A Kosher Gem in the Heart of the United Nations

I recently was invited to the UN Plaza Grill to taste their culinary delights. They offer international cuisine created by award-winning chefs and is truly a hidden gem located in the heart of the United Nations area.

Located in a beautiful, open space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular décor, I sat in the dining room right opposite the mural of those beautiful white tigers that seem to almost leap off the wall. The ambiance is incredible, the red giant “lampshades,” the white leather seats and booths with some Asian inspired red-and-white ones dotted in. We were seated at a booth and as the staff brought out items we could all watch and listen as they explained everything. We were served family style with tastings of some of the restaurant’ s delicious signature dishes. Our media group consisted of the publisher of the New York Jewish Travel Guide, a kosher food blogger, and the deputy managing editor of a local Jewish newspaper.

This is what happened….

First up as we sat our Maitre D, Ghandi Kimia, handed us all a cocktail of Champagne with Cassis aka Kir Royale.  We all made an L’ Chaim and got settled for what was about to be a true gastronomic journey. As we sipped our drinks out came a HUGE platter of sushi and sashimi. Beautifully fresh fish presented in a proper “WOW” manner. We had a selection of different roll:

Pink Lady roll – tuna, salmon, yellowtail topped with spicy tuna, crunch, spicy mayo

Duo Ahi Tuna – spicy tuna, jalapeno, pear, pepper, tuna, avocado, wasabi aioli

Volcano – tuna, salmon, mango, crunch, spicy mayo, salmon, yellowtail, avocado

The Pink Lady had the right level of crunch and the Duo Ahi Tuna with the jalapeno, pear, and mango had the right amount of heat and sweet.

There was also a selection of sashimi, buttery soft raw slices of fish that slid down the throat perfectly.

Next up came a selection of appetizers, this was an entire tasting menu made by the Chef especially for us.

Sichuan Beef Potstickers – sesame, scallion, ponzu hoisin glazed

Lamb Rib with Lamb Samosas

U.N.B.B.Q Short Rib Tacos – pineapple, plum tomato salsa, micro cilantro

More Lamb Samosa

The Short Rib Tacos had a tasty smokey flavor and The Sichuan Beef Potstickers had a good crunch when bitten into but then you got full dumpling deliciousness. Whilst we recovered from the first two courses Gandhi, the Maitre D extraordinaire, brought all who needed a glass of red wine, pairing well with what came next.

What did come next?

The Rack of Lamb – herb roasted fingerling potatoes, french green lentils, garlic confit

Cote de Boeuf – 20 oz. prime ribeye bone in. This was brought out already sliced for the table

Short Rib Bourguignon – truffled wild mushrooms, potato puree, shishito peppers

A selection of sauces

Purple Eggplant side dish

Haricots Verts –  had a peanut-type sauce on them, also a side dish.

The waiter served each of us a tasting from each dish.  I am not sure what they did but this lamb was just perfect, easy to slice, not too fatty. I could almost hear it bleating. When you sliced into the steak it cut like butter and the potatoes, both fingerling and pureed, were totally worth the carbs.

At this point we were all impressively stuffed; yet, for some reason, we all managed to find room for dessert which consisted of…

French Creole Beignets – caramel vanille, chocolat, and crème anglaise.

Tropical Fruit Baked Alaska – vanilla ice cream, passion fruit sorbet, coconut sorbet, torched meringue

Peanut Chocolate – peanut butter mousse, chocolate cake crumb, ganache

Bittersweet Kalamansi – bittersweet chocolate mousse, calamansi lime cream, chocolate ganache

Coffee and Tea

The desserts were amazing and delicious. My personal favorites were Baked Alaska, ice cream surrounded by toasted meringue and the Peanut Buttercream with Chocolate Ganache and the French Beignets with Caramel and Chocolate Sauces.

UN Plaza Grill has a team of award-winning chefs from across the world who create outstanding and exquisite dishes to entice any taste. The impressive team includes executive chef Hok Chin, who was named one of Best Chefs America, Haitian-born pastry chef Felencia Darius, and sushi chef Kai Hong Chan (AKA Danny) whose sushi dishes are the best in the world. General manager Ghandi Kimia is no stranger in the restaurant industry, with his impressive roster of restaurants including Reserve Cut, Jezebel, Tavern On The Green, Ben Benson’s Steakhouse and Sparks, to name a few. Also keep in mind that the UN Plaza Grill caters for ALL occasions like weddings, bat and bar mitzvahs, holiday events, corporate parties . They can work with you in creating unique menus for Jewish and other holidays.

The excellent quality of the food along with the welcoming staff and luxurious ambiance justify the expensive prices and make the UN Grill a culinary destination you will never forget. All in all it was an incredible evening! A big thank you to UN Plaza Grill for their incredible hospitality and to New York Jewish Travel Guide.com/New York Jewish Guide.com for letting me part of this experience and to my other dining companions for a great evening. We definitely need to do this again!

UN Plaza Grill is located at 845 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, 10017.  The restaurant is OU Kosher certified. For reservations, call 212-223-1801. Visit the UN Plaza Grill online:http://www.unplazagrill.com/  or at Facebook.com/UNPlazagrill

by Deborah Hartman Blaiberg –

New York Jewish Travel Guide-  New York Jewish Guide