Tenpenny

16 East 46th Street, Midtown, NY

7.8

map & more

Neighborhood
Midtown
Midtown East

Cuisine
American

Nearby
Grand Central Station
Nokia Theater
Radio City Music Hall

212-490-8300

Official Website

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By Andrew Steinthal
September 28, 2011

Restaurants in Midtown are a mess. They’re generally made up of overpriced garbage that appeal directly to the easy to please Suits, and fancy 4-star eaters. It’s rare that we find an unheralded gem around these parts, but that’s exactly what we discovered in Tenpenny.

You can’t see it from the street, but hidden inside The Gotham Hotel is your new go-to spot for a business lunch or Dinner With The Parents . Seriously, if there’s a client you want to impress with your Midtown restaurant knowledge, take them here. Everyone we’ve brought here has been like “Damn, where are we right now? I had no clue this place existed.”

Although its on 46th street, Tenpenny actually has the feel of a downtown restaurant. The exposed brick room is illuminated by natural light from a skylight, giving it a laid back vibe usually far from being found in any eating establishment in this neck of the woods (think an uptown version of August sans brunch). Everyone who works here is smiling, friendly and accommodating. Oh, and the food ain’t bad either. The rotating pastas are always excellent, and we love the shared plates – especially the crispy artichokes and pork belly croquettes. Plus, the pretzel bread they serve at dinner is really, really good.

We don’t suggest dining in Midtown if you don’t have to, but for the times you’re in need of a reasonable option in this hood, Tenpenny is your jam. If we only reviewed restaurants in Midtown, Tenpenny would probably get a 9.0.

Food Rundown:

Goat Cheese Crostini
A good dish to share, we were impressed with the crostini. It comes with concord grape aioli, smashed spring pea, pecorino and scallion. Three for $12. Do it.

Crispy Artichokes
Crisp, crunchy chokes over a lemon aioli and hickory-smoked trout roe – check it out , these are a mandatory order for the table.

Pork Belly Croquettes
Oh yes. If you like pork, you’ll thoroughly enjoy these . Just beware, they’re a little gamey.

Spring Vegetables
They’re probably onto fall veggies now, but we went the first time a few months back, they were serving an awesome mix of cooked, raw, and pickled vegetables that had a great flavor contrast, and looked and tasted like something Amanda Cohen would do at her hearty vegetarian and Infatuation approved restaurant Dirt Candy. We really liked this.

Pastas
The specials seem to change constantly. I’ve tried at least six or seven of these at this point, and every one has been in the good to very good range. Nothing mind-blowing, but very very solid dishes. I especially liked this Porchetta Ravioli with rapini and a poached egg, plus the Potato Gnocchi with Butter-Poached Lobster is delicious as well.

Burger
When The NY Times compared this burger to Shake Shack, our interest was piqued. That’s a bold statement, but we weren’t as impressed as Sifton was. Two griddle cooked patties served on a soft potato bun whose demise was being overcooked and overly griddle flavored. It’s got nothing on Shack Shack. FYI, this is only available on the lunch menu.

Chicken Sandwich
The sandwiches on the lunch menu change all the time, but every one I’ve had has been quite good. I’m not 100% sure what type of chicken sandwich this was, but I do remember enjoying it.

Heritage Pork Rack
If you come for dinner, this is what you’re ordering. Pork served in a delicious bourbon sauce alongside a personal apple pie pastry. The meat is moist and juicy and we enjoyed every bite.