OCEANA (Above, The Wine Cellar)
Location 55 East 54th Street
New York, NY 10022
Phone Number (212) 759-5941
Web site http://www.oceanarestaurant.com/
Cuisine Seafood
Owner Livanos family
Managing Partner Paul McLaughlin
Executive Chef Ben Pollinger
Pastry Chef Jansen Chan
Seating Capacity Main Dining room: 60 Guests
Upstairs Salon: 60 Guests
Wine Cellar: 24 Guests
Dining Room/Bar Hours Lunch
Monday – Friday 12:00-2:30.
Dinner
Monday – Friday 5:30-10:30, Saturday 5:00-10:30.
Signature Dishes Risotto of Gulf Shrimp
Chestnut, Porcini & Lobster Soup
Taro Wrapped Dorade
Tropical Fruit Soup
Sicilian Pistachio Sundae
Price Range Dinner 3-Course Pre-Fix: $78, with wine pairings: $125
Lunch 3-Course Pre-Fix: $48
8-course Dinner tasting menu for the entire table:
$110 per person, $195 per person with wine pairings
Credit Cards Visa, American Express, Master Card, Diners Club
Reservations Highly recommended
Oceana Welcomes Two New Culinary Talents
Executive Chef Ben Pollinger and Pastry Chef Jansen Chan Unveil a New Menu at one of New York’s Culinary Landmarks
For the past 15 years Oceana Restaurant has provided New Yorkers with an exceptional seafood destination designed to resemble a luxury cruise ship. The serene environment set in a central midtown location provides an ideal location for business lunches or a memorable night out, giving patrons an exceptional destination to enjoy luxurious food and impeccable service. To continue this legacy and improve upon an already exceptional dining experience, Oceana is introducing a new menu created by two fresh young culinary talents, Executive Chef Ben Pollinger and Pastry Chef Jansen Chan. The two chefs are working together to showcase their shared passion for seasonal, local ingredients, refined technique and global flavors.
Following graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Pollinger traveled and worked extensively throughout Europe, developing his unique cooking style that incorporates a variety of global influences. On his return to the United States he continued his career with Christian Delouvrier at Les Célebrités and Lespinasse, and then moved to Union Square Hospitality Group where he spent the next seven and a half years studying with renowned New York City chef Floyd Cardoz at Tabla, as well as with Michael Romano at Union Square Café. Now at Oceana Pollinger is using his experience, expertise and enthusiasm to continue Oceana’s success, offering a new selection of the finest ingredients and menu of inspired culinary creations.
Chef Chan also brings a love for fresh, seasonal ingredients to Oceana, perfectly complementing Pollinger’s style. He joins the restaurant after working with Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York, as well as Mix in Las Vegas and New York. It was under the tutelage of Ducasse and Corporate Pastry Chef Nicolas Berger where he perfected his precise and architecturally inspired technique. Originally from Northern California, Chan received his degree in architecture from the University of California at Berkley and still utilizes the knowledge he gained to design perfectly balanced and beautifully constructed desserts. Before entering the kitchen, he sketches his ideas on paper to ensure that the ingredients are arranged to enhance one another in the most visually appealing construction.
Together Pollinger and Chan have recreated and modernized the dining experience at Oceana, updating the menu to include inventive spins to the classic seafood fare, offering dishes that reflect the passions and background of both chefs. Guests can feast on some of Pollinger’s unique specialties, combinations of the freshest seafood and seasonal ingredients creating balanced and flavorful dishes.
For dinner, Chef Pollinger offers a three-course prixe-fixe ($75 per person, $125 per person with wine pairings) that begins with a warm and aromatic Risotto of Gulf Shrimp prepared with roasted acorn squash, treviso and finished with light, flavorful pumpkin seed oil. A refreshing Bay Scallop Ceviche is served with fresh hearts of palm, seaweed, pomegranate and finished with a cider lime glaze. Pan Roasted Baby Octopus is slow cooked with cranberry beans, tomato confit, green olives and Thai basil. Chef Pollinger also offers a signature Salmon Tasting a trio of gin cured gravlax, tartare and caviar accompanied by pickled radishes, celery root, crème fraiche and dill brioche, as well as a tempting Chestnut, Porcini & Lobster Soup topped with chestnut brittle and a delicate porcini salad.
Signature entrees at Oceana feature a variety of fish specialties, including Pollinger’s exquisite Asian-influenced Steamed Grouper with lotus root, yu choy, young coconut, wood ear mushroom and black bean sauce, as well as a luxurious Olive Oil Poached Swordfish accompanied by maitakes, pea shoots, black sticky rice, and a Gewürztraminer lemongrass broth. A distinctive Sautéed Nova Scotia Lobster is complemented by baby spinach, malfatti pasta, and a beautiful blood orange cream sauce. Guests can also enjoy the Taro Wrapped Dorade, an elegant preparation served with baby bok choy, long beans, peanuts, and a basmati rice, with a coconut cilantro curry flavor, as well as Pacific White Sturgeon, a hearty fish served with braised Yukon potato, local baby vegetables and a saffron jus. Sumac Dusted Scottish Salmon is served with an inventive mix of cracked wheat, mint, Swiss chard, Marcona almonds and a meyer lemon vinaigrette.
To end the meal with a grand finale, guests may select from a menu of inventive desserts created by Chef Chan. Hazelnut Cheesecake with white chocolate crust and lemon granité, as well as Almond Panna Cotta & Blood Orange Salad served with warm young ginger syrup, display Chan’s perfectly balanced desserts, by combining rich ingredients with more refreshing and tangy citrus flavors. Huckleberry Crème Brulee is finished with dulce de leche or if one is looking for a more decadent dessert the Sicilian Pistachio Sundae allows guests to feast on an ice cream delight with milk chocolate feuilletine crunch. For a more light finish to the meal, Chan’s delicate Tropical Fruit Soup is paired with a house-made crème fraÎche sorbet.
To ensure every experience at Oceana is exquisite and memorable, Oceana also offers an eight-course tasting menu for the entire table ($110 per person, $195 per person with wine pairings), as well as a light 3-course lunch menu ($33 per person or $48 per person). For more private affairs, the restaurant offers their wine cellar with seating for up to 24, as well as the upstairs salon which seats 60.
What to order: Oceana is one of New York’s top small luxury restaurants. Chef Ben Pollinger offers an eight course-tasting menu that will delight is such wonders as Orange Marinated Seafood with Fresh Hearts of Palm, Pea Shoots and Asian Pear; Maine Peekytoe Crab with Artichokes Three Ways; Ragout of Periwinkles, White Wine, Bacon Pan Seared Foie Gras, Herb Salad and Roasted Garlic Focaccia; Sea Robin Buillabaisse with Spring Vegetable, and Almond Crusted Snapper, on Roasted Local Beets, Sunchokes and Shallot-Almond Compote. Taro Crisped Pompano, sided with Baby Bok Choy, Long Beans, Peanuts, Basmati Rice and Coconut Cilantro Curry was worthy of star status. Wonderful homemade bread equals superb dessert tasting of Lemon Three Ways, Hazelnut Soufflé and Hot and Cold Chocolate. Oceana offers a beautifully selected wine list (over 20,000 bottles), an elegant setting, reminiscent of dining on a private yacht and is the perfect choice for that special occasion. The flawless service is the result of the expert training of Managing Partner Paul McLaughlin. Oceana is a personal favorite.
