NYCReview
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
53
Included In
When eating out, we often have one of two thoughts: “The room’s really cool, but the food’s just okay” or “Everything’s delicious, but the decor is kind of meh.” Turns out, a lot of places that are killing it in the kitchen look like page 27 of a Room & Board catalog. 53, however, has a space that should be studied at Parsons and food that’ll make you book your next reservation before you even finish your meal.
This “contemporary Asian” spot from the Marea team is right next door to the MoMA, so it’s only fitting that it raises the bar for restaurant design in NYC. The street-level lounge, which is covered in a backlit structure resembling an upside down half pipe, looks like the airport hangar Anna Wintour would build for her private jet. Downstairs, there’s a larger dining room where you’ll see CFO types on post-divorce dates and travelers who are in town “on business” because their parents just scooped up a whole floor of condos on Central Park South. It features sweeping curved, rainbow-colored blades across the ceiling that will make you think of strings on a giant harp.
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
In a space like this, you might expect all of the food to be avant-garde, covered in edible flowers. Some dishes do lean dainty—but most of the menu consists of things like dim sum, fried rice, and stir-fried beef and vegetables. You'll try some items that look familiar, but they'll feel brand new after a few bites.
Everything here is prepared with as much precision as NASA would demonstrate for a mission to Mars. One chef is exclusively dedicated to making dumplings, and it shows. The chicken and truffle soup dumplings are the best we’ve had, and they’re smartly cone-shaped, which allows them to hold more slurpable broth. The two best entrées are the banana leaf-wrapped skate smothered in funky and spicy sambal and the incredibly moist Hainanese chicken in a pool of sweet soy. We won’t even try to recommend one over the other. Just get both.
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
On most days, you probably want to head to a neighborhood spot, get your favorite dish, and eat it in a very normal room. But sometimes, you’re looking for something out of the ordinary—the restaurant equivalent of that two-week vacation you’ve been saving up for after working the other 50 weeks of the year. On those occasions, head to 53 for an unforgettable dinner in a room that might as well be an official extension of their next-door neighbor.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Salmon Carpaccio
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Xiao Long Bao
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Skate
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Hainanese Chicken
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Beef Tenderloin
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Duck Clay Pot
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Mango Pudding