Screaming Rooftop Dining
Got a chance to try out a new restaurant last night called Open City, a bistro – bar – rooftop in Midtown. The downstairs decor is nice and soothing while the upstairs has a relaxing atmosphere. We were able to get seated on the rooftop and there was a great view of downtown from our table that added to the ambiance.
Their famous Frozen Mojito was okay. It was very minty tasting, which made it quite refreshing, but it really didn’t have any other outstanding flavors to it. The wine list was not that extensive, but the ones they did have were quite good. By the glass had even less options, but I was able to make do with a Pinot Grigio.
We started out with the Blackened Shrimp with a tasty cream dipping sauce. The salads were quite big and I can see myself just having it as my entree. I had the Maryland Crab Cakes which came with garlic mashed potatoes and very tasty green beans in caramelized garlic. The crab cakes were shredded, and while I prefer lump crab for this type of dish, they were still tasty. It was topped with some sort of cream sauce that just added to the tastiness. The mountain of mashed potatoes were evil as you wanted to just eat the whole pile…I somehow managed not to! Other dishes that I sneaked some bites on were the Spinach Fettucini with roasted tomatoes, portabellos, asparagus goat cheese and garlic – which was dangerously delicious; Hazlenut Crusted Trout – this was really bland and needed some spices, or salt and black pepper at the very least; and Salad with Grilled Salmon – the salmon was tasty and had a good texture.
One thing that was cool and a bit annoying at the same time was the live DJ they had on the rooftop. The DJ started up about 8:30pm, which was right in the middle of our dinner and we had to start yelling a bit across the table to be heard. The music was really good though, so we didn’t mind too much. I think it’s a great place to hang out on the rooftop with drinks in hand! I’ll definitely be revisiting this place for the food (upscale comfort food), the drinks and the ambiance. 
P.S. The “Screaming” in the title is in reference to a mural in part of the lounge area on the rooftop that looked like the background from Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” painting.
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