Open and Airy at La Sirena
La Sirena Ristorante
Listed as one of the best new restaurants to try this summer by Guest of a Guest, this outdoor garden restaurant at the Maritime Hotel is a great spot for some al fresco dining to take a little break from the busy city right outside. "It almost feels more like we're in Europe," my friend Mary Margaret pointed out as we nibbled at our pasta and caught up. I would highly recommend La Sirena for its atmosphere, no doubt -- it's open and airy and the decor is simplistically beautiful. The space is huge so it could be great for events, a large group dinner, or meeting a group of friends for drinks before heading up to any of the various rooftops nearby (PHD, Le Bain, the Boom Boom Room, or Catch).
The food was good but definitely not the main selling point. I ordered the Tonarelli Neri, a squid ink pasta with lobster, squash, and lemony breadcrumbs and while it was good it was a very subtle taste and was remarkably filling for what appeared to be a reasonable serving. Mary Margaret got the Panzotti of leeks and cheese which she said was good, but again nothing to knock your socks off. We split dessert and ordered the Chocolate Coppetta, a chocolate espresso sponge cake with chocolate gelato and mascarpone that I swear tasted like the Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream. So the food was fairly average but I certainly appreciated the ambiance enough to go back and try something else or pick from the extensive wine and cocktail list. It's worth a try, for sure.
