Where does one go to relax after a nice walk along the elevated Highline park in Chelsea?  Look no further than The Fillmore Room. Less than a year old, this new restaurant is in the old home of Moran’s which opened it’s doors in 1957, but it hasn’t lost its old-school charm.

The Fillmore features five gorgeous copper-hooded fireplaces, luminescent tin ceiling tiles, exposed beams, brick walls and deco lighting fixtures. In fact, the Moran’s original wooden bar and fireplaces are still there. The revamped place is owned by Chef Liran Mezan. Born in Israel, Mezan grew up in NYC and then moved to California’s Napa Valley.

My girlfriend and I had the pleasure of previewing his new menu.  I began with a delightfully refreshing cocktail called the Strawberry Smash, made with vodka, basil, lemon, agave, and of course fresh strawberries. My girlfriend started out a bit stronger, ordering the Death Avenue Cowboy with bourbon, lilet, yellow chartreuse, absinthe and lemon. It was a bit strong for my taste, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.

For starters we had the Veal Ricotta Meatballs and the Brussels Sprout Salad.  The salad was made with duck prosciutto, crisped quinoa and pomegranates: absolutely delicious.  The meatballs were tasty as well, made with fresh ricotta, pomodoro (tomato for the non-Italian speakers) and kale toast.

Next came a sampling of four main courses: the Ricotta Gnocchi with wild & tame mushroom bolognese, parsnip and pecorino; Braised Shortribs with cabernet, truffled parsnip and pearl onions; mini Fillmore burgers made with Worchestershire onions bacon marmalade and roquefort; and Brown Butter Brook Trout.  All of the dishes were great, but the trout was exceptional!

Kitchen Hours:
Sunday – Thursday / Dinner from 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Friday & Saturday / Dinner from 4:00pm to 2:00am
Saturday & Sunday / Brunch from 11:00am to 4:00pm

Photos via The Fillmore Room and by Socially Superlative