Dinner at "One Dine" -- The Restaurant at the Top of the Freedom Tower

After schmoozing over drinks at the "One Dine" bar, it was finally time for dinner. My family and I were led into the restaurant dining room, which was rather trendy and modern. It had been a long day and we were very ready to eat. 

Aesthetically, the Freedom Tower's restaurant, One Dine, looked impressive and was very swanky, HOWEVER, we quickly noticed one major design flaw: it was not separate from the observation deck. In other words, the restaurant was located on the floor above the observation deck, but there was no wall or barrier of any kind sealing it off, so you could hear everything going on below. Not really ideal for fine dining. Perhaps this sounds pretentious of me, but if I'm having a nice dinner, I really don't want to hear children running around or tour guides blasting the history of Manhattan or see computer generated images describing the city. It's just not conducive to a fine dining experience. I have no idea why the architect or whoever designed the restaurant decided to go with this plan. I am actually boggled by this.

The restaurant staff was friendly, but I can't say that they were the most attentive. Our waiter was fairly personable and knowledgable, however I found him a bit aggressive. He was really trying to push certain things on us, but he was also honest and told us when things were terrible. To be honest, based on his appearance, accent, and behavior, he sort of reminded me of a Bond villain!

The restaurant "One Dine" has a four course meal structure. The menu was impressive and had a nice variety that included fairly gourmet ingredients. Since there were four of us, for the most part, we all ordered different dishes, which let us try more and see what "One Dine" had to offer. 

For our first course, my cousin and my dad ordered the "Scallops with pear apple puree, baby carrots, and romanesco." My mother and I ordered the "Grilled Octopus with fennel, beans, and pecorino." The octopus was very tender, but I wasn't crazy about the accompanying sides. Although the scallop was well prepared, as my cousin put it: "I thought the menu said scallops --- plural?" First course: meh. Pretty, but not mind blowing. 

Scallops with Pear Apple Puree, Baby Carrots, and Romanesco

Grilled Octopus with Fennel, Beans, and Pecorino

For our second course E and I both ordered the "Burrata with Heirloom Tomato, Pine Nuts, and Vincotto." I actually really enjoyed this dish. Yes, it was incredibly simple and there wasn't much cooking involved, but I just LOVE burrata so much! The smoothness of the mozzarella, the gooey center of the ricotta cheese, and the overall saltiness --- it blended beautifully with the tomatoes. My father ordered the Butter Lettuce with Endive, Radicchio, and Frisee, " whilst my mom ordered the "Asparagus with Ricotta, Poached Egg, and Bread." I didn't get to taste their dishes, but they seemed to enjoy them. Second Course: Very tasty and beautifully plated. 

Burrata with Heirloom Tomato, Pine Nuts, and Vincotto

Butter Lettuce with Endive, Radicchio, and Frisee

Asparagus with Ricotta, Poached Egg, and Bread

For our third course, my dad ordered the "Double Cut Pork Chop with Sweet Onion, Stone Fruit, and Mint," whilst the rest of us ordered the "Filet Mignon with Fingerling Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Spring Onions." Both the filet mignon and the pork were beautifully seasoned and so succulent. I found the sauce that accompanied my filet mignon a bit heavy, but I think that was just me. (I was getting a bit full by this point). The potatoes and onions were also very tender and delicious. Although I did enjoy my third course, the wait to get it was a bit excessive. Whereas the first two courses came out relatively quickly, we had to wait 30 minutes (after they cleared course 2) for our meat. That seems a bit too long. I was convinced that they had forgotten our order! Third Course: Delicious, but not out of this world. Also, not worth such a long wait. 

Filet Mignon with Fingerling Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Spring Onions

Double Cut Pork Chop with Sweet Onion, Stone Fruit, and Mint

And finally, the dessert course. I'll be honest, by this point, I was ready to go home. We'd been at the Freedom Tower for 5 hours, I'd had a cocktail, a couple glasses of wine, and was feeling very full. Also, that morning, E and I had done a bit of exploring in Manhattan. All of this was starting to catch up with me and I was growing sleepy. 

Again, the wait to order dessert was quite long and before we could order, our waiter told us that we were going to order one of each dessert, since there were four. Yes, in the end we ended up doing that, but I would've rather heard the options and come to that decision ourselves, rather than have someone tell me to do it. And, shocker, there was a bit of a delay in then getting our dessert. 

I was feeling full, but was determined to at least taste dessert. I ordered the cheesecake, my dad ordered the fruit tart, my mother ordered the selection of ice cream & sorbet, whilst my cousin ordered the chocolate cake. Everything was tasty, but I wouldn't call it extraordinary. Fourth Course: Aesthetically pleasing, tasty, but just "ok." 

Cheesecake

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Fruit Tart

Selection of Sorbet and Ice Cream

All in all, I'd say my experience at "One Dine" was just "okay." I can't tell you that I found the food mind blowingly good. It was tasty and the plating was nice, but this wasn't the best food I've ever eaten. For me, the slow service and the fact that we could clearly hear the observation deck below sort of ruined my dining experience. I felt like I was at an amusement park and the waiting between meals drove me crazy. It the restaurant had been packed, I could understand delays in the kitchen, but that was not the case. The dining room was only about half full. If you go to have dinner at "One Dine," you go here for the view and novelty of eating in the Freedom Tower, not for the food. 

View of Manhattan at night