seafood

Le Bernardin Wins Luxist's Editors' Choice Award for Best in Fine Dining

Filed under: Dining

Le Bernardin in New York is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Seafood Restaurant

Considered "a legend in fine dining", Le Bernardin is one of the most influential seafood restaurants in America, if not the entire world. The midtown Manhattan restaurant holds three stars from the formidable The Michelin Guide and has a coveted four-star status from the New York Times.

Le Bernardin lives up to all that is expected from one of the finest restaurants in the world. From the exceptional food to the understated elegance of its dining room and formal, yet friendly service, Le Bernardin is the whole package, and thus it has been selected as Luxist's Editors' Choice Award Winner for the Best in Fine Dining.

A seafood restaurant with French roots, Le Bernardin's Executive Chef and co-owner is Eric Ripert. Born in Antibes and trained in France, the award-winning chef's background is impressive and includes stints at such legendary restaurants as the Tour D'Argent in Paris. He has worked with and learned from some of the most famous chefs around, including Joel Robuchon and Jean-Louis Palladin. A student no longer, Ripert is now considered one of their peers. "Ripert is unquestionably the finest seafood chef in the world," wrote Alan Richman in his article The Seven Temples of the Food World in the October 2007 issue of GQ.

Gallery: Le Bernardin in New York

Tags: awards-main, best seafood restaurant, Eric Ripert, Le Bernardin, luxist-awards, Michelin Guide, Miguy Le Coze, New York Times, seafood, winners-fine-dining

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Best Online Seafood Companies

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

It is estimated that Americans eat an average of 16.3 pounds of fish or seafood per person, according to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. According to Datamonitor, the world-leading provider of global business information, Americans will spend $14 billion for seafood products this year, with the majority spent on fresh seafood, rather than frozen or canned seafood. The United States is the third largest seafood market in the world, behind Japan and China.

But where are the best places to buy seafood?

To figure out the best of breed, we asked Luxist readers to nominate their favorite online seafood companies. Each of the top five finalists has one thing in common---they all offer only the finest and freshest seafood available---and they all ship to locations throughout the United States (and elsewhere in some cases).

The top five online seafood companies are:

Citarella
Dean & DeLuca
Legal Sea Foods
The Fresh Lobster Company
Wild Edibles Seafood Market

Citarella is a top food Mecca in New York City and the Hamptons, while Dean & DeLuca is one of the country's finest online grocers. Legal Sea Foods is famous for its seafood restaurants along the eastern seaboard, while The Fresh Lobster Companywhich is based in America's oldest seaport, specializes in shipping live seafood to its clients. The final nominee, Wild Edibles Seafood Market, which is based in New York, focuses on freshly caught, wild seafood.

Tags: awards-main, best online seafood, best seafood, citarella, Dean DeLuca, Legal Seafoods, luxist-awards, seafood, The Fresh Lobster Company, wild edibles, Wild Edibles Seafood Market

Legal Sea Foods: If it isn't Fresh, it isn't Legal

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

If you're at all concerned about buying forbidden fish, there's one company that offers assurance in its name: Legal Sea Foods. Unusual moniker aside, the quality of Legal's products has earned it a Luxist award nomination in the best online seafood category.

Founded in 1950 by George Berkowitz in Cambridge, Mass., Legal Sea Foods got its name from the neighboring Legal Cash Market, a grocery operated by Berkowitz's father. In 1968 the family opened its first seafood restaurant next to the fish market, serving fish either boiled or fried on paper plates. Guests were seated at communal picnic tables.

Gallery: Legal Sea Foods

The modest eatery soon became a hit, and Legal expanded across the East Coast. In 1992 George's son, Roger, took the company's helm. As a third-generation Berkowitz running Legal Sea Foods, he has continued to push the company to grow into uncharted culinary and commercial waters, including a website, where customers from all over the country can order fish.

Legal's online offerings include the New England Feast Dinner (for two), which includes two fresh live lobsters, a quart of clam chowder, two Boston cream pies, oyster crackers, claw cracker kits, and cooking instructions. The meal will set you back about $120 plus shipping, but at least you can be assured it's Legal.

Vote for the Online Seafood retailer that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: awards-main, best seafood, Legal Sea Foods, luxist-awards, online seafood, seafood

Citarella: Fresh Seafood from the Ultimate Gourmet Market

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

Don't confuse Citarella with citronella. The grocery store may not be quite as adept at warding off insects as the candle with a similar name, but it's one of the best when it comes to fresh fish – and good enough to earn a Luxist nomination in the best online seafood category.

Mike Citarella founded his eponymous store in New York's Sugar Hill section in 1912. The original location was a turn-of-the-century marvel, awash in sawdust and dotted with marble slab counters. Citarella eventually moved south to the present location at Broadway and 75^th Street, building on an early reputation as a terrific seafood market.

Gallery: Citarella: The Ultimate Gourmet Market

In 1983, Joseph Guerra purchased the shop and started building the company into what it is today. The child of a family that owned a seafood shop, he developed relationships with the vendors at New York's Fulton Street Fish Market; within a few years he'd acquired his own wholesale operation at the famous seafood bazaar. In 1997, he expanded to the Hamptons, ensuring that New York's wealthiest could get their fix even when on vacation.

Tags: awards-main, best seafood, Citarella, luxist-awards, online seafood, seafood

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The Fresh Lobster Company: Seafood from America's Oldest Seaport

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

What better way to get fresh lobster than straight from the fishermen themselves? The Fresh Lobster Company does exactly that – part of the reason it's a Luxist nominee in the best online seafood category.

Located in Gloucester, Ma., The Fresh Lobster Company has built its name by forming relationships with the New England lobstermen and using the connection to get the freshest fish possible. The company's offerings are taken directly from the boats and shipped overnight all across the country.

