Amaranth Restaurant

06/24/08

Lovey cafe on a lovely day

by Nanecci at Citysearch

I don't understand some of the comments below. Perhaps they refer to evening hours or dinner, but my experience at Amaranth was nothing less than exceptional. We managed to sit outside on an absolutely gorgeous day and had the focaccia robiola, a delicate concoction perfect for a summer day. In addition, we had what I believe to be was either hibiscus or passion fruit tea (I don't like tea; however, this won me over). With respect to the service - I found it to be very attentive. We were there for about an an hour and a half after finishing our meal and in no way were we driven from our table (and outside seating is usually very sought-after). Indeed, they allowed us to enjoy a leisurely afternoon on a beautiful day under a lovely atmosphere.

• Pros: outside seating, the hibiscus or passion fruit tea and the focaccia
• Cons: none

11/14/06

Lovely intimate atmosphere, very good food

by pickyb at Citysearch

The bar is a pretty color but don't expect to sit and have a drink there, or stand, as there's no room and there are no seats. The waiters and busboys are very attentive. The crowd is all ages, mainly Europeans. The food is very good, but what you order matters. I found the tuna tartar to be very bland and uncreative, while the focaccia was delicious with truffle oil. I had a nice dinner there and was able to hear everyone's conversation at my table.

• Pros: cosy, good service, relaxing
• Cons: pricey, some of the food isn't that great

11/01/06

great service

by jopal at Citysearch

What a gem of a restaurant. My husband and I just recently bought a townhouse in the neighborhood and fell into this great little restaurant. We didn't have a reservation but we were lucky to get a table. The service was impeccable, our waiter Philippe with his French charm was so attentive and knowledgable about the food, the wine and even gave us info about the neighborhood. Service like this was not something we expected.The food was simple and delicious. We can't wait to bring our friends and we will be sure to make reservations, so we can request our waiter. What a great dining experience. I guarantee they will be seeing us often

• Pros: service
• Cons: none

08/24/06

Great while I was there, sick when I got home

by vivlovesfood at Citysearch

My good friend and I decided to have dinner and conversation at Amaranth bc of its charming space. The service was mediocre (especially when it came to the end of the meal and they were practically kicking us out. I couldn't even finish my wine!) The food was average, nothing spectacular. I had the duck breast and my friend had the lemon sole. By the next morning I was running for the toilet from 6am and on. My friend was fine, leading me to believe the duck must've been tainted. For $70 a person I would expect to have high quality, fresh food...not something that would clean out my bowels for the next day. Frankly...this place can be the most charming place in the city but I wouldn't step foot in there again knowing I would be sick to my stomach in under 12hrs. Eat at your own risk.

• Pros: Nice setting, sidewalk cafe seating
• Cons: Poor service, Tainted food

08/18/06

Marvellous food, undersized portions

by ignatiusjreilly at Citysearch

I was cautiously optimistic about heading to the UES (I generally confine myself to Lower Manhattan), as I had heard good things about Amaranth from my ridiculous Euro-friends. The food was tasty and beautifully presented: I had several of the Foccacias, as well as the swordfish dish, the steak tartare and the ravioli bolognaise, all washed down with a good bottle of chardonnay. I concluded the meal with a much earned half-bottle of armagnac and a fistful of cohibas.

The dishes, however, are woefully undersized. I am a man of great physical stature and possess a heroically proportioned physique (one quack recently described me as morbidly obese), so these menial portions were not at all satisfactory. On my journey home I had to stop at a hot dog stand to keep my appetite in check.

I must confess to liking Amaranth. However I remain dissapointed by the size of the meals, and would not recommend it to anyone except sub-200lb waifs. Also, my $340 bill came as something of a surprise.

• Pros: Great food
• Cons: Tiny portions