Chillin' at the Island (Restaurant)

Island Restaurant
1305 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10128
(212) 996-1200


I had tried out this cozy spot with some coworkers recently and we all liked the food (me-dainty & yummy smoked salmon sandwich; A-excellent pressed turkey sandwich; V-seared tuna over salad, which was requested medium-rare but came out well done, although credit to the kitchen, they did rectify this).

I was back a couple of weeks later with DJKung and his dad, who were in the city to decompress after a busy morning settling the quarter's property taxes at City Hall. We all deserved a little relaxation.

Island has a very tropical, vacation getaway flavor, with a lot of maritime accents. We got a table by the sidewalk for some people- and doggie-watching (the restaurant is a block away from Central Park, so a lot of furs pass by).

Iceberg salad with blue cheese. The picture does not do a good job of capturing the sheer heft of this lettuce wedge. I cannot tell if DJKung finished this salad because it was so good, or because he hadn't eaten all day.

Superfatty's red snapper sandwich. The snapper was crispy, although a tad dry. The dressing was quite snappy, but there was just not enough of it (shoulda asked for extra).

DJKung got the black Angus burger. He said that it was ok, nothing special. He did remark that the burger, including the bread, was on the oily side. He proceeded to give the bread a little poke, and so it was. I am not sure where the extra oil was from, because it did not look like it was from the burger. The fries were spectacularly ordinary.

DJKung's dad got the fried calamari, since he had snacked on a pastry before I got out of work. The squid was tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, with zero flavor. Tasted like it came out of a jumbo industrial bag, like the fries.

You might ask why, despite the lackluster food this time, we've decided to keep it on the list. DJKung admitted that he liked it. My experience has been mixed. Nevertheless, the vibe here is pretty relaxed (bear in mind that it is summer, so it is very slow in these parts), and it's a great place for a long, leisurely lunch. With plenty of gawking thrown in.