’s social elite.

Exquisite dining room

We were led to the bar, where according to Jean George’s blog he had his second date with his wife. Looking down the long narrow hallway, the dining room was still bustling. After sipping on a few drinks, the table was ready and we walked through the hallway into the dining room. The decor was very elegant and simple, high ceilings with glass panes that gains natural light in the daytime was a great design touch.

High ceilings. Glass accent

Some have described the menu as “affordable comfort food”. While this is cheaper than the average Jean George offering in New York, it’s still for the most part considered pricey French cuisine. You see hints of Asian, and a Pizza section, but most of the preparation and ingredients are classically European. For appetizers we decided to mix it up a bit. I went with crab cakes, Jessie went with a salad, and Lisa ordered a plate of very Asian raw fish. Sometimes dining is all about comparison. The crab cake with grapefruit was very similar to the dish I had at Rouge Tomate, but unfortunately not as good. The ceviche was perhaps better left to Japanese chefs. The salad and the champagne dressing, however, was spectacular.

Peekytoe Crab Cake

Raw fish, unfortunately lackluster.

The amazing dressing is memorable.

Then came the entrees, which came in large, “comfort food” serving sizes compared to what you’d normally expect from JGV.

The branzino with couscous tasted better than its appearance conveyed, and we were told it was a very popular item on the menu. Somehow I have my doubts of branzino outshining the grilled sea bass on the menu, perhaps it’s because it’s the cheapest fish on the menu, and we’re in a recession. My rack of lamb was cooked beautifully, and the aged vinaigrette was excellent. Lisa decided to find out what a JGV pizza would taste like….. expected as I had expected. It tasted like a pizza. No JGV charm here.

Branzino!

Rack of lamb with aged vinaigrette

A JGV pizza is, well, a pizza.

At this point, I want to talk about the service. It’s EXCELLENT! In Jean Georges flagship, I describe their wait staff as ninjas. They appear when you need them, and disappear when you don’t. Here at The Mark, the staff is a lot less formal than at Jean Georges, but just as attentive and professional. By being more casual, the personalities really shine. Our waiter recommended a dessert, which turned out to be excellent. Behold the passion fruit meringue. A ball of sugar pastry, with a scoop of passion fruit icecream, drizzled with passion fruit syrup and real fruit seeds. Delicious.

Meringue of perfection.

After the dinner, we strolled out onto a quiet Madison Ave. and recounted the evening’s experience. We all agreed that JGV created this restaurant for a purpose, and that purpose is met. This is a more casual, relaxed version of Jean George’s, dishing out similar flavors on a slightly lower budget. Great for business dinners, impressing your date, or impressing your grandparents. From the perspective of the food, this is not Jean Georges the chef’s best creation, but as a restaurateur, he has made another masterpiece.

CS

Rating:  

The Mark (Make a Reservation)
Madison Ave at 77th Street
(212)744-7300