Mesa Grill

Since its debut in 1991, Mesa Grill continues to be one of the most critically acclaimed restaurants in New York City. Critics tout Bobby Flay as one of this nation's foremost practitioners of Southwestern cuisine. The distinctive decor of Mesa Grill is a Southwestern playground of whim and fantasy.

In going to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, I anticipated a classy restaurant experience with unique combinations of food. The atmosphere was relaxed and had a southwestern flair to it, and the crowd seemed largely business groups and older couples. The only disappointment was that the courses were poorly timed and the waiter was lacking in friendliness.

I began with the “rough cut" raw tuna nachos with mango hot sauce & avocado crema. I recommend going just for this dish! The raw tuna was heaped high and positioned between the mango hot sauce (which was quite sweet) and the avocado crema. The sweet and salty contrast between the two sauces was the highlight of this dish. Although it came with just 8 chips laid out on each side, it turned out to be the perfect amount.

For the main course I had grilled mahi-mahi with roasted pineapple-cascabel chile sauce and caramelized pineapple-green onion salsa. The fish was grilled to perfection, and the sauce was delicious. The pineapple was a nice touch that gave it the southwestern flair for which Bobby Flay is known.

Dessert was an 'ice cream sandwich' that was composed of thin, dark chocolate wafers surrounding rich dark chocolate ice cream. The perfect sweet treat to end the night!

Although it is an expensive place, this was definitely a culinary treat!

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