I always thought of The Palm as “soooo New York City!” The exterior doesn’t look like much, but as soon as you walk in, you are greeted by tons of caricatures on the wall. They feature everything and anything that is Theater, as they do lots of pre and post broadway show meals. They also have lots of movie stars, cartoon characters, TV actors, etc. It is really fun to just look around, trying to find your favorite actor or character.
The inside is rather large, enough to entertain good amount of people. We got there just when they opened, so it was totally empty. The hostesses took us to our table with smile, they are really nice and polite here. They have a massive bar with lots of bar stools, so if you came in at a super busy time, you could wait for your table at the bar while getting a drink or two.
They have both table seating and booth seating, and they are all covered with clean and crisp white table cloths. I felt like there was no “bad seat” in the house with so many caricature everywhere to entertain the guests. Since there was no one around when we got there, I was able to walk around, looking at all the caricatures. It was fun looking for the faces I know!
For the Broadway fans, they had some group caricatures from certain Broadways shows, such as Kinky Boots. And for TV show fans, they also had some group caricatures for shows, such as SMASH. Pretty cool, right?
We were actually there for our pre-show (matinee), so it was just perfect. And our family from out of town thought the restaurant decor was really fun! As we were enjoying the creative atmosphere, they brought out complimentary bread, containing all sorts of bread and bread sticks. I liked the varieties and they were pretty good breads.
On their lunch menu, they had a really good prix-fixe menu called “Power Lunch” ($28), which comes with a choice of appetizer, main, side, and dessert. Sounds good to me! The plates that they had set on the table at the beginning had their logo on it, I always like those little touch… So, for the choice of appetizer, we chose Chef’s Soup of the Day, which was butternut squash soup. It was creamy and had nice earthy flavor. Just the right amount of seasoning.
For the main, some of us chose their most popular item, Chicken Parmigiana. We were told that the lunch portion is a bit smaller than the dinner portion, but my goodness, it was HUGE!!! It was twice as big as I expected. And it was really, really good! No wonder this is their most popular item. It was packed with flavor, cuddled in melted cheese, and the marinara sauce went perfectly with the chicken. Even though it was big portion, we had no problem finishing it.
Another main item we chose was Chef’s Fresh Fish Special of the Day, which was fried shrimps on sweet potatoes (the waitress said it more elegantly but I don’t remember exactly what she said…). Regardless, it was awesome. The shrimps were much bigger than we thought, it was more like jumbo shrimps. They were lightly fried, not greasy at all, and very plump in the inside. The sweet potatoes were nice and soft without being mushy. It was really nice and rather creative “fish of the day” dish.
For the sides, I chose “Half & Half” which was a mix of cottage fries and fried onions. I thought this would be easier to share (since I knew everyone would want to get some). Others went with Linguine Marinara, which was a perfect accompaniment to Chicken Parmigiana. When the Half & Half arrived, it made me seriously wonder if we were still in Manhattan. The “side” was HUGE! It was mountain-full of potato chips and fried string onions. They were addicting, and just as I predicted, everyone wanted some. The spaghetti was cooked a bit more than al dente, but still plump and the marinara was really nice.
For desserts, there were only two choices, so we each got different ones so that we could taste both of them. They were New York Style Cheesecake and Flourless Chocolate Cake. They were both pretty good, the cheesecake was velvety and rich. The chocolate cake was more dense, very chocolate-y.
$28 for the amount we received was a great deal, we were all very full! And for the ones who did not get this awesome deal (I know, right?), they ordered Nova Scotia Lobster Salad ($19.50), which comes with baby greens, tomatoes, onions and avocado, in a cilantro lime vinaigrette. Again, the portion size was great. It was one huge, mountain of salad. Very fresh, bountiful, and generous amount of lobster meats. Even thought it is a “salad,” it was satisfying and can fill you up nicely without the heavy feeling.
We ended our meal with nice cup of Cappuccino ($7), Decaf Coffee ($4.75), and a Tea ($4.75). We were all happy and full. The service was friendly and efficient. A pleasant lunch before our Broadway show. With the value, quality and service, this is a really nice spot for pre- or post-show meal! A
And they do have really beautiful bathroom. Large, well lit, and very clean. They had a cute and funny caricature of some of the most famous actors at a dinner table inside the bathroom, which was fun to look at.
If you are looking for a lunch or dinner spot to go with your Broadway show, there are many options around the Theater District. This one to me is really fun and you get great deal for the price. Not all the restaurants in the area can deliver that. So, if you are not sure where to go, give this place a chance, and get their popular Chicken Parmigiana!
The Palm West Side – 250 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019