Sea--Brooklyn

(718) 384-8850

Something I've always found odd about New York is just how easy it is to ignore the fact you live in New York. Here I am having been here more than a decade, and I still haven't visited the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. I've made it to the MET twice, both times with out of town guests. And though I've seen more Broadway shows than I would care to admit, the trek through times square usually has my in-laws in tow. New York City has a lot to offer, which is my standby response to Uncle Brian when answering why I haven't seen the slow plod that is Ground Zero's construction. And this couldn't be anymore true about New York City than it is with its restaurants.

Sea is a place I walk by on a weekly basis. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I went in. It has a reverse bridge-and-tunnel vibe that I always steer clear of, yet, inevitably when I have someone coming in from the mid west for dinner I find myself reflecting at the over sized..um...reflecting pool about how this restaurant isn't that bad. For one, if you can get by the impractical circular bar and pod bathrooms the dining rooms is quite spacious. The surprisingly clean pool, the gigantic Buddha, and the fact that you wait maybe thirty seconds before being seated indicate intelligent design. And the price, holy shit, this place is by all means cheap. I've never spent more than $25 a entree.

The food is Thai. Not being a culinary expert, I would say that Thai menus are like sushi menus in that every restaurant offers the same cultural staples. And true to this fiction, at Sea you've got your Americanized items like calamari and fried chicken wings, and then your more traditional items with words like Pad and Noon and other monosyllabic choices your father would throw out while impersonating orientals. For the most part, Sea's menu is pretty good. Did I mention the price? Cheap cheap cheap!

Like Pastis in the meat packing district Sea is a place that most New Yorker's don't go unless they want to impress their friends with what New York has to offer. If you can handle some GQ Polish kids and some Benz-driving yokels, then you're brother and his wife are going to be blown away.