Monterey, a stunning new restaurant on E. 50th St., puts the magic back in Midtown East.
A Deco-inspired, pastel playground for adult eaters that was only recently the drab-brown and tired Maloney & Porcelli, the bustling brasserie’s pretty, pink-and-blue palette and high-energy American menu have been luring in even the most committed downtown types.
Managing partner Simon Oren’s French and Middle Eastern empire stretches from Park Ave. South to the Upper West Side, where he opened the bright, modern Israeli Dagon last year — at that time, easily the best new restaurant to debut in NYC since the beginning of the pandemic.
Monterey, with 250 seats on two levels, marks Oren’s bold debut in East Midtown, which lost more office workers to the lockdowns than any other commercial district in Manhattan.
The restaurant’s unexpected look and vibe have delighted customers since it opened last month.
SmartFlyer travel consultant Brianna Feo, who lives in Tribeca and works from home, told The Post she saw pictures of Monterey on social media and thought, “Where is this restaurant?”
She’s since been there for lunch and dinner with friends and clients. The evening 1980s pop-and-soul soundtrack made her think, “I want to dance here,” she said, although based on recent visits, stylish guests have so far managed to stay put in their seats.
Monterey marks not only a new direction for Oren but for the East 50s, too.
Brian Feuer, a former top portfolio manager at McKinsey and founder of NFT global wine community Club dVin, said that, although the area had many good Italian places, “It was missing something in the middle that had that special something.”
In contrast to Maloney & Porcelli, Feuer said, Monterey reminded him of a 1960s James Bond movie.
“I expected Sean Connery to come around the corner and a girl to be carrying drinks down the stairs from the mezzanine,” he joked.
Enabling the fantasy: a stunning terrazzo tile floor, swirls of ceiling globe lights and a typically Oren-esque marble bar, where pods on the back wall illuminate spirits of every hue.
But the eclectic menu from chef/partner James Tracey is the main draw. There are prime steaks, roast prime rib carved tableside, salads, handmade pasta, a raw bar and whole fish.
What sets Monterey apart, however, are dishes drawn from far corners. Despite the name, this isn’t a “California” restaurant. Tracey’s wanderlust flopped only once, with an all-thumbs veal rollatini that quickly got the hook after diners complained.
But balloon sesame lavash, served with irresistible carrot tahini and resembling Indian poori, might hail from Oren’s Barbounia. Luscious, New Orleans-style barbecued prawns channel the Big Easy with intense chilies-and-spices sauce on a pillow of Anson Mills coarse yellow grits.
And I’m darned if Szechuan chili-fried chicken — super moist under crackling batter —didn’t carry a whiff of the incendiary eats at long-gone Mission Chinese. The chili oil is Cy Eats’ MaLa brand, by influencer Christine Yi. (“OMG, I know this girl,” said a delighted Feo, who said she buys the ultra-smoky and spicy condiment on trips to the new Tin Building food hall at South Street Seaport.)
I never knew martinis could be so complex, but my lunchtime friend put the tableside-trolley server through her hoops with a request for “Belvedere up with a twist, really dry, really cold, and Winestillery Tuscan vermouth in-and-out.”
The result, she said, was outstanding.
My favorite tableside dish was bananas foster for two. Deftly flambeed with Myers’s dark rum, vanilla ice cream and pecans, it made me forget I was on E. 50th St. But then, Monterey has set the whole neighborhood on fire.
Monterey, 37 E. 50th St., (212) 377-7171. Dinner prices: Raw bar items, $19 to $32. Appetizers, $21 to $29. Salads, $12 to $24. Entrees, $26 to $43. Prime rib, $69. Steaks, $48 to $158.
