The Milling Room

The Milling Room UWS is located at 446 Columbus Avenue (between 81st and 82nd). The space was originally built as the grand lobby of the Endicott at the turn of the 19th century. Over many years this address spent time as a glamorous destination, a mob hangout, and several others (depending on who you ask). The month I was born, it became a co-op and their lobby was turned into a dining space. In my lifetime, it has housed several restaurants. Corvo Bianco, longtime Sangria hotspot Calle Ocho, and before that the Calle Ocho folks had run a family-style American place called Main Street since 1993.  Now in its space is the Milling Room, currently rated as one of the best restaurants on the Upper West Side.

The Milling Room brings American cuisine back as the newest restaurant at this address. On two recent visits, we were quite impressed with what they were turning out. The prosciutto croquettes were amazingly creamy inside. The grilled octopus was set on top of a wonderful smoky eggplant puree. The roast farm chicken came with an amazingly crispy skin and nice, creamy polenta. The orzo mac and cheese was creamy and topped in crunchy bread crumbs.

But the most delicious items we tried were not printed on the menu of this fabulous Upper West Side restaurant: short rib sliders, with perfectly done short rib, soft but still with some bite, a seared bit of yummy foie atop a sweet rhubarb compote, and a delectable swiss chart-filled raviolo in a flavorful oil with poppy seeds and vinegar that I could have eaten bowls of.

Have you eaten at The Milling Room?