Landmarc

Occasion: Catch-up dinner with Jill and Amy
Location: Landmark, on the third floor of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle
Edibles: I had the pork chop with spinach and roasted apples and onions; Jill and Amy, possessing more self-restraint, had salads

Musings: Landmarc straddles the fine line between being appealing to tourists and still acceptable to locals. The décor is a sort of a generic sleek-modern. It's a gigantic space and the benefit is that you rarely have to wait for a table. The view over the renovated Columbus Circle is pretty nice, particularly so at this time of year with all the twinkly lights.

One small minus - it's very expensive to drink here. They don't have any wine by the glass; the smallest unit is the half bottle (so if you normally get two glasses, you will not really be affected). Cocktails are $10-15 and even a draft beer is $8.

Food is similarly priced. I was a little hesitant because it was so expensive, but I was ultimately more than pleased with my main dish. I asked for the chop to be cooked just under medium, and it was perfectly done. Really tender and juicy, with just the hint of blush. Kind of blew my mind, actually. Sigh - bliss is a perfectly-cooked slab of meat.....

The sides were well-chosen, and balanced the richness of the meat and the sauce nicely.

We didn't get it tonight, but their little dessert samplers are fun and tasty. You can also get cotton candy - whimsical! Even if you don't order dessert, you can still have a sweet bite because they give you some homemade caramels with the bill - a classy touch.