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The rooftop restaurant inside Equinox’s very first hotel is just as you’d envision a restaurant from a luxury-gym brand to be: health-conscious, sleek and upmarket, catering to a see-and-be-seen crowd that may or may not have just worked out.
The vibe: Electric Lemon mimics the monochromatic stylings of the luxury gym down below: much of it grey, much of it grand and mostly sparsely decorated except for curved metal accents, a fireplace and wavy reflective art pieces. The real draw is the sprawling, 8,000-square-foot terrace, offering excellent views of the river and a stockyard of subway cars lying in wait down below. Don't be surprised if a flock of gussied-up influencers magically appear at the golden hour to snap a few pics. But you can't really hate on them, as you'll likely be right alongside them, taking shots of your own.
The food: Two words: clean eating. What that phrase actually translates to here is food that feels healthy enough, but is bordering on boring. Mindfully nosh on tightly packed summer rolls plump with an assortment of rainbow petals, "new-fashioned" deviled crab (that needs more helpings of its creamy ginger dressing and a vehicle to eat it with) and a juicy piece of chicken served over a bed of spring veggies.
You can get a bit naughty with a wonderful lemon spaghetti featuring pops of bottarga and a generous sprinkle of fresh lemon zest and Parmesan. The cheeseburger ($32) is sufficiently indulgent but exorbitantly priced at $46, once you add on bacon ($9) and avocado ($5), which slips right out of the bun.
The drinks: A drink on the outdoor terrace when the sun is shining will definitely make you feel electric. Prices are on par with what you would expect for a resto with a view, with cocktails starting at $20 and rising to $34 for the Big Apple Martini. Yet the drinks here are worth their weight: The Golden Hour cocktail drinks are deceptively healthy in the best way, as the ginger and beet juice mask the tequila. So does the tropical In The Cloud, pleasant, with an aromatic strawberry-coconut foam.
Time Out tip: If things get a bit wind-blown and blistery up on the terrace, there are a few tables right under the heaters and fire pits, near the edge of the railing.