Beauty & Essex, this place is a hidden gem, literally. In order to get to this Lower East Side location you need to walk through some sort of pawn store. This is a large place with high ceilings and a feel of an upscale club. The décor is a cross between Hollywood Glamour and modern and it gives special feel to this place. I was excited about a dinner as we have eaten a brunch here and the food did not disappoint.

We came on Saturday night in oppose to Sunday and oh boy what a surprise. We had early reservation at 6.30 pm and the place was packed. This is a restaurant that can sit 250 people in 10,000 square-foot space. The music was clubby and all tables around were bachelorette parties or birthday parties. What a difference comparing to nice and quite brunch atmosphere we experienced the other day. After about 15 minutes I felt was in upscale Vegas restaurant, the same crowd, the same music and the same ambience. This was not what I expected but maybe that is just Saturdays. This place is definitely popular filled with single ladies dressed up from head to toes. Even the restaurant’s website suggest upscale casual attire.

The menu is extensive and it is all small plates that you can share. This place has the tapas idea executed to a science. They recommend ordering 5 dishes to share, of course went for more than that.

Tuna Poke Wonton Tacos - Mexican cuisine inspired, raw tuna tacos with bold avocado and radish flavors and a crunch from tacos. Excellent and light start to a dinner.

Butter Poached Lobster on a Toast – a part of the menu are toasts, all toasts are cut into small pieces so it is easy to share. This toast was topped with lots of lobster meat and strong mayo based dressing.

Lollipop Kale & Mushroom Piazzetta – Tasty, tasty, tasty, topped with pine nuts and cheese, very good snack for pizza lovers, bread lovers and veggie lovers.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras – nicely plated, small bites of foie gras, perfect size of this greasy and intense flavor delicacy

Roasted Brussels Sprouts – caramelized and spiced up Brussels sprouts, this is very popular side dish, there was nothing exceptional about it though.

Pan Roasted Scallops – scallops are always good choice, this time I was not disappointed either. Scallops were plated on lobster risotto, which as always was a nice combo with the protein.

Maple Bacon Cheesecake - bacon flavor of the cheese was enhanced with candied bacon pieces, not too rich but full of flavor. What I liked about this dessert is the fact it was not too sweet and bacon flavor was not overpowering, just the right amount of bacon in a dessert.

Black Bottomed Butterscotch Pot de Crème – fudge like chocolate butterscotch at the bottom with heavy and dense crème on the top. This was too rich for me without distinctive flavor. Perhaps adding some fruit of citrus would brighten up this dessert.

This week’s winner for the best dish was Hudson Valley Foie Gras.

The food is very good, the menu has enough options for everyone and all dishes I have eaten here were executed to perfection. The service is quick and everyone knows what they are responsible for. I enjoyed the food, the décor and the service, what I did not like was the crowd. Apparently that is a typical Saturday and unfortunately that took away from the charm of Beauty & Essex. The bottom line is the food is worth the visit and the venue is very inviting. My advice, come here during a week or for brunch.

Cuisine: Tapas

Avg price per person: $50 - $70

Attire: Upscale Casual

Overall Rating: 4 plates