Tomato Restaurant
676 Sixth Ave. (at 21st Street)
(212) 645-6525
You have to wonder why a place would be called the Tomato Restaurant if they aren’t specializing in tomato dishes. So our friendly, ponytailed waiter explained. The building on the Chelsea corner used to be a restaurant called the Hot Tomato. (Speaking of hot tomatoes, he also said the staff is awaiting apparel featuring images of the saucy Vargas pinup girls.)
Whether you say ‘tom-A-to” or ‘to-mah-to,” the cavernous space is a warm and handsome mix of polished wood with globe lights suspended from a loft-like ceiling. Ivy-vine wallpaper and vintage ’40s couples photos add charm.
It’s really a diner gone adult. The huge, mirror-backed bar pours out cocktails named the Shady Lady and Horse’s Neck, and the menu is packed with updates of luncheonette classics – for instance, a lobster-and-shrimp-salad sandwich on grilled country bread.
The Tomato’s brand of nostalgia attracts a truly eclectic mix of diners. On the brown banquets and schoolhouse chairs sit everyone from Addams-familyish goths to cell-phone calling yups to silver-haired ladies. What they can expect is extremely generous portions of well-priced, good-looking food that does not quite deliver on the taste front.
A platter of king-sized pork chops has a spicy rub but bland meat. One at our table punched up her lackluster rib-eye steak with leftover tomato-caper relish from a succulent roasted shrimp appetizer.
And don’t even think of ordering the turkey burger – mine had a flavor that can only be described as weird. However, you don’t want to miss those satisfyingly potatoey, deep-golden ‘house-cut” fries that come with it.
A bread basket of dark, multigrain slices and cornbread is a pleaser. So is crunchy fried chicken. Meatloaf, though short on texture, is tasty, too. A clear winner is a daily turkey special that outshines Thanksgiving dinner, with moist slices of bird, a mound of sweet potatoes loaded with sweet, nutty topping and chestnut stuffing.
Service is chatty but spotty. Patrons seated at the outdoor tables poked their heads indoors requesting menus, then silverware. Inside, while we thought we had ordered four appetizers, our waiter only caught one. But these lapses will likely disappear over time.
Entrees are massive, but save room for dessert – especially the spectacular coconut cake, covered with cream frosting and big flakes of coconut.