"Unlike Midtown restaurants that are busy only for lunch and pre-theater dinner, Salmon River buzzes from breakfast ‘til closing. Midday, it refuels neighborhood office workers, both on-premises and with Bryant Park-bound salads and sandwiches; after work, corporate creatures unwind at the long bar, in the mesh-curtained lounge, and in the quieter, bamboo-accented rear dining area. Then come the theatergoers and couples grabbing dinner before heading home from Grand Central; later yet, coworkers shuffle in, discussing the project that kept them after hours. And, because Salmon River’s side door opens into the lobby of a Courtyard by Marriott, there’s always a tourist contingent of twangy gents and big-haired ladies toting shopping bags. The seafood-centric menu presents familiar dishes with Manhattan flair courtesy of a Nobu-pedigreed chef, René Nilo Cuzco, who possesses a light touch and a knack for seasonings. Creamy white clam chowder pleases with a bacon note, shrimp scampi is sautéed with whole garlic cloves, and seafood pesto fills a bowl with garlicky, gooey-sauced (in a good way) capellini. The restaurant’s marquee fish is prepared in a multitude of simple, appealing ways, including a chubby pan-fried filet dubbed Santa Fe salmon for its bed of black beans and chipotle-laced spuds.
Recommended Dishes: Clam chowder, $7.50; angel hair with seafood pesto, $18; Santa Fe salmon, $18.75"
Still largely "undiscovered", this "tasty surprise" "tucked away" in Midtown's Clarion Hotel specializes in "fresh, well-prepared" seafood; "lunch bargains" draw office types and main "library-goers", but the $20 pre-theater prix fixe is also a deal.
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"Salmon River pays homage not only to its namesakes, but to a variety of fresh denizens of the deep that are cooked - not under-cooked or over-cooked - with care and class by executive chef Evan Huss. Chef Huss also gives expert attention to vegetables, which arrive with a crunch, but not raw, as is the style of too many American chefs these days. Crispy cornmeal-crusted oysters are enhanced by a spicy red pepper remoulade and the overworked crab cake is luscious and light, thanks to the unorthodox use of Canadian snow crab. Its accompanying mustard sauce is prima. A third appetizer stole the show. Crispy (a menu description I always approach with caution) shrimp, artichoke and asparagus spring roll with sweet corn and soy vinaigrette (a formidable combination I would usually avoid) was delicious. Some kitchen-magic produced a remarkably clean flavored dish, with each layer melding to produce a symbiotic triumph. And wonder-of-wonders - it didn't come off as fusion-confusion."
Salmon River is the sister restaurant to midtown institutions, Domenico's and Fagiolini. Warm and inviting, Salmon River has quickly proven to be a magnet for seafood lovers. A hand-painted river scene, burnt sienna walls, inset with slate and copper water features and comfortable cord & leather banquettes offer a sleek, yet soothing, backdrop for the wide array of offerings from the sea. At holiday time in particular, the room glistens with candles, wreaths and other seasonal touches. The crab cake is luscious and light.......crispy shrimp and asparagus spring roll, through some kitchen magic produces a light, clean flavored dish....and, wonder of wonders, with no fusion confusion. Zagat's most recent survey says, "....with it's large array of modestly priced fresh fish its a handy no frills alternative to Gotham's growing number of pricey poisson palaces". Try the expertly Pan-Seared Salmon or the comforting Cod and Salmon Pot Pie."
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