Eatery

My assignment a couple of Fridays ago? Find a place for a pre-Broadway-theater dinner, for nine, including kids and out-of-town family. In other words: fixed location, nothing too touristy (or rip-off expensive), but it needed to be a bit of a crowd-pleaser.

Totally nailed it.

I've always liked Eatery's signage, the big lower case "e" jutting out over Ninth Avenue (on the corner of 53rd Street), but this was Scoboco's first meal here, and now I'm not sure what took us so long. The room is contemporary and inviting; the service friendly and responsive (especially during the "water-spill" incident...); the menu filled with familiar dishes presented with an international spin, generally asian or latin; and the food ranged from definitely good to pretty delicious.

I had the Chipotle Spiked Meatloaf, served on a bed of spinach and a pile of creamy mashed potatoes, topped with a rich cheese sauce. It sounds like a bit much, I know, but the kitchen really pulled it off: the flavors were well-balanced, the meat juicy, the spinach cooked just right. I was impressed. And very full. Other winners around the table included the Udon Noodle Salad, the Pearl Crusted Yellowfin Tuna (with Japanese Eggplant, Edamame and Fresh Water Chestnuts), the Adobe Salad (read: Cobb salad, made Mexican) and a Coconut Shrimp special.



The desserts were also well-handled: the table devoured a Warm Chocolate Cake with Pistachio Ice Cream and an Apple Pecan Bread Pudding with Dulce de Leche Gelato. Nothing spectacular, but they definitely did their job.