Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street (between Union Square West & 5th)

I had accepted a friend's offer of a Saturday lunch at the well-reviewed Tocqueville, and wandered down to the famous eatery on a way-too-warm day. What happened to winter, this heat is killing me!!!

Tocqueville was half-empty, but I supposed the heatwave is what's keeping people outdoors. Nevertheless it was a wonderful experience. We had both decided to do the prix-fixe -- albeit different ones. My friend did the day's special, and I chose the standard version.

My starter was a nice cuttlefish dish. I absolutely adore cuttlefish, and any chance I can I would take that as the option. The dish was done well, in a semi-ceviche style with grapefruit and citrucy background. Nice, though I wish there was a bit more of the wonderful cuttlefish. My friend had a very nice sea urchin and scallop mixture, which was quite delicious in tandem.

My main course was the roasted skate on bone -- and this was done fabulously. The meat was extremely juicy and tender and easy to eat. Sometimes skate is done very badly, and that makes for a difficult meal. However, this skate was nearly perfect. My only gripe is the lack of vegetables -- the skate rested on a few small pieces of onions. There was not the ability to order sides, so that was a minus. But still, it was excellent.

Dessert was something I can't quite remember -- but it looked like a melangerie of fruit creams of some sort... I'm not good at desserts, and I didn't really care much for it, so I took more attention for the coffee.

Tocqueville is a classy and safe place, good for every possible situation -- for the lone diner to the group. I saw family groups, even a "meet-the-fiancee's-family" group, and so forth, so this is a good place for all occasions -- especially if the food is done so well.

After the meal we took a long walk down to SoHo and TriBeCa near the Hudson, then back up and after getting home near Grand Central, I was pooped. Dinner was a simple egg and dill salad sandwich...too tired to do much more...

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: B+ (*)