Yesterday we took Samuel along with a friend to see Mary Poppins on Broadway, and knowing it was the day after Thanksgiving I looked hard for a quiet place that kids would also enjoy for lunch. I chose ABOVE on the 21st floor of the HILTON at TIMES SQUARE (234 West 42nd St.) just two doors away from the theater and discovered a hidden gem.
ABOVE is indeed hotel dining as it is in the 21st floor lobby and while it is a quiet spot with a nice bar as well. The views through the huge windows to the north show the NY Times Building amongst other historical ones and the new builds on the west side of Times Square (although you can't see Times Square itself).
There are simple tables, marble floors and good service, and it was a quiet oasis from the jammed streets below. Samuel and Juliana gobbled up the "chicken fingers" which were actually three large lightly seasoned breasts pounded thin an d baked to perfection. The kids ate every bite of chicken and some for the tasty fries as well.
Will enjoyed a FALL HARVEST PIZZA with thin crust, Kabocha Squash, Chunky Berkshire Bacon, Caramelized Onion, Sage and Fontina Cheese that was huge, filling and tasty.
My MONTE CRISTRO ABOVE deserves an award for Chef Donald Drnek. First of all it was so huge at $15.00 that I was able to share the entire dish with its tasty SWEET POTATO FRIES with our friend Aunty Lauren who dropped by for dessert (but ate half my plate!). The sandwich was chock full of moist TURKEY BREAST, HONEY ROAST HAM, melted GRUYERE CHEESE and was stuffed into a BEER BATTERED deep fried wrap (think GIANT egg roll made with beer). On the side was a tasty GRAIN MUSTARD AIOLI making this dish a sandwich winner for all times.
The coffee was good and we all walked out stuffed at a most reasonable price with some great photos of the skyline too!
