New York Restaurant Week~ One If By Land, Two If By Sea

A few times a year there is a promotion in New York City called "Restaurant Week" in which participating restaurants will offer special Prix-Fixe menus, usually $24.07 per person for a three course lunch and $35 per person for a three course dinner, not including beverages, tip or tax. It is a unique opportunity to experience some of New York City's finest restaurants for a fraction of the usual price. You can see my post about the restaurant we visited last year at this link.

This year my husband and I decided to make reservations at a wonderfully romantic restaurant called "One If By Land, Two If By Sea," located at 17 Barrow Street, in the West Village neighborhood of New York City. The accepted lore is that it is located in an 18th-century carriage house originally owned by Aaron Burr, who served as Thomas Jefferson's vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805, and is best known for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

It is a romantic hideaway, and the only indication that the building is a restaurant is the menu board on the exterior wall.

Inside, the restaurant offers plenty of atmosphere with exposed brick, gorgeous woodwork, multiple fireplaces, a pianist, a large ornate bar, and beautiful large palladium windows that look out on a garden.

Please click to enlarge to see details

There are two rooms on the main floor and two upstairs. We sat in the Constitution room upstairs, which was very private and allowed for easy conversation. There were fresh roses on the table and long taper candles which were lit when we were seated. It was very comfortable and elegant.

Please click to enlarge to see details

I ordered a signature rosemary passion fruit martini. It was delightful! We were given a luxurious amount of time to look at the wine list and menu. I liked the fact that throughout the meal we weren't rushed or interrupted, and I could see why this restaurant has such a romantic reputation because of that, besides the atmosphere.

After ordering, we were offered an "amuse bouche" of an interesting combination of peach foam and seaweed flakes. A very sweet/salt taste which we enjoyed, although I imagine many might find the combination odd.

I had the wild mushroom tart as an appetizer and my husband had the tomato gazpacho, which was flavored with crab, avocado and lemon basil oil.

As an entree I had the pan seared red snapper, served with baby fennel and black eyed beans and red pepper essence, while my husband had the grilled bavette steak served with pearl onions, roasted radish and confit tomato. Both were excellent! We shared a Canadian red Merlot wine during our dinner.

For dessert I had the blueberry composition which was an unbelievably delicious combination of rosemary gel, yuzi curd, blueberry tapioca, blueberry sorbet and a rosemary chip. My husband had the mascarpone cheesecake served with black current foam, black current streusel and pineapple granite. We ended with a cappuccino.

It was a wonderful evening and a very memorable date night in one of our favorite neighborhoods of New York City!

The summer NYC Restaurant Week Prixe Fixe runs from July 12–31 (excludes Saturdays), please check the web site to see a list of participating restaurants and any restrictions.

I'll end this post with a little trivia. Does the name of the restaurant "One If By Land, Two If By Sea" sound familiar? It may be because you remember Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem called "Paul Revere's Ride" that is about the American Revolutionary hero by that name.

The second stanza of the poem reads as follows:

"He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.”