The Back Room

Had a wonderful birthday dinner here with my mom last night. The generous portions of delicious food and accommodating service guarantee that we’ll be back. At times it was hard to get the waitress’s attention since she was often the only one working the floor, with a few other waiters simply standing around. That said we received our food quite quickly– after telling her we were trying to make it to a show in an hour and a half, she got us in and out in 70 minutes! (This was on a weekday, not sure if they’d be able to do the same on a weekend)
And the food was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend the duck confit, which was tender, juicy, and very flavorful. The cheese platter was pretty good and very filling, with 6 types of cheese, apples, walnuts, honey, and a ton of bread. We actually over ordered since the duck, an appetizer, and dessert would have been quite enough for the two of us, and would have come to about $ 30 per person before tip.
The waitstaff are very happy to have you share dishes, and even pointed out that some of the entrees and platters could comfortably serve 2. They didn’t seem to mind at all that the 2 of us were sharing everything and didn’t order any drinks. We received the same welcoming and attentive service as the table of 6 next to us who ordered drinks and full meals each.

Awesome restaurant in busy midtown with great, tasty food and super generous portions (aka impossible to finish!) for a very decent price ($ 52 prix fixe 3 course menu for dinner). Great service, comfy chairs, great drinks and wine list, super friendly service, amazing bread course and butter (seriously I could eat their brioche only for dinner). The room itself is beautiful, on the 1^st floor of the Park Hyatt hotel.
Had the foie gras, trout and strawberry shortcake and all were great choices.
Great option for a business lunch or a dinner with friends. I’ve tried in the past the skirt, the chicken, etc and have never been disappointed. I’m always surprised it’s not more crowded given the great quality/​price ratio in this neighborhood.

Went on a Tuesday night. The atmosphere is wonderful; the décor is modern and beautiful. The service was great; very nice, attentive and professional. It was a pretty quite restaurant, which was nice. Very clean.
I ordered from the prefix menu– asparagus, risotto, and strawberry shortcake. They were all delicious and full of flavor.
I would recommend.

Had a nice meal here the other night with some friends. We came to try the prefix dinner which seemed like a good deal. Spoiler: it was.
Came here on a Sunday night and the dining room was pretty empty. The room is beautiful and staff was very welcoming. Each of us ordered from the prefix. I started w a classic Sidecar which was excellent. A soft flavorful brioche like bread came out w an herbed butter that was delicious. One of our friends is gluten free and the waiter offered a gluten free bread they had. I didn’t try it but he seemed to really enjoyed it and had the basket refilled twice. For a starter I had the lobster bisque. It was very creamy and tasty but it would have been nice to add a piece or two of lobster on top. It was accompanied by a toast w caviar that was pretty nice though. For the entrée I had the skirt steak. I had ordered it medium rare but they thought I had ordered medium. I didn’t want to be difficult so I accepted the medium but when I cut into it, it was clearly well done. Staff was very nice about it though and took it back to have another refired. The replacement was perfect cooked and tasted great. I really enjoyed it. Our table had one of each dessert and they were all great. If you’ve got to pick one though, go for the chocolate toffee cake. It was so good and probably my favorite part of the meal.
Over all, we had a great meal. Staff was very attentive. Prefix was quite a deal for the 3 course meal. Included pictures of my companions’ meals.

Beautifully decorated, elegant place; cozy ambiance; good food; super sweet and attentive staff, reasonable price. Just the right amount of light and the right volume of music. Definitely not another typical overcrowded, overrated Michelin starred restaurant. A great evening guaranteed.
They have both the regular and the prix fix menus, both are quite small but have all the good stuff. Even the complimentary rosemary bread was good too. We got the seared Maine scallop and roasted chicken, and a brussel sprout side (which I initially frowned upon– but turned out it was SO good). The portions LOOKED small, but there was actually a LOT of food (we couldn’t finish either dish), and both dishes were very tender and flavorful.
It’s a bit tricky to find this place. The building entrance is actually next door to the hotel entrance, and once you come in, you’ll have to take the elevator up to the lobby level, where the entrance for this restaurant is. Find it though. My date said it took him half an hour to pick this place and I think it’s worth every minute of his time.

