120 W. 49th St. 
212-759-5941
www.oceanarestaurant.com
A staple of NYC’s seafood-dining scene located in a glittering and expansive Rockefeller Center space, Oceana offers a 165-seat dining room, private rooms providing an additional 106 seats, and additional outdoor seating for 60 during the warmer months. (The outdoor cafe will be open through October 15, 2013.) A huge, custom lobster tank announces the open kitchen and the striking raw bar greets Oceana’s entrants with one of the largest displays of fresh fish in the city. Raw bar diners who snag a seat at this luxuriously appointed beacon of seafood are privy to a daily selection of oysters and clams on the half shell, crudos, ceviches, caviar plates and chilled seafood — among which marinated razor clams and the spicy smoked tuna roll are stand-outs.
A pure and natural ethos characterizes Executive Chef Ben Pollinger’s cooking style. Through his innovative compositions, traditional preparations of whole fish and other offerings are transformed into superb global cuisine, such as the bold flavors of his Halibut Saltimbocca with spinach, prosciutto, confit tomato and sheep’s milk ricotta. House smoked fish, specialty condiments, and artisan breads baked on premises further showcase his careful attention to detail.
Although any restaurateur or chef will tell you that the greatest reward is getting a positive response from patrons, Oceana has sustained quite a few more tangible ones as well. Oceana just earned its sixth Michelin star for 2013, and in his three-star review, former Times critic Frank Bruni wrote, “The fish was excellent, and superbly cooked. More than that, it was a vessel for an exhilarating voyage around the world, through culinary traditions as disparate as Italian and Indian.”
Their new three-course Lite Lunch menu includes options (subject to change) such as grilled swordfish over mixed greens, salmon a la plancha, grilled calamari, and a selection of desserts.
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