Food: ☆☆☆☆

Service: ☆☆☆☆

Ambiance: ☆☆☆

Cost: $$$$

Must try: Grilled Clam Pizza, Upma Polenta, Thrice-Fried Spiced Fries, Rice Flaked Halibut, Butterscotch Pot de Crème

North End Grill is Danny Meyers Southern most restaurant in Manhattan. Located in the bustling area of Battery Park City, this bar and grill type restaurant emphasizes seafood and seasonal cuisine.

Floyd Cardoz, the talented chef who helmed the super successful Tabla for over a decade oversees the kitchen here.

The menu is rather simple. The dishes presented focus more on clean flavors than too much experimentation and embellishment. And yet, Floyd’s ease and proficiency in enhancing flavors by subtlety fusing interesting spices is very apparent.

I thought three dishes where this flair was unmistakable were in the Polenta Upma with Morels, sautéed asparagus and the thrice-spiced fries.

I found the entrees and sides to be better than the appetizers though the clam pizza was really good and the butterscotch pot du crème is a must try dish.

North End Grill doesn’t do much in decor or ambiance – it looks like a rather generic power dining spot but at least there’s kick in the menu.

Here is some of what we tried: