Molyvos

a Greek restaurant by Carnegie Hall
871 7th Ave., at 57th Street

When I lived in the neighborhood, I would often walk by this restaurant with its old fashioned painted stucco facade that so vastly contrasted to the sleek modern decor or even neon signage of its neighbors, and would feel a wistful desire to head on inside to what I imagined would be warm, rustic atmosphere. I finally had a chance to indulge this whim when the husband and I went in search of a last minute impromptu celebratory dinner, and settled on Molyvos.

It was a Tuesday night, so it was not very crowded though the bar area was lively and there were a fair amount of tables occupied. The hostess was sweet and gave us no problem in checking my husband's bulky guitar case. We were seated in a cozy romantic corner booth, and knew this was going to be the exact experience we were looking for.

The interior reminded me of a ship's cabin, all dark wooded walls and ceiling. It was comfortable without being crowded, and cozy without the cramped spacing. Our table was comfortably large enough for the two of us. The service was fairly attentive, and the clean up between and after each course was complete - no crumbs or dirty utensils left behind. The waitress could have stepped up the attentiveness a notch, but we did not have a problem flagging her down when we needed her.

As for the food - we stuck with sparkling bottled water, got the complimentary side of pita breads and served with a sun dried tomato spread (I think). We began with a Greek salad and split the crab cake appetizer. I went for the baby lamb chops served with a puree of eggplant and a lightly dressed ball of spring greens. He had the halibut entree, served with some vegetable sides I don't recall. Both were fabulous, well cooked and seasoned, served with appropriately complimentary vegetable sides. For dessert, we split an almond honey cake and each had a tiny cup of Greek coffee. Our bill plus tip came out to around $150.

Overall - definitely hit the spot for our desired dinner - a bit special, a bit of pampering, definitely good food, a nice energetic atmosphere without compromising our company (meaning, we could actually talk to each other without shouting). A place where both the tourist and the post-Carnegie Hall performance audience member could dine without feeling out of place. Definitely recommend it, and look forward to coming here again.

Pros: atmosphere, food, location

Con: a tad pricey - save it for special occasions