Water’s Edge wins a Michelin Star

Long Island City’s Water’s Edge Restaurant is already a jewel in western Queens. Now it has a Michelin Star to prove it.
The venerable restaurant with city views was recently awarded a Michelin Star and will be included in the MICHELIN Guide New York City 2011. The honor places Water’s Edge in an elite group of restaurants and hotels rated and selected by Michelin’s local, anonymous reviewers.
“The Michelin Award is hard to come by, so this is really cool,” said Water’s Edge general manager, Thomas Chiasson. “The big restaurants in the city have three, but there are a lot of restaurants that don’t have any.”
In its letter to Water’s Edge, Michelin lauds the restaurant for its “breathtaking views of the East River and Manhattan skyline.” Aside from that, the award is always based on quality of food, service and decoration.
“Our chef is very happy, and he should be,” Chiasson said of executive chef Chris Meenan. “This is a great accomplishment for him and a great achievement for us all.”
An excerpt from the review reads, “A recent facelift has served the restaurant well, and the new interior is contemporary and stylish, fitted out in steely grays and ebony-rimmed chairs. Guests relax to live piano music and dip their forks into classic upscale fare like a plate of grilled lobster with roasted tomato hollandaise, leek fondue and soft pillows of tarragon gnocchi; or cheesecake mousse, paired with almond crumble and blueberry compote.”
Chiasson said that Michelin reviewers do not make themselves known while conducting their reviews, so he has no idea when the restaurant was even evaluated.
“They are very secretive when they do their stuff,” he said. “And from what they told us, they rated us on everything imaginable.”
Customers who either mention the Michelin Star or come in with the Michelin New York City Guide 2011 will be treated to a free round of drinks to enjoy while they soak in the unbeatable views.
Water’s Edge Restaurant is located at 4-01 44th Drive in Long Island City.