Sunday, August 19, 2012

NYC Restaurant Week - Lunch At Cipriani Club 55



One of the best bargains in New York City is the bi-annual event called "Restaurant Week," where participating restaurants offer a price-fixe of $24.07 for select lunch and $35 for a select dinner menu. This very popular event is held every summer and winter, with hundreds of top New York City restaurants participating.  Reservations fill up fast so I usually go to the event web site and give my e-mail to be put on the notification list of when the event will be held and call for reservations right away.  It is a wonderful way to dine affordably at some of the city's top restaurants!  

Since my husband works in Lower Manhattan near Wall Street (the NYSE -- New York Stock Exchange -- is seen in the photo above) we decided to visit Cipriani Club 55 located at 55 Wall Street, between William and Hanover Streets, one of the five different Cipriani restaurants in Manhattan.


The National Historic Landmark building of 55 Wall Street is a former bank building that today houses luxury apartments. Initially constructed between 1836 -1842, the building has a long and interesting history. It served as the home of the New York Merchants Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the United States Customs House, and the headquarters of the National City Bank. Unfortunately, there was scaffold around the building, so the entrance to the restaurant was slightly obscured in these photos.  

There is a law in NYC that after a certain amount of years, every building over a certain height has to have scaffold erected and the facade has to then be examined for any loose masonry, etc., to prevent potential injury to pedestrians.  Because of this, you'll often find buildings with scaffold around them in New York. It is ugly, but a necessary, precaution.



The Cipriani Club 55 Restaurant is located on the second floor of the building (use the exquisite marble stairs or take the elevator), but there are display cases in the lobby that you should look at first, to see some beautiful, and expensive, Italian leather objects that are for sale in the lobby store. The green leather watch case in the upper right was priced at $2,500!



If the Cipriani name sounds familiar, it may be that you remember that in 1931 Giuseppe Cipriani opened the doors to Harry's Bar in a stone building along a canal just off Piazza San Marco in Venice.  There he created the world renown drink called The Bellini, composed of the juice of white peaches and Italian Prosecco wine. It is absolutely delicious!



When we visited Cipriani's we could have sat outside on the balcony overlooking Wall Street...

 on the restuaratbalcony

.... but as it was a very hot day when we visited, so we opted for inside seating. t



For our luncheon meal, my husband and I chose the same appetizer -- Tuna Carpaccio with Tomato and Avocado (photo upper left).  I had the Baked Green Tagliolini with Ham as my entree (photo top right), and my husband chose the Salmon with Lemon and Capers, served with rice pilaf on the side (photo bottom left). Our little secret?  We eat half of our entrees and then switch plates with each other so we get to try both! We both had the Vanilla Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries for dessert (photo bottom right).  From the fine linen tablecloth and napkins, beautiful, gold-rimmed monogrammed china, and heavy silverware, the presentation was rich and elegant. The food was utterly fabulous and we felt the portions were very generous, especially the divine Panna Cotta!



After lunch, my husband walked back to his job while I stayed in the area.  I always wave "hello" to my favorite president, George Washington, as I pass by Federal Hall. If you'd like to learn more about this very interesting building in the Wall Street area you can read a post I wrote about it here.



On this day I visited this interesting museum located nearby -- a future blog post for another day!


PS: Thank you to all who commented on my good news!  I really appreciate your support and best wishes!

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43 comments:

Snap said...

We are having restaurant week here, too. Special menus for a special price with part given to the local food bank. Good food for a great charity. Very popular. This is a yummy post!

Chatty Crone said...

Okay that looks like a fine $$$ restaurant there. Some of those things I have never had or seen. Nice the way you and the hubs share. Good idea.
Love, sandie

black eyed susans kitchen said...

That looks like a wonderful restaurant Pat. We had lunch at Eataly this week...their newest restaurant. I didn't take pictures of the surroundings because Chris Martin (Coldplay) was sitting at the table next to us...I thought he might find it rude....but he was so ...charming and cute!! Anyway, my husband suggested that maybe we should meet up in NY before you make the big move. What do you think?
♥, Susan

Vee said...

Even if I didn't have the wonderful photos to see, I'd enjoy reading about this meal. I think I'm thirsty because the white peaches and wine sounds delish.

Annesphamily said...

Sounds wonderful ! We celebrate Restaurant Week in Denver in February. The cause is great and we check out places we otherwise can not afford! I always love the stories you share with us Pat. You are such a great storyteller. Have a beautiful week!

Kim, USA said...

I am drooling with those food. I heard on a food network that in New York, you will dine in a restaurant for 30 years and not repeating one restaurant it amazes me! I can only imagine how many little shops (cloths) are there too. ^_^


Kim,USA

ellen b. said...

What a cornucopia of good eats New York has! I suppose you could never exhaust them...
One thing we missed when we moved to Washington from the Los Angeles Area was a good Jewish or Italian deli...

Willow said...

What an awesome building to turn in to condos. And you'd have an amazing restaurant in the same building. Mmmm...what's not to love?

diane b said...

Yummmmm what a great idea Restaurant week. I think they have something similar here at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast but it is hard to get accommodation and so expensive that it defeats the purpose. Your meal looked and sounded delicious. A great idea to eat half and swap. I must remember that.

annie said...

What a great day you had!
The food looks so delicious.
I like the swap idea too.

Ola said...

I always like to see how restaurants look like all around the world and I can only add that everything was so nicely served there!

Blog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking

Old Kitty said...

Love how you and hubby share half of each starter so you get the best of both! Yay!! And it's so great to have this restaurant week event! This Cipriani restaurant looks ever so elegant and the food looks amazing - too good to eat! LOL!

I can only imagine what the apartments would look like in this 55 Wall Street address - talk about luxury in such a prestigious location!! Wow!