I’M IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE. We went at around 2pm when things were getting quiet, so we basically had the modernly decorated, bright space to ourselves. First of all, service was impeccable — all of our needs were catered to and everyone was just very polite and professional in general. Now onto the food —
— Grilled Octopus: Very tender and fresh, and was very well seasoned.
— Chicken Breast: Perhaps the most average thing we had, but that’s on relative terms because it’s still one of the better ones I’ve had in the city. It’s easy to overcook chicken breast, but they prepare it very well here.
— Brussel Sprouts: HIGHLIGHT OF THE MEAL. It was definitely not the prettiest, but it tasted AMAZING. They prepared it with cranberries and a few other ingredients, and it was absolutely perfect. And of course, we devoured it all.
Now onto the dessert, which is the real reason we came. After seeing pictures of the eclairs (by Scott Cioe) on Instagram, we knew we had to try them out. With interesting flavors like Caramel Popcorn, Passionfruit Smores and French Toast, the eclairs were both beautiful and delicious. My favorite was the Strawberry Shortcake — but to be honest, they were all good! Unfortunately when I went, they didn’t have the Raspberry Rose flavor, but I suppose that gives me a reason to come back!

Amazing service, ambiance, and food! Can’t get any better than this place! I hadn’t realized the restaurant was located inside a hotel when I booked, so I was a bit worried when I walked in that the place would be overly-​stuffy.
Not so! From the moment you walk out of the elevator into the bar lounge and eventually into the restaurant, I was met with courteous and helpful waitstaff who was more than happy to point me the way to the restaurant. The space is quite posh and you can tell the waitstaff there is composed of professionally trained hospitality staff. It’s been so long since I’ve been to an upscale restaurant, I’ve forgotten the level of service given in fancy food establishments! But unlike some of the Michelin starred restaurants, this place is NOT staffed with stuffy or pompous waitstaff. The ambiance is relaxed and we lounged over a 4 hour dinner. Granted the place wasn’t crowded, but we weren’t rushed to vacate the table upon finishing the meal and the staff was quite attentive in filling our water glass for the four hours we were there.
Our server was super sweet. Even though it took us about 30 minutes to order (we couldn’t stop gabbing and totally lost track of time), she never rushed us and stood by discreetly until we had a chance to glance at the menu and place our orders. She was very knowledgeable about drinks, too. She made couple recommendations on the drink menu which didn’t disappoint!
Now for the meal: we ordered the grilled octopus to share for the app, and boy was it DIVINE! I always gravitate towards octopus whenever I see it on the menu. Of late, ones I’ve had at various restaurants have been just OK– often they were dried or bit chewy. But the grilled octopus here was SO tender and full of flavor. I could taste a hint of charcoal in the outer parts of the tentacles. The vinaigrette dressing that coated the octopus and frisee leaves went very well with the entire dish. For the main, we had the lamb (rare) and scallops. The lamb was quite tender and I have no complaints but I think I preferred the scallops which were seared with different rub. I don’t think I’ve had scallops so yummy before!!! They weren’t chewy or overcooked. The rub was a bit salty so that may be my only complaint if I had to come up with one.
The above dishes we decided to share between the two of us, and they were kind enough to split the app and the two entrees into smaller plates so we could both enjoy the meal without feeling like barbarians (eating off each other’s dishes). They served the dishes one after the other (octopus, followed by scallops, and finally by the lamb) so it felt like we were being served tasting course. I have to admit it’s never dawn on me to ask a restaurant to do this, so not sure if this is the norm or only the fancy places accommodate diner requests such as this.
We also had dessert (strawberry shortcake) which I thought was quite disappointing. The dish was ‘deconstructed’ so you had bits of the strawberry shortcake scattered on the plate. The presentation was not pleasing and it tasted just as bad… I should know better than to order desserts from fancy restaurants… they tend to be overly creative and end up destroying the dish.
Despite the dessert debacle, between the service and solid appetizer and entrees, I give this place two thumbs up! This place is my go-​to spot if I ever have to take someone out for dinner in midtown!

