Estiatorio Milos and Circo NYC

I ate at Estiatorio Milos in Las Vegas, but their restaurant in New York City was one of the best seafood meals I've eaten in the US. Many of the items on the menu are flown in directly from the Mediterranean, and the fresh flavors shone in every dish. It may have "slightly" helped that my eating partner was Greek and spoke to the chef in Greek before our meal:) 

 The interior decor is a simple wispy white, with a private dining area above the main dining room.

If a chef says, "Let me give you some things to start with", you should just say "Yes, thank-you" and smile. The first appetizer was a simple crab claw, so fresh, tender, and juicy that we did not even taste the sauce on the side. The olive oil for the bread had freshly snipped oregano leaves in it, which the waiter snipped from the tabletop plant before whisking it away.

The second appetizer was langoustines served with a brandy shot which the chef said should be used to dunk the heads in before sucking out the insides. We did as we were told after eating the ethereal meat from the tail :)

The third appetizer was a stack of lightly fried zucchini chips with a wonderful coarse salt and sour cream center which were so addictive we "had" to finish it.

After THREE appetizers, the chef chose a fresh branzino, already deboned for us. When he asked the simple question "Did you want the head?", I was immediately overjoyed. The fish was simply done with capers and parsley, with nothing masking the purity of fresh fish.

 A side of greens,

 and after the main dish course, a serving of fresh cheese,

and greek yogurt with honey and fruit to finish the meal, because when you tell the chef that you have no room for dessert, you still receive something :) A bottle of Nichetri wine from Santorini and all this fabulous fresh seafood was over $500 for two with tax and tip, but if you want to taste the best of Greek seafood in the US, it's still less than the price of airfare....

Circo is across the street from Estiatorio Milos, and is as Italian as Estiatorio is Greek. The Maccioni family's casual offspring (Sirio is from Le Cirque) has a fun circus atmosphere with seriously old school roots in its menu. A $25 lunch prix fixe menu is a bargain for a midtown restaurant with this kind of quality.

The lunch menu was more than I could eat, so I chose the Cacciucco Alla Livornese, one of their signature dishes, with monkfish, prawns, calamari, octopus, mussels, and clams for $29. It was everything a hearty rustic seafood should should be, with earthy aromas and depth of flavor.

My companion ordered the arugula salad for $14 and added chicken $7, because after the meal at Estiatorio, there was literally no real estate left for more food.

Even though neither of us had room for dessert, a plate of little bites was offered with espresso, a sweet way to start the afternoon.