Battery Gardens a Hit in the Winter as Well and Ideal for Valentine's Day Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Battery Gardens in the Winter
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We don't need to tell you that baby, it's cold outside. Not every restaurant is worth an excursion when the temperature is as low as it has been this winter, but when you consider the majesty of the view at Battery Gardens, you can only imagine how much better your dinner will be combined with your culinary companion across the water, Lady Liberty. Battery Gardens is simply one of the most beautiful places in Manhattan. It is always packed in the summer, and its popularity during the winter is increasing and it's easy to see why. Peachy was the first guest there on the day she went...and note to all Valentines: this is where you want to be taken to dinner!
Our visit to Battery Gardens is not by accident; it is because it is a total meritocracy and they hit the high mark on every aspect of excellence in fine dining. The view is gorgeous. The decor is beautiful. The friendly owner Paul Nicaj cares about every last detail, is a perfectionist and an intelligent entrepreneur and Chef Ari Nieminen is one of the best chefs we've worked with. Everything we've eaten at Battery Gardens has been an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10, and we don't even use numbers in our reviews.
We first visited a year ago:
Since we were so impressed, it earned a spot in our Al Fresco column last summer:
The chandeliers are striking:
We know we have a lot of Irish readers. Note that among the best decisions Paul has made is marrying an Irish woman! See Cead Mile Failte above the bar:
We like the tables right at the windows; there's the dining companion that you won't have anywhere else:
Less is more when a single flower is arranged invitingly; Peachy Deegan started with coffee, which was superb. We are told they use Green Mountain. Picky Peachy only likes skim milk in her coffee. No problem, Battery Gardens has skim milk. Not only do they have skim milk, but they offer to froth it without even a request to do so-see frothed skim milk in silver side creamer. See what we mean about details?
Fresh rolls complete with pretty butter greet you promptly as well:
Winter in New York, particularly THIS winter in New York, or even the entire Northeast for that matter, calls for piping hot soup that breathes new life into you.
If you ask us, there's only one kind of Clam Chowder to eat and that's NEW ENGLAND Clam Chowder and we love it at Battery Gardens. Note that Peachy is not a New Yorker-did you know that? She's from Connecticut and loved the Legal Sea Foods Clam Chowder in the Boston College Dining Hall and also the BC Press Box (one of the great perks of being a sportswriter then) and to be frank Peachy has a hard time finding proper Clam Chowder here in Manhattan. The truth is it takes a chef from Finland to get New England Clam Chowder to perfection in Manhattan and our hats off to Chef Ari Nieminen...and we think in men's hockey Finland has great depth in goal in the Olympics, particularly considering the strength of Tuukka Rask. (See our interviews with Tuukka here under Boston Bruins.) Ari's Clam Chowder has succulent clams dancing in brown butter, bacon, thyme and celery and it is just to-die-for.
Tuna Tartare with Citrus Soy Dressing, Cucumber Salad and Wasabi Tobiko is brilliantly fresh, beautifully presented and a nice contrast to the piping hot dishes
Warm Goat Cheese salad with red and yellow beets, frisee, baby arugula, barley and balsamic reduction is another fantastic beginning and a must if you are an advocate of goat cheese.
Pan Seared Wild Caught Striped Bass is what Peachy ordered as an entree, and it was the perfect selection. Look at how deliciously colorful it is! Though you may think of fish as a light, summery dish when it is prepared like this with rainbow carrot confit, marble potato (Peachy is still dreaming of these!), dandelion, cucumber and dill it becomes a strikingly healthy comfort food that you will want to feast upon again and again.
Pappardelle Pasta with Autumn Mushrooms absolutely hit the spot and is another ultimate in comfort food. Al dente to perfection with delicious mushrooms teamed up with fresh cheese make this a complete winner in our book.
To close, cappuccino was in order and the Pecan Tart with Coffee Sauce and spectacular Rum Raisin Ice Cream and the Profiteroles with Vanilla Ice Cream, Warm Chocolate Sauce and Frosted Almonds were both every bit as delicious as they look. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves while you ring up Paul and Ari to make your reservation.
We continue to love Battery Gardens, and if you want to love your dinner on Valentine's Day, here's our suggestion!