Gallery: The Fresh Lobster Company

The company specializes in shipping live lobsters, ranging from tiny (one pound: $20) to jumbo (twelve pounds: $152), which are delivered in special water-filled contained to ensure optimal freshness. The Fresh Lobster Company also offers live sea urchins, live sea scallops, live crabs and other critters; there's also gourmet sushi, steaks and desserts on the menu.

Tags: awards-main, best seafood, luxist-awards, online seafood, seafood, The Fresh Lobster Company

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Dean & DeLuca: Purveyors of Fine Seafood

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

Though Dean & Deluca started out as a bricks-and-mortar location in New York -- offering a wide array of food, wine and even kitchenware -- it's now one of the country's finest online grocers, particularly when it comes to fresh fish. As such, Dean & Deluca has earned a Luxist award nomination in the best online seafood category.

In 1977, Joel Dean and Giogio DeLuca started their company in a small shop in New York's SoHo neighborhood. In those days, SoHo wasn't the chic shopping enclave it is today; rather, it was gritty corner of the Big Apple. Jack Ceglic, Dean & DeLuca's founding partner, designed the first store to feel like a turn-of-the-century food department. Beneath the hum of high ceiling fans, shelves overflowed with rare artisan foodstuffs from flavored salts to cured meats.

Gallery: Dean & DeLuca

As the years went on, Joel and Giorgio continued to expand their operation, adding another New York shop with four times the space of the original in 1988. Boutiques throughout the city followed, as did locations in Charlotte, Kansas City and Washington, D.C., and Dean & Deluca expanded its offerings to include fresh fish.

Tags: awards-main, best seafood, Dean DeLuca, luxist-awards, seafood

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Local Luxury: Top Six Fine Dining Restaurants in Tampa, Florida

by Sheryl Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

As a Tampa resident for over twenty years, I've had the gastronomical pleasure of experiencing these fine dining establishments. Trade those beach shorts for something more cosmopolitan, and come hungry.

Here's my rating scale: $$ - Comparatively Inexpensive. $$$ - More Expensive. $$$$ - Very Expensive. Upscale = dress nice. Chic = dress to kill.

Charley's Steakhouse
(813) 353-9706
4444 West Cypress Street, Tampa, 33607.
Upscale $$$$. Charley's has graced Tampa since 1974 with a quiet, sophisticated ambiance. The service is as upscale as the clothes. Everyone should be waited on like this at least once in their lives. Cozy and elegant, chandelier-decked setting. The specialties are mouth-watering cuts of steak and Surf & Turf.
Rated number 5 out of the Top 10 Steak Restaurants in the U.S. at Prime Top 10, a list of America's Finest USDA Prime Steakhouses & Restaurants.
Reservations not usually needed.

Mitchell's Fish Market
(813) 289-3663
204 Westshore Plaza, Tampa, 33609.
Upscale $$$. Mitchell's is reminiscent of the classy mid-nineteenth and twentieth century 'men only' dining clubs. But women are allowed, of course. All varnished wood and frosted glass with some miniature ships on display. Mitchell's hasn't been in Tampa that long (several years), but it's made a name for itself. The broiled tilapia is succulent, for one. The seafood-many varieties obtained from one coast to the other-is always fresh, never frozen. A relaxed, classy ambiance. Reservations not needed.

Tags: finedining, Florida, restaurants, seafood, steak, Tampa

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Iconic NY Eatery Re-Opens After $1 Million Revamp

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Yachts & Sailing

Water's Edge, the iconic eatery on New York's East River with incredible panoramic views of Manhattan, recently reopened after a $1 million renovation with a brand new menu. Established in 1981 in Long Island City, with the recent revamp the restaurant is entering its third decade in real style. For patrons from Manhattan the Water's Edge dining experience begins with a cruise across the East River on the restaurant's private ferry departing from the East 23rd Street Pier/Skyport Marina. In addition to the elegant main dining room and bar, the restaurant offers riverside outdoor seating, a plush lounge with a fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony with breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and the Queensboro Bridge.

There's also a private event space as well as a 90-ft. luxury yacht docked in front of the restaurant available for cocktail parties and private functions. Highlights of the Eclectic American cuisine include Panko Crusted Oysters with Guacamole and a Red Pepper Reduction; Baby Artichoke Crusted Salmon with Baby Turnips, Spaghetti Squash and Saffron Broth; and Mushroom-Miso Crusted Rack of Lamb with Braised Bok Choy and Whipped Potatoes. The bar features signature drinks such as the Water's Edge Sunset Cocktail, made with Grey Goose vodka, Grand Marnier and fruit juice. In addition they host regular wine tastings and wine pairing dinners.

Tags: Long Island City, LongIslandCity, Manhattan, New York, NewYork, restaurant, river, seafood, Waters Edge, WatersEdge, yacht

Harbour Sets Sail In NYC

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Want a taste of the sea without ever leaving land? Harbour, a restaurant located on 290 Hudson Street in West Soho in New York City opened today. The restaurant is being run by restaurateur Richard Schaeffer, former chairman of NYMEX Holdings, Inc., and Michelin star chef Joe Isidori. The 80-seat restaurant has a nautical look that isn't lobster traps and buoys, instead the dining room looks like the interior of a luxury yacht with porthole windows and gleaming wood.

As you might expect, the menu is heavy on the seafood with items like ceviche, mussels, butter clams and Artic char. Eater reveals that the set lunch is $25 and a set four-course dinner is $45. During the first month of service, 10% of proceeds from select seafood dishes will be donated to Monterey Bay Aquarium, Chefs Collaborative, and Blue Ocean Institute.

Source

Tags: harbour, new york, NewYork, restaurant, seafood, soho