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| - We enjoyed our first meal at Sea Level. Located in the former LaVecchia's spot in Hearst Tower, we were excited to see this place filled by another seafood restaurant.
We stopped by just after they opened for dinner on a Saturday, following a show at Blumenthal. It wasn't crowded at this time, and we were seated immediately.
The restaurant has a nice vibe. It's decor is chic contemporary, the tables are nicely spaced, and, when we visited, they played awesome rock music (think Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, etc.).
I started with a Cat's Meow beverage (my husband had club soda). The Cat's Meow was slightly--but not overly--sweet, and I enjoyed it very much.
Bread is extra, but just $3 a basket. You get a decent-sized French roll, sliced and toasted, served with an onion butter. It was delicious, and we'd likely get it again.
For appetizers, we had the clam chowder (me) and apple endive salad (him). The clam chowder was a bit pricy for the portion ($9 for a bowl), but it was very good. If you're a fan of thicker chowders like I am, you'll like this dish. My husband's salad was huge, and very good. At $10, those with lighter appetites could eat this as an entree, especially with the option of adding a protein.
For our entrees, I had the smoked trout risotto, and my husband had the mahi with beets. The trout was definitely the better value, at $18 for a huge portion. I'm a huge fan of smoked trout, and every bite had a piece of trout. The dish was topped with a poached egg. While I'm not a fan of poached eggs, I do love poached egg YOLKS, so I split the egg, and mixed the yolk into the risotto. This was a very creative dish, and I loved it!
My husband's mahi with beets tasted delicious, but it was a small plate (think just a bit bigger than tapas style) for $25. He's not sure he'd get this again, just due to the value per portion size. Those with lighter appetites would likely love this, however.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal and will definitely return. Sea Level is starting lunch the first week of March, so I'll have to check them out one day when I'm in the office.
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