Take In A View Of Manhattan From The Water's Edge

Water's Edge
401 44th Drive at the East River
Long Island City, New York 11101

Let's face it, Manhattan could be cleaner. It could be more modern. The island has moments of profound beauty, but more often I'm looking at gum-spattered sidewalks and mountains of trash bags.

Something happens, though, when you leave the city and glimpse it from the outside. The scale of the island decreases, but the grandeur becomes overwhelming. It's a spectacle that doesn't tire or fade. And what better way to enjoy Manhattan than from the Water's Edge in Queens?

With such a stunning view, I had expected sky-high fares and mediocre food. While the prices were indeed quite high, they were as reasonable as could be expected in the shadow of skyscrapers. The food, on the other hand, exceeded expectations.

I was a winner with the crab cake. Water's Edge is a seafood restaurant, after all. Yet they were able to prepare impressively delicate and light gnocchi, a textural feat we could even taste through the heavy cream, salty bacon, and general weight and gluttony of the dish.

Maryland Crab Cake. Lump crab, chive slaw, Cajun remoulade ($15)

Hand Rolled Gnocchi. Specked ham, shitake mushrooms, truffle oil, taleggio cream. ($14)

For dinner, I ate the lobster and shrimp entrée. Paler than my typical red, Main lobster, this crustacean crawled from Brazil. I recognized the difference in color immediately, asking the waiter about the lobster's origins (rather than paying attention to the menu's detail in the first place). Yet, I couldn't taste too much of a difference, though the meat was tougher and less sweet. The white wine and butter sauce blanketed the dish, blurring any flavor distinction I may have been able to make. I couldn't even finish the whole meal--the butter slowed me down and eventually became overbearingly rich.

Shrimp and Brazilian Lobster Tail 7oz. Francese. White wine, lemon butter sauce ($45)

Chilean Sea Bass. Cherry peppers, red onion, sweet corn, cilantro pesto. ($34)

View of the bar and the restaurant beyond.

We left as the staff closed up the restaurant. Despite the rocky start to the evening, it was smooth waters the rest of the night at Water's edge. Full of butter and cream, we rolled home (in a Lyft car) and slipped into a food coma that lasted to the next morning.