A good fusion restaurant isn't just an outstanding place to practice close-up magic on unsuspecting patrons; it's also the ideal spot to meet friends and share Burton Gilliam gossip. Sip, socialize, and mesmerize your mouth with today's deal: for $15, you get $30 worth of creative cuisine at Essex Restaurant. This Groupon is not good toward brunch but can be used toward daily specials and happy hour at this lively Lower East Side hot spot.
The atmosphere inside the dual-leveled dining Thunderdome is as cozy and intimate as a hug from a pet lamb. Brightly lit windows bring in buckets of natural light to complement the extensive menu with edible sunrays. Between Monday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., drinks are half-price with an accompanying daily special, such as $1 oysters on Mondays and Thursdays, and $18 Maine lobster on Wednesdays.
Equally special, but not labeled as such, are dinner offerings such as filet mignon with sweet-potato fries and mixed greens in a shallot red-wine reduction ($24) or the Essex Cubano sandwich with sweet plantains ($13). The savory menu culls influence from Jewish and Latin cultures, forging a hybrid cuisine from the dynamic duo. Essex staples include their famous potato pancakes ($6 each), steamed mussels with chorizo in a tomato-cilantro broth ($12), and the Market Cheese Plate ($12). Add a few sides ($4) like mashed potatoes or sweet plantains and salsa to create a tasty lineup customized to your tastes like a fantasy football draft for purple people eaters.
Reviews
New York magazine named Essex a critics' pick, Time Out New York described it as a slick and sexy refuge, and Dine or Death reviewed it:
- The lively atmosphere and intriguing Jewish-Latin fare can mean long waits, so make reservations. – New York
- A slick, sexy refuge for subscribers to the “I am where I eat” school of dining out, Essex can be surprisingly intimate on weeknights, when the lull provides a little breathing room. The corner location is prime… – Time Out New York
More than 120 Citysearchers give Essex four stars, and 70% of Urbanspooners like it.
Groupon Says
Ripe Lobsters, Straight from Maine
Essex serves up fresh, ripe Maine lobsters straight from the Pine Tree State. But what makes Maine the lobster capital of the world besides the fact that both of its senators are secretly lobsters? The answer lies in the state's fertile soil, rich in the nutrients needed to grow stout, pinching lobsters.
Each spring, experienced lobster farmers plant basketball-sized lobster seeds, and after only nine days, they soon sprout into vast fields of lobster eggs. When the eggs begin hanging low from the vine, the farmers (or lobstermen, as they are known) carefully pick only the stoutest specimens, leaving the others to fall from the vine and live peacefully in the ocean. After they've been picked, the lobsters are coated with a hard, candy shell to protect their soft bellies during transport. While other states have the cool climate necessary for growing lobsters, they lack the generations of experience found only in Maine.
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