Eats Restaurant & Bar (Upper East Side)

On Friday night, I had the pleasure of a rare dining venture with Sharie and Gary. I met them at their apartment to catch a quick glimpse of The Moosh  before bed time. She recently started walking and is embracing her new ability with both pudgy legs. Her wobble is beyond adorable. Whatever mood you may be in, a Moosh sighting is enough to put a smile on your face.

Sharie had made 8:30 reservations at Eats Restaurant & Bar by which she passes regularly during the week. It’s a quaint and casual neighborhood restaurant with an interesting menu that includes a Tableside Steak Tartar, Kale Salad, the traditional Beef Burger, Classic Shrimp Cocktail and Seafood Spaghetti. These are the dishes we had between the three of us, but there are a number of other options for you to choose from including oysters, clams, steak, chicken, veal and arctic char. It’s a balanced menu with plenty of variety to appeal to all palates, and if our dishes are indicators of the full menu, then you’re in for a treat no matter what you select.

I started with the Kale Salad which is served with slices of pear, pecorino, golden raisins and toasted almonds in an olive oil and lemon dressing. It is as delicious as it is beautiful and healthy. Kale is highly nutritious with anti-cancer properties. The different textures, the mix of sweet flavors with the tangy strong taste of the pecorino and the brightness of the lemon dressing all work together to create a tasty salad with multiple layers of flavor.

I couldn’t pass up the Tableside Steak Tartar as my main dish. It’s served with paper thin, crispy house potato chips. Compared to the steak tartar at Employees Only, this one was better because the seasoning was spot on, but they are both very good tartars. Here’s how the steak tartar is served at Eats before the tableside magic happens.

Then the server mixes the meat and egg with a little salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, capers, shallots and mustard to transform the meat into this classic dish.

Sharie and Gary were equally pleased with their meal. They shared the shrimp cocktail. Sharie had the cheese burger and Gary had the spaghetti.