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We tried the restaurant at the top of One World Trade. Was it worth it?

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2 months ago

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We tried the restaurant at the top of One World Trade. Was it worth it?

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Dining on top of One World Trade — a breathtaking culinary experience or another New York tourist trap?

Does putting a restaurant on the 101st floor of the Freedom Tower entice foodies to reserve a table? Or run from the prospect of overpriced eats and dishes seasoned to the lowest common palate denominator?

Whether you guessed A or B, you’re probably right, because ONE Dine (the New American lunch and dinner spot “above the city”) sits comfortably on the intersection of both.

But, to be honest, I’m kind of here for it.

Or — at least — I was when I visited for dinner yesterday night.

Dining 1,300 feet in the air

ONE Dine is an American restaurant located one floor below the observatory at One World Trade. Soaring 1,300 feet in the sky, the spot offers diners sprawling views of the city’s five boroughs. Its menu boasts — according to the team — “an array of decadent dishes, from fresh seafood to succulent steaks, all beautifully presented and bursting with flavor.”

To any native New Yorker, that description probably has as much appeal as the M&M’s store in Times Square.

I’m from New Jersey, though, so I was all “hand-me-an-I-HEART-NY-shirt-and-call-me-a-Yankee” when a review proposal came across my desk.

At the worst, I was getting a selfie with the view.

Or a cocktail with the view.

So, yeah. I was in.

Accessing ONE Dine

I arrived at ONE Dine shortly before sunset. As I sent my bag through security, I set up two hypothetical columns in my head: “Unique Experience” on the left, “Overpriced Tourist Trap” on the right. Throughout the evening, I’d keep tallies in each category.

Access to ONE Dine requires visitors to also purchase a ticket to the One World Observatory, which run from $49 to $79 a piece (an automatic tally for the right). Any food or drink consumed in the restaurant is an additional price (expected, but another point for “tourist trap” nonetheless).

My ticket in hand, I entered the elevator. While ascending to floor 101, the walls of the carriage morphed into an immersive video chamber displaying footage New York City’s evolution. I hadn’t been in an elevator as cool since I descended into Mars 2112 (IYKYK), so that was a point for “unique experience.”

When the doors of the car opened to the observatory, another video wall waited. After a short clip, it crumbled away, revealing the stunning view against which I would be dining.

Point number two for the experiential column on the left.

Manhattan’s most summery fall menu

A hostess escorted me to the table at ONE where my colleagues sat. The interior lights of the dining room were dim, allowing for the exterior lights of Manhattan to illuminate the space (point for “unique experience”). A bar was located behind the tables.

The restaurant’s “fall menu” lie at my place setting — but it was loaded with tomato, sashimi, lobster and green bean-centric dishes; each nodding to the light flavors of July.

I would forgive this (and assume the kitchen was still in summer mode) had the theme of the dinner not literally been “Fall Equinox,” and the menu not literally be named “Fall Menu.”

One point for tourist trap.

The three appetizers I tried at ONE Dine included yellowfin tuna, caesar salad and burrata with tomato. All were conceptually basic, which indicated “overpriced tourist trap,” but some actually tasted pretty good — and a dish that tastes good is expensive, not overpriced.

So, appetizers in one of those NYC-view restaurants that don’t feel like they came from the Applebees on 42nd Street? Definitely a point for unique experience.

I couldn’t say the same, however, for the main courses.

Main courses, restrooms and two rounds of dessert

For dinner, my friends and I sampled the rotisserie chicken, miso cauliflower, lobster fusilli and branzino.

Starting with the good, I loved the branzino. The skin was crispy, the butter drizzle was infused with the Moroccan herb sauce chermoula, and a blackened lemon half added color to the presentation. At $42, the price was high — from a Jersey resident’s perspective — but, honestly, I’d eat it again.

The lobster fusilli, on the flip side, was terribly under-seasoned. It, and the chicken, were both served in broth sauces that lacked richness and creativity. At $49 and $43 a piece, they were far from “worth it” (serve me the same rotisserie at Costco’s price, however, and I’d be all for it).

At $32, the cauliflower also felt overpriced. When considering the $49 price of admission, a vegan guest at ONE Dine is looking at a bill of $81 + tax for a bowl of veggies.

Tally for tourist trap.

Between dinner and dessert, I had time to explore the other sections of the restaurant. Near the Uptown window were cosy, semi-circle booths that allowed diners to snuggle up to their dates and enjoy the stunning skyline under the stars. Point for unique experience.

Heading for the restrooms (which were spotless, unlike the Olive Garden of 47th, so I’m giving the left a kudos point), I passed the extensive bar where visitors are able to indulge in a cocktail without being bound to paying $40(+) for an entrée. Another tally for unique experience.

By the time I returned to my seat, dessert had arrived. A sticky toffee pudding à la mode, it was sinfully delicious.

And, when the waiter had an extra at the end of the night and let me have it sheerly because of how much I looked like I was enjoying the first one, I was warmed by the hospitable service as much as I was the cake’s rich brown sugar sauce.

Two points for unique experience, and two hours of running the next morning.

The final tally

I left ONE Dine at 9 p.m. Descending 100 floors in an elevator packed with my colleagues, I took final mental note of my tallies.

Out-of-season flavors and expensive mandated admission tickets led the argument for an overpriced tourist trap, with the right column scoring four points.

Incredible views, melt-in-your-mouth cakes, friendly service, fresh burrata and romantic tables, however, crushed that score with eight points for team unique experience.

And, since 8 > 4, there you have it.

Go visit ONE Dine, New Jersey.

You’ll (probably) like it.

ONE Dine is located at 117 West Street in NY, NY. To learn more about the restaurant, or make a reservation, visit oneworldobservatory.com/bar-restaurant.

Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.

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