Came here for dinner and was blown away. This place has it all. Beautiful décor and ambiance: enter the Park Hyatt through a private entrance that leads to an elevator that goes straight up to The Back Room. Lobby is grand, with dim lighting, tall ceilings, and trendy gold interior. But that’s not the main attracted. Be escorted to the back, where (duh) the Back Room is. Limited seating but if you make reservations in advance, you can enjoy a nice intimate meal in dimly lit, modern setting, with many different types of seating (even some window seats). Service was superb. Each table is waited on by a number of staff, all of which predict your every move (and can even read your mind – kid you not!). All bathrooms are private with its own sink and t hey even bring out little side tables for you to set your purse as you dine.
Started the night off with a complimentary butter rolls, which were really good (and addictive) with a side of onion, garlic, and herb cheese. Next, we had a platter of oysters ($ 20), half east coast half west coast. Some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. West coast oysters were huge – the size of the palm of my hand or bigger. East coast oysters the size of a quarter but packed the biggest punch of flavor. I highly recommend it. Grilled octopus with garlic coulis, bean ragout, and shallot-​mustard vinaigrette ($ 16) was amazing. The first time I had baked octopus (versus grilled) that was not dry! Octopus was very soft and still chewey. Flavors really came through too and bed of beans surprised me too (I usually hate beans). Of course, couldn’t leave without trying the foie gras terrine with poached rhubarb, a pistachio crust, and a side of toasted brioche ($ 22). The brioche tasted honestly like burny wonderbread, but foie gras was amazing. I felt like I gained a pound with every bite, that’w how you know it’s decadent. Seemed like such a small bit but we couldn’t even get through half of it!
For my entrée, I had the green circle roasted half chicken with herbs and spring onion ($ 36). This chicken was not only incredibly tender and juicy, but the skin was super crispy and juicy as well. Plus, they somehow arranged such plain chicken parts to somehow look like a whole chicken with its head, how wonderful! So cute I literally ate it. I had a bit of the jamison farm lamb with roasted leek and baby carrot with violet mustard vinaigrette ($ 48). Lamb was really good, although I would recommend getting it rare. This one was done medium and it was a little dryer than I’d have liked, though I completely blame it on the person who ordered it medium – blasphemy. Last but not least, I also had a bit of the warm smoked rainbow trout with mache salad and dill dressing ($ 28). A little on the saltier side, this is the most savory fish entrée I’ve had in years (if not ever). Portion for each dish was very generous so I would go as far as to say it was a good deal. I highly, highly recommend The Back Room for all occasions. Can’t go wrong with this place. Could sit here forever ordering everything on the menu.

This restaurant is located in the Spark Hyatt hotel. My initial concern was that the food would be your typical hotel style dinner. Boy was I wrong. The meal I had exceeded my expectations. Everything was top notch. Service A+, Food A+, Ambiance A+. My 3 course Alba cattle meal started with the cold foie. It was very decadent. My 2^nd course was shared, it was the charcuterie platter. The assortment of hams and salamis was perfect. My main course was the duck confit. It was very succulent and cooked to perfection. I was too full to have dessert. I will definitely try yo come back in the future.

I didn’t love a restaurant like I did love the Back Room in a long time.
I went here for lunch with a friend and we both ordered appetizers, an entrée and a dessert. The food was so delicious. Fine cuisine portions but so freakin good I took pictures.
The cleanliness of the restaurant (including the restrooms) was quite good as well. And the atmosphere was definitely chic, with a low noise level like I love. In this modern/​fresh setting that may look very «formal» or business oriented but it’s a hotel restaurant after all, so don’t expect it to carry the vide of an East Village bar.
Service was good, nothing to complain about: decent waiting time, server available to address all our needs with politeness and smile.

The service alone deserves five stars but we have to account for the entire package during a Unilocal review — hence three stars.
The Back Room is located on the third floor of the gorgeous Park Hyatt hotel. Stunning décor, design, color coordination and just a stunning area to dine at. I loved the colors — it inspires me to renovate! We were immediately seated and the seats are SO comfortable. High end dining space. Pretty quiet for lunch time.
Our waiter was Eddie and he was perfection! Made the experience a great one here and he was very friendly, easy going and attentive to guests. The food was just alright. It’s an expensive lunch so I say choose your restaurants with caution. Two course meal — for lunch and per person — is $ 32. The harvest salad was just OK. The pasta was just OK. Both were small portions and the food was mediocre. It didn’t wow me. The chocolate mousse cake was nice — rich but not too heavy and a slice at just the right size to share for two people. Their whole milk vanilla ice cream and chocolate ice cream had a funky taste. Their famous lemon dessert was just OK. The scene stealer for me was the bread they serve once you sit down. WOW — that was good. Warm, toasty, fresh-​out-​of-​the-​oven goodness. Came with soft butter — that alone deserves five stars. Sometimes, it truly is the simple things in life that satisfy us.
Overall, the restaurant is a stunner to look at, impeccable service but the food is just okay. If you’re looking for a good meal, I’d recommend elsewhere but if you want a comfrotable, relaxing meal with great service, The Back Room is your spot.

