When I walked by Arctica (a douchy typical Murray hill bar) and noticed it was now Whitman and Bloom I thought…oh good, Arctica 2.0. But when Albert said that’s what he wanted for his November pick, I couldn’t argue. You see, we’re trying to establish a tradition where we each choose 1-2 new restaurants or bars each month to try – no vetoes allowed. When he said that’s where he wanted to go I made no complaints even though I suspected it would be overrun by Yankee frat boys.
I was floored with what they’ve done to the place. You would never be able to recognize that it was once a place for sloppy make-out sessions over cheap well drinks…not that I know about that from personal experience. The tables and chairs are dark wood while the walls are all white but in different textures. Low lighting makes it feel romantic, not a word I would ever use to describe for the “love” connections made there. Again, I don’t know from personal experience.
The food is small plate style so Albert and I went to town. We started with olives and then moved to a meat and cheese plate, followed by the mac and cheese, the roasted cauliflower, seared calamari, and the pulled lamb sliders. We may have over-ordered a tad. My favorite was the roasted cauliflower with homemade cheese though there was a bit too much of the tough stalk, even though it did make for a cool presentation. Downsides were my overly sweet drink (the Smoked Pina) and that the waiter didn’t really know anything about the cheese selection.
This is the kind of place I want to go to with my girlfriends before a night out on the town. For the first time, I don’t have to leave my neighborhood to do so.
Peaches to Apples 