HIGH STEAKS AT STK ROOFTOP IN NEW YORK'S MEATPACKING DISTRICT
I didn't even have to cross the Hudson river to get my fill of all things hip, edgy, and forward. Everything about Downtown New York satisfied and silenced the judgemental cool-chaser in this Shoreditch girl (the London equivalent of a Brooklyn Baby) - the East Village bars, the shopping and architecture in SoHo, and of course the seriously stylish evening (and weekend) crowd of the Meatpacking District. Then there was the food, that no amount of Midtown burger joints with dive bar-affectations could compare to - from my quintessentially Manhattan birthday brunch at The Standard Grill to the hearty post-hangover pancake brunch at Bubby's in Tribeca, and of course the decadent meal Luxy and I had at the Meatpacking District outpost of STK Rooftop.
ALL PHOTOS MINE, EXCEPT FOR PHOTO 4 (PRESS IMAGE)
"...an inspired take on classic grill cuisine and a chic lounge all in one sexy rooftop package"
A meal with a view is what we came for, and STK Rooftop delivered: a sprawling vista of the New York skyline and the Hudson river bathed in the golden hour of sunset, under the benevolent watch of the looming behemoth that is The Standard. The American Grill menu is casual, yet the crowd was anything but - impossibly beautiful Amazonian ladies and their investment banker boyfriends in crisp suits, all moving their feet to the DJ's thumping beats while keeping perfectly still (can't spill that cocktail, darling). Luxy and I enjoyed this display to some seriously danceable tunes from the '60s (sugar sugar, you are my candy girl) up to the latest club favourites (work work work work work).
The food itself was incredible, if overly generous - we ordered meat from the small menu and received rib eyes and filet mignons (exceptionally cooked and presented simply, thank God - none of that 'drowning in sauce to conceal the overcooking' nonsense) enough to knock out the most dedicated carnivore, then we had to content with the crispy calamari, decadent mac n' cheese, and fat truffle fries dusted with parmesan - all of it cooked and delivered to a high standard that belied its minimal, humble presentation.
A couple of drops did threaten our evening with rain, but we needn't have worried - I learnt that the restaurant has a newly-installed retractable glass enclosure, which makes for a year-round, somewhat season-proof experience. STK Rooftop was the perfect blend of upscale, casual, and dynamic - the recipe that New Yorkers are so famous for.