LOVE AT FIRST BITE: 1803 NYC
LOVE AT FIRST BITE: 1803 NYC
You just had a grueling morning filled with traffic, meetings and emails. The only positive? It’s time for lunch! You walk into 1803 to be pleasantly surprised with a quick detour to New Orleans! Hence the name, inspired by the year of the Louisiana Purchase. Reminiscent of the French Quarter, contemporary floral motifs throughout, a balcony, outdoor seating and an underground jazz club! Sayy whattt?!
I love restaurants that make you feel as if you were just teleported to another place. 1803 does exactly that. Located on 82 Reade Street, 1803 immerses the culture of New Orleans into its food for brunch/lunch, dinner and late night bites. Honoring Spanish, French and Cajun tradition that will have you craving more.
I went for lunch and was first impressed by the decor. The wall to wall floral motifs and black and white checkered tile really make a grand presentation. We live in a era where we can’t get enough of bold statements. 1803 did not disappoint. You instantly forget about the hustle and bustle of the city and become engulfed by a much warmer place where relaxing is the only thing on the agenda.
The service was great as well. Although 1803 has a more relaxed feel, the waitress was friendly, knowledgeable and eager to give suggestions. For example, I wanted a mocktail that was not too sweet and she insisted she knew of the perfect drink. I trusted in her opinion, which was not only delicious but visually implicative of the beach!
I was pleasantly surprised to find out we could get a free butternut squash soup with any entree as their lunch special, so of course I had to partake. I was surprised at how tasty it was since free can usually result in subpar, but that wasn’t the case here. It came hot, had great creamy texture and all the flavors were there.
I then ordered the Grilled Octopus (as per usual, if you read any of my reviews you know it’s one of my favorite dishes) with spaghetti squash, romesco & pistachio basil pesto. It was a really vibrant dish, extremely tender and the pesto gave it a great kick.
Now onto my favorite dish, the Grilled Oysters with chili-garlic butter served in the shell! Grilled oysters are a hearty version perfect for colder weather, bringing out completely different flavors than raw oysters. They were smokey, rich and salty but I love salt, so they were gone almost as soon as they arrived. The flavors were exquisite.
Lastly, I ordered the Cajun Nicoise salad with cajun crusted tuna, red bliss potato, hard broiled organic egg, raw vegetables, red onion, capers and dijon - red wine vinaigrette. A generous portion with an explosion of color. The highlight of the dish was definitely the tuna, which was extremely fresh and the cajun spices gave it that fiery taste I crave in most dishes. Again, a bit salty, probably due to the capers but being a salt lover I was yearning for more.
1803’s menu is creative, aromatic and savory with a burst of influence from a place I cant wait to visit, New Orleans! But until I do, I have to keep coming back and trying everything on the menu. And that shouldn’t be hard since everything on the menu sounds better than the next. It’s not everyday I see a menu where it’s hard to make a decision because you want to try it all. Like the Seafood Medley, Blackened Catfish Sandwich and Soft Polenta! Yes please, and eating it all in a setting that beams you to someplace with great vibes and a lot less chaos? Now that sounds like my kind of place. Enjoy!
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