I came here with a friend on the last day of Winter Restaurant Week 2016 for lunch and what a luxurious experience it was! The Back Room is located in One57, within the Park Hyatt hotel on the 3^rd floor, past the beautiful flower display and lovely bar area and in the elegant, classy, modern and comfortable back room. I loved the circular glass lights, the white and brown color scheme and the incredibly plush booth seats. They were so nice that my friend and I wanted to spend the entire afternoon there and our wonderful waiter, Eddie, actually encouraged us to stay as long as we wanted!
We were given rolls of multi-​grain bread to start with. Then, for the first course I was debating between the lobster bisque and the pasta. I decided on the pasta, which consisted of reginetti pasta, ricotta, lemon and crispy red onion. The pasta were rectangular shaped bites, wavy on the side and came with a delightful pale yellow sauce that tasted of lemons and cream. It was quite rich and the crispy onion was a nice touch.
For the entrée, I was stuck (again) between the beef cheek and veal paillard, so I asked our waited and he immediately recommended the beef. It was red wine braised beef cheek with rutabaga and red onion jam. This was a healthy serving with yummy crispy bits of the rutabaga on top. The beef cheek was amazingly tender, juicy, succulent and the sauce was delicious and full of flavor.
My friend and I shared two different desserts for the last course. First, there was the chocolate mousse, with hazelnut sandies, peanuts and salted hazelnut ice cream. This was plated beautifully and perfectly symmetrical, which made for easy sharing. The chocolate mousse was so pretty — different layers and pretty colors from dark brown to white and was very velvety. The mousse worked well with the brownies, cookies, nuts and ice cream. The other dessert we tried was the apple pie with sherry caramel and mimolette ice cream. The apple pie was an adorable round shaped serving with lattice crust top. I really enjoyed the caramelized flavor of the apple and crust. The pie was sweet and very tasty! However, I did not like the ice cream that accompanied it… The waiter described it as cheddar cheese ice cream and I found it to be kind of bland and savory in a way that I didn’t appreciate. I think that classic French Vanilla would have worked well with the apple pie.
The service by Eddie was impeccable. He always made sure that we had everything we needed and answered all of my questions with knowledge and ease.
Overall, a truly enjoyable dining experience!

