I received my confirmation text for dinner at Gloria as I walked into a supermarket earlier that same day, and just at that moment, the song "Gloria" came lilting through the sound system. Which is apropos of nothing, but it was a funny coincidence..... AND it gave me both a decent intro for this post and a funny anecdote to familiarize myself with the host. Who turned out to be Phil, for whom there is a sticker posted at the door "I'm Friends with Phil", which apparently is a thing (I'm guessing for walk-ins?), although snagging a rezzie at Gloria, at least when I tried, isn't difficult at all. Billed as "Le Bernardin lite", the proprietors come from that precious midtown seafood mecca, but this space is vastly smaller, and the decor is simple and spare. In that respect, the high-low contrast I think they were going for favored the wrong targets: the prices are still fairly steep (though admittedly shy of Bernie's), and the service
is very, very casual. Thus, the t-shirt clad staff and sporadic attentiveness, too casual in their affect, didn't jive that well with thirty to forty dollar entrees. For example, this (very cute), cartoonish painting of a school of fish is found at the same location as the mesmerizing seascape featured at Le Bernardin, where the cheapest option is a $90 three-course prix-fixe in the most elegant surroundings in the city. So I feel like they kind of flubbed up the ratio, and things end up feeling a little/lot too expensive.
But there is deliciousness to be had here, for sure, although interestingly enough, the most successful dishes were not the fishies but the vegetables and sauces. A blowfish appetizer, in addition to its racy reputation, was fantastic.... and plus it was just the tails, and the poison comes from the liver, so you're pretty safe. And you'll be happy, because the meaty tails are flakey and sweet-fleshed, served bone-in like piscatory chicken wings, but way better. Their fried to an impeccable golden crunch, and while yeah, I KNOW, fried things are categorically delicious, but these are both ethereally light and still extra flavorful, bedazzled with crunchy granules of salt. But the real stand-out factor came with the dandelion-yellow tartar sauce, chunky with pickly bits and lusciously creamy. It came with some nuggets of pickled market-fresh vegs, too, which added a nice tangy-fresh component, although they could've been a little more finely sliced. 
The dish I'd go back for, though is the wild roasted mushrooms in dashi, and it seems everyone else felt the same way, as it was on practically every table. I even loved the deep indigo blue bowl upon which they were served, strewn with delicate fronds of allium. The various fungi retained their integrity, magically un-sogged by the alluring pool of warm, umami-rich broth beneath them. Among entrees I was swayed by the skate, favorite as it is of mine, but it was a two-person option, thus cutting down on the amount of dishes we tried. It was good, but not especially remarkable, plated with char-grilled whole ramps and halved spears of asparagus, which constitute 33% of the trifecta of spring
produce, which we tried to complete with a side dish of spring peas, as was stated on the online menu. I wasn't paying attention, though, and they had made a market-driven change swapping them out for cowpeas that evening, which are a vastly different comestible. It was a nice beany salad, but not really what we were expecting. It was all right,
though, because we fulfilled out vegetable quota with grilled broccolini, spruced up by an interesting spruce vinaigrette and decorated with delicate wildflowers. 
Dessert options were limited, but we were happy with a strawberry-rhubarb mousseline confection topped with a smattering of smashed pistachios. Please forgive my terrible photographs of these dishes, which were exponentially prettier than my awful camera-phone likenesses depict..... my camera is in the shop, on the mend, and will be back in action for my next excursion. Which won't be here- I definitely don't think there are enough reasons to revisit Gloria, although for those who like to explore as much as I do, and have a cushier budget I'd certainly keep it on the list. Maybe they will have figured some of things out by then, too, like Gloria herself needed to do in Laura Branigan's song. A few tweaks towards a better balance, and a softening of the pricing structure and Gloria would greatly heighten her appeal. 
New York, NY 10019
(212) 956-0709
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