Dinner at Essex

Tonight I braved the rain to meet my good friend (and fellow foodie) Jenna at Essex, on the Lower East Side. Me being me, I got there a little early and took a seat at the end of the bar. From there I overheard one of the waitstaff mention that they were out of mussels (which they're known for), calamari and steak tartare (from their tartare trio). At 7:30 pm on a rainy Wednesday night with a half full restaurant? I should have known to take it from there.
It's not that the food was bad....but it was disappointing. I hate being excited about food and being let down when I eat it.
But on to the food. After being asked 3 times if we wanted drinks (isn't it okay to have a sober night anymore?), we decided to forgo main courses, ordering 2 appetizers apiece, and 1 to share.
I ordered the tomato soup. It was the soup of the day, so there was no description. It was good, in a thick and bready way. The cream was a little overpowering though, and I should have just scooped it off.
My other dish was the seared diver scallops, served over roasted peaches, watermelon, croutons, and basil. There was also some balsamic vinegar, which had primarily soaked into the croutons. I loved the way the texture of the watermelon mixed with the smoothness of the scallops and the soggier croutons were nice. But the roasted peaches didn't fit. They were cloyingly sweet, better suited for a dessert.

Jenna ordered the (somewhat blurry) salad with pumpkin and sheep's milk cheese. I didn't try it, although pumpkin is always a good choice, in my opinion.

She also ordered the best dish of the evening - braised short ribs with hush puppies. Though the hush puppies were mediocre, the short ribs were tender and delicious. "Tastes like brisket," Jenna exclaimed. However, when one considers that it is meant as an appetizer, I think the size is a bit overwhelming.
Then we have the biggest disappointment of the night - a tuna sushi spring roll. Simply a big hunk of tuna, wrapped in cilantro and crispy paper. Not only was the cilantro not mentioned on the menu (a major flaw, as the taste of cilantro is extremely repellent to me), but the roll was boring. The sauces (wasabi and ginger) were flat, and did nothing to help.
While the company was great, the food left something to be desired. Let's just say, we didn't stay for dessert.

Essex is located at 120 Essex Street
212-533-9616