Le Cirque

08/01/11

Very underwhelmed...

by Kxx

My girlfriend and I went to Le Cirque for restaurant week since I figured I would take the advice of my father/friends to visit. We got there extremely fashionably late (our reservations were for 9, we got there at 10:30!!!) and the maitre'd accommodated us without question and promptly seated us at a table. We were very impressed with the fact that they allowed us to get away with being an hour and a half late and began to look at the wine list. The owner came up to us and asked us if we needed any help (I suppose he assumed two young women do not have any wine knowledge; hint hint--we do) and we politely declined. Five minutes later, another man (I presume he was the manager??) asked us if we needed help yet again which I judged as they were "rushing" us, but I may be wrong. We chose a bottle of wine, they did not have it, and the second man came over again to let us know and provided us with another recommendation. We placed our selections with our waiter and on came our dinner swiftly out of the kitchen. The waitstaff was very attentive and made my girlfriend and I feel very spoiled. However, the food did not. I ordered the gnocchi with escargot, pesto, and a crunchy pork product (I do not remember what it was); my girlfriend ordered the salmon tartar. Now, growing up with a French grandmother who cooked me gnocchi every Sunday, I have a very bias palate. This gnocchi was VERY overcooked, and most definitely NOT a French gnocchi. It was, for lack of a better word, mush in the shape of gnocchi. If the gnocchi was cooked/made correctly, this dish would have been sublime. My girlfriend's tartar, however, was delicious and quite fresh. On to our next course, I had ordered the monkfish with forbidden rice and a sauce that I cannot recall; my girlfriend ordered the pork belly with fresh greens. My monkfish was a bit overcooked [yet again], although it was still delicious, and the spice blend was divine. Overall, I enjoyed the dish even though the fish was overdone. My girlfriend's pork belly was of course, delicious, because you cannot go wrong with pork belly. We both got the creme brulee for dessert, boy was this an extreme disappointment. Again, with my bias palate because I come from a French family, this creme brulee was extremely disappointing. The sugar crust was burnt and the custard was far too firm. It was almost as if they had prepared the creme brulee in the beginning of the day (torched sugar and all) and then left it for a couple of hours and then served it for dinner. I understand, creme brulee is an extremely difficult dessert to pull off, but if you're going to do it, you do it correctly. I understand that perhaps to a "non-French" person they would have thought the creme brulee was delicious (as my girlfriend did), however, this was no creme brulee. The only redeeming part of the dessert was the owner bringing us over a complimentary bottle of Moscato (which was the most delicious Moscato I have ever tasted, and I do not like Moscato). All and all I am glad I went to Le Cirque, but I would certainly not return simply for the food. Perhaps I will give it one more try just because of the overall attentiveness of the waitstaff and the treatment of my girlfriend and I. Our waiter, after asking him where the restroom was located, pulled my chair out for me and lead me to the bathroom; in addition, he even OPENED THE DOOR for me so I could enter. So I would certainly return to Le Cirque because of their exemplary hospitality, not because of their food. Perhaps it was because we had ordered from the restaurant week menu and was not paying regular price for the food?? I do not know, but perhaps I will find out upon my eventual return to Le Cirque...

02/02/11

New York City At It's Best

by contempler

It was restaurant week and what better place to sample than Le Cirque. The Lunch Menu included appetizers of grilled escargot, salmon tartar, crespelle pasta, or mixed greens salad. My wife and I ordered the escargot and the mixed greens salad and the waitress accidentally served two orders of salmon tartar. When I pointed out the error, she politely offered to leave the two salmon tartar while she went into the kitchen for the correct appetizers. What a wonderful mistake, the salmon tartar was superb, even better than the appetizers we had ordered (which were also good). Our main course consisted of Duck Jambonette served with sweet and sour pearl onions and creamy polenta, and grilled Daurade Fillet with gigante beans, tarragon, yogurt and cucumber. Both dishes were wonderful. After dessert we wandered over to the bar, only to find Sirio Maccioni (owner and host) resting on a bar stool. I approached and thanked him for an exceptional lunch, commenting on how much we enjoyed the food. He looked up and with the slightest smile and a noticable accent said "You enjoyed the lunch, it must have been a mistake." We both laughed and then he graciously signed a copy of the menu for my wife. Cheers to restaurant week and to Le Cirque for making it special.

07/20/10

Once in awhile yes, one of my favorites, no.

by TardyKat

We were seated on the side of the bar, not terrible. I think if you were dining a la carte, they seat you on the other side with table cloth and flowers. Not a big deal. The meal was small portioned but was filling in the end. For starters, we went with the sweet corn soup and watermelon and tuna bacon (too fishy for me). For entrees, we opted for the salmon fillet (great pairing with the sauteed vegetables underneath) and the beef medallions (medium came out to be more like medium well and the color of the beef was a strange grey pallor) were tender. Dessert was great! Chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream and the creme brulee.

FYI: Le Cirque is extending Summer Restaurant Week all the way through Labor Day with tweeks and changes to the $35 prix fixe menu over the course of the event.

• Pros: Ambience, service, food
• Cons: Portion size, pricey a la carte

01/29/10

A Romantic Evening

by wood484

I recently went to Le Cirque on a date for a two year anniversary through the restaurant week specials. I was expecting great things from this well known place of decedent food, and I was not disappointed in the least.

Upon arrival, the staff of Le Cirque was accommodating and professional. Showing us to our table, they sat us and explained the menu in a detailed, yet unobtrusive to our evening, manner. The food was amazing, we started with the seafood, chicken pate, and venison sausage with pistachios. Moving on to the Pork Belly (I cannot saw enough about how this tastes, amazing, exquisite...you get the idea). We also tried the steak and salmon. For desert it was tiramisu and creme brulee.

In all the service, food, and atmosphere made for a memorable evening that i will remember for a long time. I give my highest recommendation to couples of all ages to experience Le Cirque

• Pros: Pro: Service, Food Quality, Atmosphere
• Cons: Con: that the dinner had to end

11/03/09

Delicious, perfectly cooked food

by Nativeater

We went there to celebrate two and a half years of domestic bliss, and the food did not disappoint. We had five courses of tender shrimp, delectable foie gras, well-seasoned fish, hearty venison, and more. His dessert, a pear glace, outshone my standard chocolate tart, but the other treats on the table and our full stomachs were very happy. Only thing was that the waiter barely spoke to us the entire meal, and our water glasses were empty on occasion. Very stand-offish service, and an extremely long wait between courses. But overall, the food is what matters most, and it was GREAT.

• Pros: Fine menu with a mix of modern dishes with French touches
• Cons: Oddly innattentive service: real lack of communication