One If By Land Two If By Sea
“For my appetizer, I got the Wagyu Beef Tartare; for my entrée I ordered the Beef Wellington; and for dessert I ordered the Caraibe Chocolate Mousse.”
“Lit very dim in this classy restaurant, with soft piano music filling the air.”
“I love it that they have a pianist that plays classical pieces while you enjoy your meal.”
One If By Land Two If By Sea
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
It's been a while since I last ate here and went for a surprise birthdays dinner. The service was very good and I had a drink at the bar before getting seated for dinner. The bar area is large and has chairs and table along with the bar seating. The food was good. Had the 3 course prix fixe. The signature main is the beef Wellington and there is an additional charge for it. Is it worth it? Probably. But there are certainly other items on the menu which are tasty and don't carry a surcharge. This is a cozy setting to have dinner and the food is worth a trip.
No, I did not get proposed to here. But it's a great spot to do it if you're interested! My boyfriend and I were celebrating our first dating anniversary, and he decided to surprise me by taking me to one of the top romantic spots in the city. Check plus for him.
When we entered, we were treated like royalty. Definitely make reservations, but once you get there, they are not in a rush if you would like to relax and have a drink at the bar first. Within five minutes, we witnessed a proposal. Very cute. There was a pianist playing music and the atmosphere was lovely.
We ordered from the price fixe menu. There are a couple of different options to choose from. We chose the 3-course ($98) option, which came with an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Knowing that this place is not cheap, I felt guilty getting a salad, so I went all out, carnivorous-style. For my appetizer I had Pan Seared Veal Sweetbreads with gnocchi, Chianti, fava beans, and pearl onions. Everything melted in my mouth. My boyfriend had the pork belly which was equally delicious. For my entree, I had the Roasted Rack of Lamb with cassoulet, souffléd wild rice, and heirloom tomatoes. Look at my pictures, and you'll instantly be able to see the quality of meat. My dessert consisted of chocolate mousse and raspberry sorbet. Being a chocolate-lover, I was in heaven. Alcohol is not included. We debated getting a bottle (prices range from $60-$$$). We stuck with glasses as we had already had a drink at the bar.
This is a great anniversary date place. I wouldn't take a new date here as it might be a little overwhelming, but hey, to each his own. The food was absolutely amazing. No complaints. I was more than satisfied. I definitely feel that you can get quality food for a cheaper price elsewhere, but the night was so great for me that I think the splurge was more than well worth it.
One of the best dinners I've had in NYC! The restaurant is beautiful- chandeliers everywhere, freshly lit candles and roses on the table, and a piano man.
The food here is also incredible. I came here with my husband and we had the three course prix fix meal:
For the first course, I got the toasted farro soup which was hearty and flavorful! It came with delicious bone marrow dumplings that were amazing, especially after it began soaking in all the juices in the soup. My husband got the tempura scallops, which were also fantastic! The scallops were fresh and melted in my mouth. The tempura added the right amount of crunchy of crunch.
For the entree, I got the lobster with pappardelle. I got a generous piece of lobster that was super fresh and tasty! The pappardelle was the perfect complement to the lobster and the sauce was heavenly. Definitely one of the best pasta dishes I've had. My husband got the famous beef Wellington. It was phenomenal! It came out wrapped in a puff pastry type covering that added a great texture to the meat. It was a generous serving and we were both stuffed a this point.
Of course, we can't pass up dessert! We got the soufflé (made perfectly warm) and the Black Forest. We were in chocolate heaven! So good and the perfect ending to our meal.
Highly recommend this place and we'll be sure to return!
Such a romantic restaurant with great decor. I came with my girlfriends and we ordered:
Appetizers:
Seared scallops
Quail Bastilla
Butternut squash gnocchi
Grilled octopus
Entrees:
Crispy duck breast & leg confit
Garlic braised lamb shank
Slow braised short ribs
Dessert:
Chocolate soufflé
Mango sorbet
Pistachio mousseline
Napoleon
Everything was really good. There was nothing that I don't recommend. Service was great as well. Highly recommended this place!!
Cannot comment on the food, but one of the most beautiful bars in NYC. For cocktails at the bar, bring your friends and listen to the pianist play all the latest and greatest tunes.
The fireplace, beautiful leather armchairs and romantic lighting are perfect to seat yourself for a winter night.
Cocktails are well made and unique. I have to say the service is a little stuffy but worth it for a drink.
This is quintessential Old New York: it's historical, romantic, and chic. Come here for a special occasion. It's absolutely perfect and enchanting! I kept having the feeling that somebody was *definitely going to get engaged in the restaurant while we were eating and we'd all clap. That's the kind of feel this place has.
AMBIANCE: The restaurant is in Aaron Burr's old carriage house which is pretty cool. There are two, yes two, fireplaces in the entry way. There is a beautiful pianist who plays the grand piano in the entry way. The service is fantastic – I think we had 7 different people serve us or come to our table… there was a person who poured the water, a sommelier to provide the wine, a person who handed out bread, a waiter to take the order, a person to deliver the food, another to bus the table, and I think even the owner came by at one point. You certainly will not lack for attention, but it's not the "in your face" sort of way.
