Steven Starr has some of the most tastefully delightful restaurants in the city. Some of the restaurants include but are not limited to: Pod, Buddakan, Jones, Tangerine, and Morimotos. A few also have second locations in New York and Atlantic City. I first visited the eclectic Continental before the Midtown Continental came to be and let me tell you that I was blown away. We had so much food, about five dishes, everything served family style. It was so good, I went beyond being full and moved right on to about to pop from all that delicious food. We started with a huge mound of Szechuan Shoestring Fries drizzled with Chinese mustard sauce, a heaping plate full of Lobster Mashed Potatoes made to perfection and an amazing red wine sauce on top, Beer Battered Shrimp & Calamari with saffron aioli for dipping (one of my most favorite of treats!), and an over the top pile of the most delicious, mouth watering Crab Pad Thai, never had anything like it. Just thinking about this meal is making me drool.
I have to say, the trendy decor of The Continental did not fall short in the make of The Continental Midtown, as you can see from above. It is magnificent inside, with a third floor roof bar that holds a beautiful view of center city. The thing I thought was most attractive were the hanging basket seats along the railing of the 2nd floor, stay away! They are not comfortable and you have to swing to get close to the table, no! The menu is basically the same as the one in Olde City, might possibly be identical. One thing I forgot to mention which is an at least "Must Try" from the drink menu called the Buzz Aldrin. It is a beautiful mixture of Tang, Absolut peach vodka and triple sec in an orange tang-rimmed glass, TANG! How exciting is that? It is so delicious! At the midtown Continental I ventured into the Brunch menu and the Continental Cheese Burger just about knocked my socks off.
Continental Cheeseburger: 8oz burger with creamy tomato relish, shaved lettuce, sauteed onions and sharp cheddar served with fries
First, I DO NOT like burgers, I don't know why, I'm not much of a ground beef fan I guess, but this burger must have a special ingredient because I could barely contain myself, or maybe it was the special sauce? Either way, it's worth the travel if you are an outsider!
Some of the other dishes that I may suggest, the spicy tuna roll is the best I've had thus far, and I've eaten A LOT of Sushi since my move to New York City. The flavor runs so smooth along your tastebuds, and the special spicy sauce i'd probably eat with a spoon if it wouldn't send fire out of my nostrils, delicious! Another Japanese style dish that is tastey is the Seared Tuna, sesame and black pepper crusted. If you are a lover of egg rolls I suggest you try the Lobster Spring Rolls, they are crunchy and fantastic, just a great blend of flavors for a spring roll. I also find this dish is better from the original Continental, just a little side tip.
And to finish it up I'd suggest any of their delicious desserts. The portions are rather small, a bite each for a table of three, I'd say. Not to knock them because they are great, it would just be nice if they were larger. What can I say? I love food!
Some of Steven Starr's other fine restaurants that I've been able to indulge at include Pod which is located on Univ of Penn's campus on Sampson Street, its pretty hidden. But it's just as trendy as the rest, window seating where eye level is about walking level outside, secluded booths, a rotating sushi bar, it's quite a place. Also Jones, which serves what is known as "comfort food" som of your favorites form home such as, Macaroni and Cheese, Meatloaf, Burgers, Salads, Grilled Cheese...just like Mom used to make. If you go to Jones for Brunch I suggest the Monkey Bread to start, it's foaming from the corners of your mouth delicious! I haven't had the pleasure of Morimotos or Tangerine unfortunately but I did make my way to Buddakan which serves modern Asia food. I don't remember much about the food we ordered, I had some type of pad thai dish with cashews I believe but for dessert we got a little chocolate box with ice cream and fudge, and that made the meal. Buddakan is a bit more pricey and I feel is not up to par, I'd stick with the Continental, the basis of the menu is almost the same.
