Last month a friend was visiting and we had a full day planned that would end us up walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to have dinner in DUMBO. We wanted to have lunch first, and when I started thinking about restaurants near the South Street Seaport, though there are many lovely ones, I really wanted to sit outside right on the water. I started looking at different options, and then I saw a listing for The Fulton, the new restaurant on Pier 17 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Although I am a professed lover of fine dining, I had never gone to any of this marvelous Chef's restaurants before, and so I went ahead and made a reservation which led to an afternoon that was one of the most memorable and lovely experiences I have had the blessing to enjoy.
The first time I went to have dinner at the South Street Seaport, I was still in college, and I went to visit a friend in Manhattan during our summer break. She suggested the Seaport for dinner, and we found a wonderful restaurant where I had such an excellent dinner that I'm still making the recipe I figured out for the dish I had that night. The Seaport will always have a special place in my heart because of that night, and because of many days and nights since when I have sailed on some of the historic ships, taken high school students sailing with the Young Sailors Program, and gone to beautiful events on shore and off. Walking over to lunch at the Fulton that afternoon with my friend brought back so many memories, and now that I've experienced a lunch at this wonderful restaurant, I'm looking forward to many more times there.
The view of course is exquisite. Located right on the water at Pier 17, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the waterfront and all of the sights and sounds of the Seaport, the choice of location is a beautiful one. The restaurant design is truly wonderful, with an open air feel to the outdoor seating area that stays feeling open through the breezy high ceilinged entrance and into the restaurant where there is a second floor with casually luxurious indoor seating and gorgeous full window views. We chose the outdoor patio which was so open and airy while still being protected, with plants that were carefully chosen for beauty as well as for their seasonal seaside feel. Every moment of the afternoon we felt completely cared for and taken care of. From the moment we walked up to the Hostess stand to the moment we walked out again, every person and every moment was carefully orchestrated to make us feel as if we were the most important guests they had. This is truly what fine dining is and should be, and I commend the staff and thank them from my heart for their excellent and caring hospitality.
And the food was all that and more. Everything so fresh and good, every flavor so carefully chosen and everything prepared with care. From start to finish I kept finding myself saying how good everything was, and every taste reminded me of just why it is that I fell in love with the way a truly wonderful Chef creates an experience that leaves you feeling so completely happy, while also giving the sense of being on a very rare and very special flavor adventure.
The Fulton is a restaurant that that I would have enjoyed visiting any time, and to have it appear now when we all need so much to feel the peace and tranquility of the waterfront and to experience the best things that life has to offer is a gift. To sit and watch the world go by with a view of the river and the sky is a beautiful thing that is made more beautiful by the gifts and talents shared by a marvelous Chef and Designer and a marvelous staff.
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