January 2004: Carlyle

The airy upstairs dining room draws an enthusiastic dinner crowd, while the same food is offered in a cozier setting downstairs in the bar.

By David Dorsen    Published Thursday, January 01, 2004

The airy upstairs dining room draws an enthusiastic dinner crowd, while the same food is offered in a cozier setting downstairs in the bar. The dishes are straightforward, the ingredients first-rate, the cooking competent, and the portions large. Prices are moderate, with most main courses under $20. Service is friendly and efficient. Think of it as a place for a fun night out.

Good appetizers are crispy salt-and-pepper calamari on a bed of roasted tomato and garlic butter; blue-crab fritter inside a tangle of phyllo threads; stewed lobster pot sticker with a ginger-garlic-butter sauce; and shrimp-and-shiitake spring rolls. For the main course, consider sautéed jumbo lump crabcakes with a rémoulade sauce and good, thin French-fried potatoes; a powerfully smoked, sauced, and grilled Black Angus rib-eye steak with rich Parmesan mashed potatoes; or chicken paillard with sun-dried tomatoes on angel-hair pasta. Good breads come from Best Buns Bread Company next door. Good house-made desserts include banana pudding with candied vanilla wafers, caramel, and chocolate sauce, and white-chocolate cheesecake with raspberry coulis.

The wine list is reasonably priced, offering a few choices for under $20.

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