WINE: The wine and cocktail selection is excellent. The wine list is separated by country and grape. My only complaint about the wine selection is that the sommelier was so busy (we went on a Saturday night) was that he wasn't able to take any time to help us select the appropriate wine for our evening, which is what I would expect at a place like this. 21 Club (another old NY place which I love) has a similar feel with respect to the wine selection but the sommelier at the 21 Club seemed much more interested in helping patrons select the perfect wine.
FOOD: You must select one of 3 pre-fixe menus: the 3 course ($90), 6 course ($120), or 9 course ($160). We ordered the 3 course and, quite frankly, I have no idea how anybody could eat more than 3 courses. The portions are huge which was quite unexpected as I feel like you usually expect a place this fancy to serve tiny ant-sized portions. With regards to the food itself, everything was absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend the seared tuna with wasabi risotto. Delish! Also, the chocolate soufflé is simply divine!
I came here with my hubby for a romantic date night while visiting New York and I have to say that I'm torn between saying that this was a good choice and that it was not. Let me explain.
First of all, I should disclose that we are from Montreal – the city of any and every type of food you would ever want. We are lucky to have such variety and range of restaurants starting from your average fast food and going all the way up to spending several hundred dollars per person on a meal. Hubby and I are foodies and have done all the above – most expensive meal to date has been at Europea in Montreal for a 12 and 6 course meal alongside a bottle of wine that sat around $350 CAD tax and tip in.
One if by Land is definitely a romantic restaurant. From the outside, it is nothing flamboyant – it doesn't even have a sign with its name on it. But once you enter, you realize that it's possibly one of the most romantic restaurants coupled with friendly service, a pianist, and a calm vibe. We had made reservations weeks in advance, and upon arrival were seated upstairs. My partner was ok with sitting there although I wondered during the meal if we should have asked to be seated downstairs near the pianist (upstairs was a little bland and lacking in energy). His view was that because of the pianist and it being so crowded, we wouldn't be able to hear each other talk, so we agreed to sit upstairs.
Very quickly, looking at the menu, you realize that this place is way too expensive for what it is. A 6 course meal sits at $120 while the 3 course $98. Because the items on the 6 course menu didn't appeal to me, I went for the 3. It was disappointing when hubby wanted the 6 course but was told he couldn't because we both had to have it (although we've experienced this before at other similar restaurants).
To keep this short, because I know it's getting pretty long, I expected the food to be out of this world amazing. Here's what we found out:
Appetizers:
Thai style tenderloin, papaya, pomegranate, blood orange salad: outstanding beyond words. Perfect balance between spicy, sweet and tangy . 5/5
Lobster pasta special: I wasn't a fan but hubby was. 4/5
Mains:
Orange glazed pork: came as ribs and a corn waffle in gravy. I have to say that I was disappointed with this dish. It felt very 'fast food' if you will. More like something you'd get at a ribs festival but dressed up on a nice plate. I only ate a third of it. Points for deboning the ribs however. 2.5/5
Rack of lamb: super tender and deliciously made. Portion size however was half of my ribs plate which was disappointing. The basmati rice was also very good. 3.75/5
Desserts:
Carribean dome: dome-like coconutty dessert with a lemony twist. Hard to eat – the dome was creamy and fluffy but it sat on a very hard crunchy base that was almost impossible to eat. Accompanied by banana icecream. 2.5/5
Hazelnut crunch: hazelnut chocolate cake with chocolate icecream. Spot on. 5/5
To all this we added 4 glasses of wine and the final bill with tax and tip came up to around $320 US which is over $360CAD.
Do I think it was worth it? No. The food was hit and miss but the service was great as was the ambiance. So I'd say that if you want amazing food, this might not be the place for you. If you're looking for romance and ambiance, then this is definitely it! I unfortunately won't be recommending this restaurant to any of my friends. Final rating 3.5 but closer to 3 in my books – way too expensive for what you get so not really a fan overall.
Came here for a lovely romantic dinner for my birthday with my boyfriend! This place oozes romance from the moment you step into the place. Upon entrance there was a pianist lulling you into the dim candlelit atmosphere. And even on a Saturday night the place wasn't too crowded. You won't be hearing word by word conversations of the tables around you. Rather it's an intimate atmosphere where many couples and dinner parties share conversation privately.
I loved that we were seated in a booth where we got to sit next to each other on each corner. I also appreciated the traditional romantic decor of a single rose and a real lit candle (sometimes the mood calls for traditional romance!).
Since this isn't a place we would come often we opted for the 9 course tasting menu. My favorites in the meal were the Duck confit agnolotti, poached halibut, and the beef Wellington. The duck confit agnolotti was like a ravioli but light and rich in flavor. I wanted to eat the last piece but had to save my stomach! And good thing I did because the food was endless! The halibut was cooked perfectly and just so tender. My only qualm about the dish was that I found one or two fish bones (didn't want to ruin the night though by making an issue of it). The beef Wellington was cooked a perfect medium rare! I really appreciated they were able to get it right! I was so sorry I was so full to finish it though.
I thoroughly enjoyed my evening here! Our waiter was always helpful but never imposing! The wine the sommelier recommended was fantastic!