** Winter Restaurant Week Review **
The Back Room at One57 has been on my radar since last season’s Restaurant Week when my coworker dined with them for lunch. When they released their menu for the winter season of Restaurant Week, I quickly hopped onto OpenTable and snagged a reservation. The Back Room is located on the 3^rd floor of building 157. We arrived 5 minutes before our reservation and were led to a two-​seater by bar since they were seating tables exactly at their time. I found this a bit odd, but didn’t mind all too much.
Once we were seated in their main dining room, our waitress explained their Restaurant Week menu along with the supplements and left us to peruse the wine list. After several moments, she returned to take our orders and supply us with some delicious freshly baked bread. She let us know that their dessert chef actually makes the dough for the bread every day and they bake them fresh to order. During our meal, they brought over another plate of bread just as we finished our first. I was absolutely in love with the bread and the cream cheese-​like spread.
For my appetizer, I had the Mangalista Charcuterie Platter with pickles and toast. The cured meats included Coppa, Cacciatorini, Fennel Sausage, Soppressata, and Spicy Nduja. My favorites were the fennel sausage and the soppressata. The spicy nduja was super spicy and a bit too much for me — even with the pickles and toast. I wish there were more toast involved with this appetizer — I ran out halfway through my platter!
For my entrée, I opted for the Haweij Dusted Quail a la Planca with gem lettuce and spicy yogurt. The quail was mostly deboned, except for the drumsticks and wings. I appreciated this because then I wouldn’t have to use my hands! The quail was cooked perfectly and very flavorful.
Halfway through our entrées, my mother decided she wanted to swap dishes so she could try my quail. She ordered the Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek with parsnip, rutabaga, and red onion jam. The beef cheek is braised for 36 hours, according to our waitress. The result was a melt-​in-​your-​mouth dish. I barely had to chew! The dish is very rich so neither of us could finish it because it was so filling!
For dessert, my mom decided on the Chocolate Ombré Mousse with Hazelnut sandies, gianduja genoise, and salted hazelnut ice cream. The presentation of the dessert was outstanding; however I found that the darker colors of the Ombré were less delightful. The chocolate flavor was a bit too strong in those parts. The salted hazelnut ice cream was the standout.
I opted for the Meyer Lemon Zabaglione with whipped tea, Buddha’s hand confit, and earl grey ice cream. I thoroughly enjoyed my dessert. The lemon was a bit tart and really helped after the savory, heavy beef cheek dish. The earl grey ice cream was a new experience — just a bit milky and lots of tea flavor. I highly recommend this dessert!
Service was very attentive without being overbearing. Our waitress noticed my mother struggling with her big handbag and brought over a stool for her bag. That was so thoughtful! She explained everything on our menu and gave excellent suggestions when my mother didn’t know which entrée to order. Standout service!

**Restaurant Week Lunch Review — Winter 2016**
The Back Room is located at One57 — where super expensive condos are as well as the Park Hyatt hotel. It’s also the building where the crane almost fell off of during Sandy. It’s located on the third floor of a very luxurious space.
Service here is impeccable. Our waiter was very friendly, gentle, and served us very well. We got stools for our purses and change of utensils.
Bread (seemed like multigrain rolls, cut in half) and butter for the table.
For my appetizer, I got the lobster bisque. It’s probably the thinnest lobster bisque I’ve ever had, but that didn’t mean it lacked in flavor. Another good choice was my colleague’s charcuterie plate with various meats and a spicy cheese — probably liked this better than the soup.
I picked the quail dish as my entrée, which is a first, because I basically never choose poultry/​birds when I have a choice. However, I enjoy quail. It was cooked excellently and was very tender and juicy and seasoned very well. It came with a small salad with a yogurt dressing and crispy onions. A little on the salty side all around with our entrees, but very flavorful. I would ask for less salt if you are concerned with your sodium intake.
For dessert, I had the meyer lemon zabagloine which by itself was a delcious, not to sweet, creamy confection. It doesn’t look like they serve it normally for lunch or dinner. The buddha’s hand confit was an interesting texture, but had little to no flavor. Loved the earl grey ice cream as it was a bit of a salty/​sweet.
Solid, solid choice for lunch in the Midtown area during Restaurant Week. It’s close to many of the Midtown offices, so they get a lot of working clientele, it seems.

This is a great place for lunch in he city. The wait staff is very busy and I can understand why other reviewers felt that they were inattentive. When I went, though, I felt well taken care of: our server checked on us often enough but not too much as to be intrusive.
The food was delicious. With an appetizer, soup/​salad, and an entrée, I felt nourished and refreshed but not overwhelmed. The flavors of the food are well-​balanced and there is a good selection of cocktails to complement every dish.

The restaurant is in beautiful neighborhood. The staffs were extremely nice and polite. When you walk into the restaurant their doors are automatic. The decorations are gorgeous! Since it is restaurant week, you will be expecting more people coming in groups.
The servers brought bread and pour our water right away as we got seated down. The food was average, but the deserts tasted really good. All their food platters were nicely decorated, I loved the desert the most!

