Restaurant Review
Island
1305 Madison Ave, New York, NY
Carnegie Hill
Sleepy town in the 70’s. George Harrison and Paul Simon on the radio as summer breezes
through the open window banks. Then the whispered refrain: no bell-bottoms please! All things must
pass. The Kodachrome green summers and nice bright colors...have long faded away.
But here, summer of 2019, at 1305 Madison avenue, they have re-mastered George and Paul crooning
now in digital fidelity. Island, the Carnegie Hill gem of a restaurant remains true to it’s all- American fare. While the area is emptied of the movers and shakers who have headed to the cedar-gray shores of the Hamptons or the European playgrounds, their absence has brought back the quieter days of Carnegie Hill, at least for the time being.
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At Island, a great brunch for reasonable prices can be found during these quieter days.
Perfectly sugared, fresh lemonade, Brioche French toast with an array of fresh berries ($15.00) as well as an organic Chopped Cobb salad filled bountifully with chicken, avocado, bacon, bleu cheese, tomato, dressed in a Sherry shallot vinaigrette ($17.00) are just some of the dishes found here. Everyone is served with a complimentary popover, straight from the oven which even more so emphasizes the laissez-faire attitude found in the ambiance.
The restaurant, started by two brothers, succeeds in being calm and cool in style, no pretenses and a delicious jewel of a restaurant of home grown American cuisine.
I would also like to note that there is no TV or Wi-Fi, so your meals will not be interrupted by boisterous game watchers nor made to feel uncomfortable by people lingering for hours, isolated on their computers. Aaaah…..a true oasis of more innocent times.
