Alyssa
Metal and wood tables, a large, fully stacked bar at the front entrance and open windows overlooking Hotel Emma and Southerleigh make up the interior of Arcade Midtown Kitchen, located at 303 Pearl Parkway. Jacqueline and I walked in after a long day and felt the stress melt away as we took a seat and looked over Arcade’s menu that varied from lobster soft tacos to mushroom and soft herbed goat cheese flatbread.
Chef Jesse Perez, owner and executive chef at Arcade, expresses his latin influences in each dish. The first dish that caught my eye was the braised pork and belly with ricotta spread. Pork mixed with capers, parsley and herbed ricotta with a side of toasted bread. The bread was delicious – I may have a couple pieces without any pork and belly. For the most part, I took the warm, pulled pork and spread it across the bread. Towards the end of the meal, when the bread had somehow disappeared, I continued to eat the pork with my fork.
Jacqueline ordered the crab cakes and since we both ordered from the small plates, I decided to order the veal and pork meatballs with a spicy, tomato sauce to make sure I left Arcade fully satisfied. Nothing at Arcade is overlooked; every dish could’ve easily been two or three different meals. The spicy, tomato sauce had the perfect consistency that I found myself eating the sauce with a spoon once I finished all the meatballs. Every main ingredient on the plate could’ve been a singular order because of the amount of flavor put into every bite.
Looking around the restaurant, I noticed ages ranged from 20 to 65, making Arcade a timeless restaurant in my mind. While it is a bit pricy, the quality is well worth it. The menu gives any meat or seafood lover a wide range of entree choices – all amazing and uniquely prepared.
Have you been to Arcade Midtown Kitchen?