REFINERY ROOFTOP
Refinery Rooftop in the Refinery Hotel is a must! Not only did I have to go by just because I wanted to but I absolutely had to try their new lunch menu. FYI, the rooftop is absolutely majestic at night draped by the sparkling lights of the city.
Enveloped in the most incredible city views directly under the glow of the Empire State building stands the Refinery Rooftop—aka the perfect cityscape escape for every type of lunch, whether business or leisurely and recreational (served Monday through Friday 11:30-2:30).
Often, when I'm in the heart of NYC's Garment District, it feels like a struggle to find a lunch that isn't made for me behind a piece of plexiglass by a sweat clad person with some sort of hair net. This, is not that. This is an elevated—literally—lunch fare where the dishes have been thoughtfully crafted and are incredibly drool worthy.
You'll find yourself sitting in what feels like the perfect backyard—one equipped with a bench swing, couch seating, wooden chairs, cushioned chairs, wooden plank floors, wooden tables, marble slab tables, communal tables and a large wooden bar in a sunlit open air indoor space. Not too shabby an oasis for NYC!
All of Executive Chef Jeff Haskell’s dishes are developed using incredibly delicious, high quality, locally sourced ingredients. These ingredients are then transformed into dishes that truly allow the freshness of the produce shine.
Now, I'm not a vegetarian but the Pressed Cauliflower Sandwich paired with the grilled avocado with spicy crema side dish is a straight up must! It's my favorite combination on the menu because of its unique yet extremely flavorful simplicity. I quite literally chain ate it—one bite was nearly swallowed as the next one began—so yummy!
That's saying a lot because the Avocado Feta Toast with heirloom tomatoes and basil is the perfect combination of what I would call guacamole and pesto—and there is literally no more delicious flavor pairing that I can think of. My goodness.
To think, I haven't even begun raving about the Refinery Rooftop's star mixologist Alex Ott and the incredible cocktails that were served to our table. I've been obsessing over The Magic Flute all week! It's made with Grey Goose Cherry Noir, Fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, muddled raspberry and blackberry topped with prosecco—making it the most perfect lunch time cocktail you can find! Though, to be fair, there are other fantastic ones on their cocktail menu (ahem, ahem the Blood Orange Margharita) so you don't have to search too hard or far.
Finish off your meal with the featured dessert dish of the day! We totally lucked out with their carrot cake. Holy, bleeeeep! I can't even! It was the perfect balance of carroty airiness, and creamy frosting. Fingers crossed that when you go, it's carrot cake day!
Really, this is the perfect place to stop, get away from it all and smell the roses! So, stop and smell them! The service is quick, you can still have a "lunch hour" if need be. And, think about how amazing the rest of your day will be after such a satisfying dining experience!
