We were looking for a pre-theater spot in Midtown, and found Paul’s on Times Square. I have been curious about this spot for a while, but never had the opportunity to visit until now. We were looking for the restaurant, but we couldn’t find it… We looked up the address, and found out that they are located inside Hilton Garden Inn. You had to go down the hall to the elevator, and go up to “Paul’s on Time Square” which was Floor HL.
Once we got to the Floor HL, it was easy to find where the restaurant was. We went up to the hostess, and since we had a reservation, we were taken to our table immediately. The inside was not as big as I expected it to be, but nice and cozy.
They had a small, yet fully stocked bar near the entrance, and several table seating. In the back, they were more formal with white table clothes. It is kind of a mix of casual and semi-formal from the look of it.
As soon as we were settled, they brought out some complimentary bread. They were sooo good, it disappeared within seconds! We asked for more, and they brought out twice as much for us. I think they could see how much we enjoyed them… They were like focaccia bread, with velvety olive oil. Yum!
We started off with some cocktails. My hubby went with Strawberry Mule ($17), made with Belvedere, Strawberry Purée, Lime Juice, and Ginger Beer. It was sweet with nice ginger flavor. Quite refreshing. I chose Pink Panther ($16), made with Coconut Rum, Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, and Fresh Squeezed Lemon. It was sweeter than the mule, with a nice flavor of coconut rum. I really liked the pretty pink color! The only thing is that the cocktail menu is on one of those iPad-type thing, which allows only one person at a time to look at them… The server did bring another one of the tablet, so that we didn’t have to take such a long time to pass it around, one person at a time.
We ordered one antipasti to share, and we chose Calamari Fritti ($18.50). Calamari is our family favorite when it comes to appetizer… It is crispy calamari served with spicy marinara sauce. Since one of us is not a fan of anything spicy, they also gave us regular marinara sauce too, thanks! They were plump, not chewy, and huge portion! Tasty and comforting, we all enjoyed them!
For main, one of us went with Branzino Di Chile Piccata ($39), made with Chilean Sea Bass with White Wine Capers Sauce on a bed of Bok Choy. It was really, really delicious. The sea bass was cooked perfectly! The other one of us chose Salmone Alla Cartoccio ($29), served with Carrots, Potato, Lemon Zest, Zucchini and Yellow Squash. It was very interesting, it came wrapped in a cooking paper. The salmon was moist and packed with flavor. It could’ve come with a bit more veggies…
Two of us went with Capellini Ai Frutti Di Mare ($26.50), made with Shrimp, Calamari, Clams, Mussels, and Conch with Cherry Wine Tomato Sauce. It was a nice big portion, with a generous amount of seafood. Pasta was cooked just right, and the sauce was comforting. Filling and satisfying.
Since we all enjoyed our meal, we decided to get one dessert to share. I suggested we go with Tartufo ($11), one of my favorite desserts. It is a good dessert item for sharing too. We ordered Cappuccino ($4.50) to go with the dessert. Tartufo was a big hit at the table, everyone enjoyed it!
The bathroom is located at the back corner, behind the red curtain. They only have two unisex bathrooms, and there really isn’t a place to wait for them… The bathroom was clean, roomy, and well-lit.
We had a nice dinner here at Paul’s on Times Square. It was relaxing, never rushed yet everything came out in a timely manner. We had plenty of time to get to our Broadway show. The servers were really friendly and polite, we were very well taken care of. I say it is a bit on pricey side, but it is in midtown… You want super authentic Italian dish instead? You should try Enoteca Maria, located on Staten Island!
Paul’s on Times Square – 136 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036