Harbour

Harbour, one of the latest restaurants and stores cropping in the area of Hudson and Spring, is where I stopped in to have a drink and a small bite the other night.  It is in many ways a tiny oasis in the midst of a desolate concrete jungle but on the other hand, it is a strange place.

There are 2 rooms.  The first being a long narrow space with a bar in the middle.  A few high cocktail tables butted against the wall for overflow.  But the other room, which is in the back around the corner is quite large.  Looks like the insides of a boat.  There is a huge hand blown glass chandelier in that room ( by an artist whose name escapes me ) but all I could think of was that the rooms were empty and how much that piece cost. 

The chef and owner was working in Las Vegas, I believe at the Trump hotel.  The menu here focuses on sustainable seafood.  The menu looks good.   We just tried a few appetizers at the bar.   A tiny crudo of shrimp, white fish and jambon was one ( very tiny).  The other was sea bream sashimi over thinly sliced green apples and ponzu sauce, and the last was a crudo of sliced calamari with a black bean sauce.  Nothing rocked my boat but the fish was really fresh.  My guess is that there are a few really delicious things on the menu. 

But there is something about the vibe in there that didn't rock my boat.  I guess I expect to see new restaurants open with a little more grit that reflects the times we have today.  That doesn't mean the menu needs to be gritty that but this place was seriously over-designed and I am sure cost a boatload to build  (no pun intended).  All I am still thinking about is the amount of money put into this place and how long can it really stay in business.  That reminds me, we ordered the fennel gratin and it never came.  Hmmm.  That is definitely not a good thing.