The hot dishes vary week to week. With luck your week will feature lamb chops, teamed with spaghetti squash and asparagus. Shellfish-studded penne pasta bathed in a creamy cheese sauce makes a very favorable impression. But the star of our show was moist, flaky sea bass, inventively paired with pearl couscous and baby pattypan squash. For a more dynamic fix of animal protein, the herb-crusted sirloin at the carving station is a better option.
Several desserts end brunch on a sweet, muscular note.
The Sachertorte, a rich chocolate confection, uses a layer of orange instead of the traditional apricot, but even purists are not likely to quibble. Black Forest cake doesn't hold back on liqueur-soaked cherries. The dessert most likely to inspire you to go back for seconds, however, is the masterly apricot cream cheese cobbler. At these prices you'd expect polished, professional service and clean, well-tended buffet tables. Top of the Rock delivers on both.