I only go to Estiatorio Milos when someone else is picking up the check. The room is lovely, the food is fresh, but the prices are outrageous. Truly truly truly outrageous, in the words of eighties cartoon Jem.
Milos (Restaurant, you don't mind if I call you that, right?) is an upscale Mediterranean/Greek establishment in Midtown, specializing in seafood. Meat and vegetables make appearances on the menu as well, but at least one person at the table should try the fish...or the scallops...or the lobster...even if it costs a bazillion dollars. Most is prepared simply - charcoal grilled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon - but that's the beauty of Milos. In a clean, white room evocative of the Mediterranean seaside, you want to taste the clean, fresh fish. Covering it in a sauce (though potentially tasty) would obscure the flavors of the sea, and it seems that's not what Milos is aiming to do.
Most of the seafood is priced and offered by the pound. If I remember correctly, some have a poundage minimum, so it helps if someone else at the table is eying the same variety to share. If you would rather your dish be cooked in sea salt with olive oil and a lemon sauce (rather than charcoal grilled), there is a 3 pound whole fish minimum and a $15 supplement per order.
One non-fish dish I must mention is the "Milos Special." It's an appetizer of thinly sliced zucchini, eggplant, and saganaki cheese that have been ever-so-lightly fried so that they almost take on the consistency of chips. In this most swanky version of chips and dip, the dip is a yogurty/tzatziki situation, and it. is. delightful. At $28.75 an order, it better be.
So where are we eating all of this? In a lovely space on West 55th Street proximate to Carnegie Hall (two blocks north) and the MoMA (two blocks south). It is a large room divided into two main sections by back to back banquettes and a sheer white curtain draping down from the ceiling. To the left of the entrance and the divider is the stone bar, some tables, a kiosk of sorts with busy chefs preparing that which requires preparation, and a lofted private dining room up a flight of stairs. This private room is comprised of two walls dedicated to wine racks and two glass walls through which you can see the rest of the restaurant, and the rest of the restaurant can see you.
To the right of the divider is the main dining room. Here you'll find the majority of the tables, the open kitchen, the bountiful display of whole fish on ice (from which you may choose and indicate to your waiter the exact one you care to have for your meal), and another private dining room up another flight of stairs. This private room, like the one on the other side of the restaurant, is partially glass enclosed, but translucent curtains may be drawn. Whereas this private room can accommodate several small tables, the other may only house one.
The restaurant is decorated in muted tones - mainly white, beige, and gray. The floors are both hardwood and stone, and dramatic elements include large open umbrellas over a select few tables, over-sized stone jugs, and columns reminiscent of ruins.
Estiatorio Milos is a great choice for an upscale seafood restaurant if you know what you're getting into regarding the prices. They do what they do well, but if you're not prepared for the wallet whomping, the shock may make you regurgitate your meal all over yourself. That would be quite the expensive mishap. and disgusting.
Estiatorio Milos - 125 West 55th Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues
Milos (Restaurant, you don't mind if I call you that, right?) is an upscale Mediterranean/Greek establishment in Midtown, specializing in seafood. Meat and vegetables make appearances on the menu as well, but at least one person at the table should try the fish...or the scallops...or the lobster...even if it costs a bazillion dollars. Most is prepared simply - charcoal grilled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon - but that's the beauty of Milos. In a clean, white room evocative of the Mediterranean seaside, you want to taste the clean, fresh fish. Covering it in a sauce (though potentially tasty) would obscure the flavors of the sea, and it seems that's not what Milos is aiming to do.
Most of the seafood is priced and offered by the pound. If I remember correctly, some have a poundage minimum, so it helps if someone else at the table is eying the same variety to share. If you would rather your dish be cooked in sea salt with olive oil and a lemon sauce (rather than charcoal grilled), there is a 3 pound whole fish minimum and a $15 supplement per order.
One non-fish dish I must mention is the "Milos Special." It's an appetizer of thinly sliced zucchini, eggplant, and saganaki cheese that have been ever-so-lightly fried so that they almost take on the consistency of chips. In this most swanky version of chips and dip, the dip is a yogurty/tzatziki situation, and it. is. delightful. At $28.75 an order, it better be.
So where are we eating all of this? In a lovely space on West 55th Street proximate to Carnegie Hall (two blocks north) and the MoMA (two blocks south). It is a large room divided into two main sections by back to back banquettes and a sheer white curtain draping down from the ceiling. To the left of the entrance and the divider is the stone bar, some tables, a kiosk of sorts with busy chefs preparing that which requires preparation, and a lofted private dining room up a flight of stairs. This private room is comprised of two walls dedicated to wine racks and two glass walls through which you can see the rest of the restaurant, and the rest of the restaurant can see you.
To the right of the divider is the main dining room. Here you'll find the majority of the tables, the open kitchen, the bountiful display of whole fish on ice (from which you may choose and indicate to your waiter the exact one you care to have for your meal), and another private dining room up another flight of stairs. This private room, like the one on the other side of the restaurant, is partially glass enclosed, but translucent curtains may be drawn. Whereas this private room can accommodate several small tables, the other may only house one.
The restaurant is decorated in muted tones - mainly white, beige, and gray. The floors are both hardwood and stone, and dramatic elements include large open umbrellas over a select few tables, over-sized stone jugs, and columns reminiscent of ruins.
Estiatorio Milos is a great choice for an upscale seafood restaurant if you know what you're getting into regarding the prices. They do what they do well, but if you're not prepared for the wallet whomping, the shock may make you regurgitate your meal all over yourself. That would be quite the expensive mishap. and disgusting.
Estiatorio Milos - 125 West 55th Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues
No comments:
Post a Comment