A few of us were privileged to be invited to have dinner as guests of the UN Plaza Grill. What an amazing dinner we had! Let me give you a little background before I talk about the food. We had the pleasure of spending some time talking to Ghandi Kimia, the General Manager of this restaurant. Ghandi is an elegant, well spoken gentleman and a Diplomat of the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. UN Plaza Grill is not his first experience with kosher restaurants. He has worked with Jezebel (J Soho), and Reserve Cut amongst other restaurants-including Tavern On The Green. He took some time off; and then was cajoled to return to the restaurant business by a gentleman who wanted to open up a kosher restaurant near where he lived.
As the UN Plaza Grill is so close to the United Nations, Ghandi hopes to create an atmosphere where everyone will feel comfortable; including religious Jews, Muslims and the public, in general. Ghandi told us that some Muslims believe that Kosher is even more pure than Halal. Other people had tried to convince Ghandi to run their restaurants but he refused. He said that he was blessed with the ability to sense the honesty and good will of a person just by shaking his/her hand. How fortunate for us that Ghandi felt positive vibes after shaking this investor’s hand! Together they have created a wonderful kosher restaurant. Click on the link above to peruse the expansive menu. The sushi offerings are creative, beautiful and delicious with unusual sauces ie. a truffled ponzu sauce. There is also a Vegan Roll for those who don’t eat fish. The two different steaks we sampled were tender and full of flavor. The cowboy steak is Wagyu beef and was out of this world. All steaks are served with three sauces. The sauces are delicious; but the steaks stand on their own. There are also vegetarian options. The Artichoke and Spinach Gratin and White Asparagus with Forest Mushrooms were outstanding; in addition to the Pommes Frites! The desserts were decadent and delicious. My personal favorites were the Peanut Buttercream with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate Crumbs and the French Beignets with Caramel and Chocolate Sauces.
Little by little, Ghandi is renovating the space. He wants to be able to arrange seating for larger family groups in addition to the smaller seating areas that now exist. He can name the Prince of Saudi Arabia and the Kuwaiti Ambassador as patrons of this restaurant; to say nothing of our little Kosher Blogger group of six. Ghandi has created a unique dining experience. Rodolphe, the Captain, makes sure that everything runs smoothly and each diner feels pampered. This is not a spot to bring a gaggle of children for a quick dinner. It is an elegant restaurant with flattering lighting and lovely ambiance. UN Plaza Grill is expensive; but if you want to dine rather than just eat; if you want an experience and delicious food, this is the place to come.
A few of the delicious appetizers we sampled
Our merry band of Kosher bloggers
