Grand Central Station, located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in New York City, opened in 1871 and has major renovations in 1913 and 1994-2000.

The Supreme Court, Donald Trump, a terrorist bombing and assorted financial disasters have played major roles in the fascinating Perils of Pauline-type history of this iconic venue.

We entered the main concourse on our way to dine at Charlie Palmer’s Métrazur Restaurant at Grand Central. Métrazur occupies a pre-eminent space on the east balcony, high above the concourse on a marble-railed platform. The view from the balcony is stunning and to dine here is to participate in a reality show; one becomes part of the Grand Central experience. There are no walls to shield diners from the sights, smells and sounds of the station and it offers a “unique people-watching” experience. To some it may prove uncomfortable and disconcerting, while others will find it intensely exciting and enjoyable. We fell into the latter group.

Charlie Palmer took over Métrazur from its original owner after a series of delays and poor reviews, and at that point Métrazur became both a must-see tourist spot and a great place for a business lunch or dinner.

On our visit, Thadee, our maitre-d’ and Jessibel, our waitress, seated us at the lip of the east balcony at the top of a magnificent marble staircase. We were presented with a special tasting menu as prepared by Chef Stefan Bahr. Chef Bahr sent over a small oyster dish in a delicate but tasty sauce as the amuse- bouche, along with a delightful assortment of sourdough and cranberry breads.

He personally stopped at our table to welcome us and explain the tasting menu. Selections included hand cut ahi tuna with caper berries, avocado, pecorino sotto vino and taro crisp; Artic char with citrus-cured pink grapefruit, bitter greens, candied pistachio, with a sheep milk yogurt drizzle; and duck rillettes, confit duck and foie gras torchon, pickled Georgia peaches and charred baguette.

Each appetizer offered sweet and spicy taste sensations and proved a great start to our tasting.

For our main course, we were presented with Chef Palmer’s own unique surf and turf - small-plate dishes of treasures from the sea along with hearty and mouthwatering meat dishes: crisp soft shell crab with watermelon relish, apple mustard vinaigrette, watercress aioli; pan roasted large, round sea scallops on Melba toast, warm green apple slaw, with Berkshire ham vinaigrette; a  spectacular pappardelle (prepared for 10 hours so that the veal melts off the bone) with caramelized porcini, fava beans, parmesan foam and veal crackling; and a grilled loin lamb chop with braised endive, minted pomme purée, beechwood mushrooms and sauce Robert.

Each tasting portion was picture perfect and delicious.

After a spectacular opening and main course, we looked forward to an amazing selection of desserts. The dessert selection was at best acceptable and in truth, the Key lime pie was off the mark in terms of taste and presentation and the bittersweet chocolate torte made with passion fruit and candied orange and clobbered cream was forgettable. Dessert was followed by a wonderful plate of assorted American artisan cheeses on toasted cranberry-pecan bread.

Throughout the meal we sipped a light Pisani Prosecco wine that complemented the dinner perfectly.

After 2-1/2 hours we made our way down the marble staircase feeling fully sated from great food and wonderful service. Aside from the generic dessert, the tasting was well worth the trip into the city for an evening of both visual and tasty treats.

Photo by Steve Legato