I’m a really lazy Unilocal reviewer, so a restaurant has to either be amazing or terrible for me to write something about it, and The Back Room was amazing!
Came here to celebrate an anniversary with my fiancé, and it was just the perfect night from start to finish. The service was amazing, the food was delicious, the décor was beautiful, ambiance was romantic, and the experience was unforgettable.
We both ordered from the pre-​fixe menu. I got the lobster bisque, rainbow trout, and brown butter panna cotta, the fiancé got the burrata, the wagyu beef, and the cocoa toffee pudding. We were also brought some amazingly crispy potato croquettes and roasted brussel sprouts, as well as a gorgeous dessert sampler that said «Happy Anniversary» on it. Everything was amazing (although I wish the bisque actually had pieces of lobster in it). I never order fish and this fish was amazing even the next day (since I had to pack it to go)! The fiancé absolutely loved his dishes, particularly the burrata and the beef. Melt in his mouth drool-​worthy good!
Thank you, The Back Room, for such an incredible anniversary dinner! From our waiter Jose, to the servers who brought out our dishes, the amazing chef!, the waitress who walked my fiancé all the way out of the restaurant and around the corner to show him the restroom, the host who walked us to the perfect spot in the lobby to take the perfect anniversary picture. everyone and everything was so amazingly thoughtful and gorgeous and I left the restaurant so very happy so thank you!
I’ve noticed that Hyatts usually have amazing restaurants (this is within the Park Hyatt). We also received extra points for dining here as Hyatt Gold Passport platinum members :)

The Back Room was absolutely terrific!
Not only was the dining area well decorated and modern but the staff was also extremely helpful and pleasant, which set a professional environment. I had come here for Restaurant Week and I honestly thought that perhaps, because I was ordering a cheaper meal, I’d be getting not-​so-​great service. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. My server was funny, friendly, and genuinely cared about her customers. I was never without a full glass of water, either. They also offered me reading material since I’d come alone; they had an iPad, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others. In general, everyone was extremely attentive. I decided to skip out on ordering a drink and save some cash for a larger tip. [5/​5]
The food was just superb. They first brought out glazed pull-​apart bread with this type of cream cheese that had a mix of herbs in it. The bread was sweet, soft, and delicious. Next, for my appetizer, I had ordered pasta rigenetti and, although the portion size was small, I was almost immediately full. I couldn’t even finish it — although I definitely wanted to! For the entrée, I had the braised beef cheek in red wine which was was well cooked, succulent and tender. For dessert, I ordered chocolate ombré mousse which came with hazelnuts and dollops of hazelnut?) ice cream. I took my time tasting every portion of the dessert and it was well worth it. [5/​5]
Side note: Maybe it’s just me, but I’m always impressed by a nice bathroom. Each stall had its own sink, counter, plants, hand towels, and extremely tall mirror.
Although I probably won’t be coming back here very often (due to their regular pricing,) I’ll definitely recommend the restaurant to friends and coworkers.

Great restaurant in Midtown West.
I met up with my girlfriend one day after work, and we decided to try something new in the surrounding area. I found availability at, «The Back Room» via OpenTable and verified its reputation through positive Unilocal reviews. We were thoroughly pleased with our experience.
The restaurant is located within the Park Hyatt Hotel on West 57^th Street. We entered the building and the receptionist, who escorted us to the elevators leading to the restaurant, greeted us promptly. Walk through the Living Room (the hotel’s bar) and you will find the restaurant situated in the back room — how appropriately named. The restaurant’s atmosphere was intimate, its décor was fancy, and I did not feel overdressed in business casual clothing.
The food was great. I ordered from the prix-​fixe menu, which included three courses for $ 54 (before supplements and cost of optional wine pairing). I started with the lobster bisque with tarragon crème fraiche and caviar, which was excellent. My main course was wagyu beef with creamy potatoes. The beef was flavorful and the potatoes were tasteful. I also enjoyed the dessert course, which was a chocolate toffee pudding. My girlfriend and I shared a bottle of wine, though the cocktail menu looked expansive.
I look forward to coming here again sometime in the near future!

Back Room is a Wonderful restaurant: ambiance, food, service were all amazing.
Also contemporary feeling, with splashes of modern décor but enough earthy tones to give the restaurant warmth. Felt very comfortable and with no awareness of other surrounding guests. This was transparent to me — I just enjoyed the privacy but my friend pointed out the design and placement of the divides was the reason– even if there were others at nearby tables, there would still be a sense of space and privacy because of the seating and layout. Impressively designed.
The grilled octopus appetizer was delicious as was the bass entrée. They also have complimentary flavored bread chips in the bread basket that are made in-​house and are so wonderfully good!
The server was truly amazing. Knowledgable about menu items, professional yet very friendly with a fantastic personality.