Take care
x

eileeninmd said...

Hello Pat, restaurant week is a great idea. Baltimore has the same thing, but I am not sure if they had it yet. Looks like you picked a great restaurant too. The meal looks delicious and the Bellini sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing, great photos. Have a happy week!

Tracy said...

Look at that FOOD!! All this is served up so beautiful, delicious and exciting, Pat! Love your foodie adventure posts. Thanks for taking us out to eat. ;o) Happy Days ((HUGS))

Lynn said...

Sounds like you had a great lunch and a nice day:@)

Jojo said...

We just had restaurant week in Atlanta at the end of July. It's an event we look forward to just getting to visit some of the restaurants we wouldn't normally get to try.

La Petite Gallery said...

You could order lunch for me anytime. Liked your choice. I walked all around there, when in NYC. We went to Delmonico's.
Disn't know about the repairs.
Infact my hotel was being repaired
at the entrance. Wonderful post.
For a second I thought you were in Venice.

yvonne

RoeH said...

I've got a daughter that would "salivte" (no pun of course) over this post. She goes to NY at any whim tha comes her way and then posts about all her fun. So she'd be there for this. Looks great.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Pat - I had to smile when you talked about sharing your dinner plates with each other because I used to do the same with my husband. Also ironic you talked about bellinis. I made them Saturday night when friends came for dinner. It's a pleasure to indulge in for such a short time, when white peaches are in season. Your food selections look so delicious and you're reminding me of how I love restaurant week too.

Kris said...

Hi Pat, What a fabulous looking lunch you and your husband shared!!! My Mom and I had a bellini in Venice in the famous bar it was created in!
I am so very happy for your move to be close to your kids and grandkids, but oh how I will miss your wonderful posts on NYC!!!!
XO Kris

Judy said...

What a fun event to take part in (for the last time, maybe)! It all looked fabulous.

Cindy said...

Sounds like you had a tremendous amount of fun, your meals looked delicious! Great post.
Hugs, Cindy

Kathleen said...

Looks like a wonderful lunch, Pat!
I don't think I could afford one of those drinks though, holy cow! I am a NY er shocked by those prices. I'll have water, healthier for me and my wallet! :)
Have you started packing yet? It took me a year to recover from moving after 27 yrs in the same house! You don't realize how much you have till you have to pack it up.
Best of luck with everything!

Cheryl @ TFD said...

What a fabulous lunch! Everything looks and sounds so delicious. My hubby and I have been known to share plates, too!
Have a nice week!

podso said...

What a lovely lunch you had! The food looks delicious. We used to have bagel lunches on the steps of Federal Hall! Interesting post, thanks!

Cucina49 said...

It looks like a lovely meal--what a fabulous deal! I have seriously envy over that carpaccio.

My Dream Canvas said...

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Barbara F. said...

I can always, always count on you to bring the very best of New York City to your readers and followers. You manage to capture the true spirit and joie de vivre that exists in Manhattan, if you know where to look! I feel as if I dined and had a wonderful meal just by your photos. Sometimes it takes a Brooklyn girl (lol) xo

Al said...

You just made me hungry - that sounds like a great way to visit various restaurants.

Sarah said...

Wish I were there to take advantage. ;-)
Love the flag image!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

sounds very reasonable, but at times, when they have special, the food is not so good.

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

What a fun lunch date!!! Are you sure you want to sell your NYC home? LOL!!!

Anonymous said...

Pat I wish I was there right now with yall trying to make a decision on where to go for dinner,this looks soooo good,I'll have seconds.

Happy@Home said...

This lunch looks fabulous! I like your idea for switching plates halfway through. I think we may be trying that in the future.
I just now read about your exciting news. How nice that will be to be close to your kids and grandkids. I have no doubt that you will find many interesting new things to blog about. I look forward to hearing all about your adventures.
Thank you so much for your recent visit and kind comments. It means a lot to me.

My name is Riet said...

Hi Pat.I was reading your new post and at the end I read about your wonderful news.I immediately went to that post. Congratulations, a new grandchild to come and moving to Colorado, yes that will be a big step but so worth it to be with your children and grandchildren. And Colorado is a beautiful country of what I heard.
IN Holland we have reataurant weeks too and great to have a meal for a lower price.
Your photo's tell that you had great food and nicely presented. We made our cruise on an Italian ship so some food sounded familiar. And it was delicious.
Have a wonderful day.

carol l mckenna said...

Lovely post ~ very elegant dining ~ (A Creative Harbor)

Sue/the view from great island said...

It's almost dinner time here and it was all I could do just to make it to the end of this post! What a wonderful experience.

Carol said...

I love Restaurant Week! Great choice. And your "secret" is excellent, I will have to do that with my husband. We usually share tastes but I'd love half!

Gracie said...

I whish there would be something similar to this here too.....

Lisa@GrandmasBriefs said...

Once again, this is better than any tourist guide could be. You *must* compile your posts into a travel book, my friend. I will be first in line to purchase...without nary a trip to NYC on the docket! Great stuff.

Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

Pat, what a great and so informative post! I always wondered why that mesh-stuff covered buildings in NYC and now I know. I felt as if I was right in the heart of NYC through your photos in this post! How fortunate for you to be able to buzz right into the city and enjoy it!

Sounds like a superb ristorante that you dined at! I could gobble up each dish that you've pictured! The last time I was in NYC we ate in the financial district at a place called "Scalini Fedeli" . . . pretty nice, but service was a bit snobby. We didn't look rich enough I guess. But wow, the food options that you have in NY . . . I'd be 100 pounds heavier, easily!

Houseelf said...

What a lovely place to dine. I think my fav museum in NY was the Folk Museum. Thanks for sharing.

trump said...

Very chik and I bet its expensive as well! Richard