Adour Alain Ducasse
New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 710-2277
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- Directions:
- E, V at 5th Ave-53rd St
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 5pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm
Editorial Review for Adour Alain Ducasse – by Justin Hartung
The Scene
Alain Ducasse's first two New York restaurants, Mix and Essex House, couldn't cut the mustard, but he's taking one more shot with this beauty located in the St. Regis hotel's former Lespinasse space. The grand beaux-arts dining room gets a makeover that dials down stuffiness with ebullient touches like leaf-patterned glass panels and floating bubble sculptures resembling escaped champagne.
The Food
Ducasse's menu works best when it follows the room's impish streak and freshens up the haute French cuisine with modern twists. Silky balls of ricotta are formed into "gnocchi," and bright orange carrots make an eye-popping plate divider between unbelievably rich braised ribs and toothsome tenderloin. The menu's more subtle dishes, including mild sweetbreads topped with a poached egg and flaky striped bass layered with clams, seem tame by comparison. For dessert, pear clafoutis, topped with a cloud of just-sweet-enough honey ice cream, delivers the best of both worlds.
Hits: Unpretentious yet impeccable service, a room with a whiff of cheekiness, and modern twists on French fare keep this from feeling like a haute has-been.
Misses: Ducasse's kitchen shows much skill, but you wish they'd take a few more risks on the menu.
(Photo by Eric Laignel)
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
What to DrinkThe wine list is so large, it could use its own CliffsNotes. At $45, a bottle of versatile, medium-bodied Trignon Cotes de Rhone is one of the cheaper options on the list.
Look GoodA tie isn't required in the dining room, but men will probably feel more comfortable in one.
Where to SitSmall alcoves to the side of the dining room provide more of a secluded experience.
The ExtrasFour seats are available at the wine bar, which offers a different menu and an interactive wine list that users scroll through by touching the bar.
User Reviews for Adour Alain Ducasse
05/16/2008 Posted by Beluga4162
We were promptly seated exactly where we wanted to be in the beautiful center of the dining room. Both the Atlantic salmon,( that was my appetizer) and the poached lobster ,(my entree) were superb. The service was fine, and we never felt rushed. The organic coffee was delicious, as were the desserts. The desserts were not described well on the menu, but we tried 4 of them and each one was truely a masterpeice presentation and tasted amazing. All four of us would highly reccomend this dining experience!
Pros: service,food quality and presentation, and ambience
03/26/2008 Posted by MILSH
For the money, this is one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. I will focus this review on the service, as I found it to be the most disappointing aspect of my experience. The service was slow, frazzled, and sloppy. The staff did not seem to know if they were coming or going. There were so many people fussing around us that it was impossible to identify who played what role, nor did they offer any assistance in identifying themselves. One gentleman in particular was extremely unkempt in attire and was sweating. He did not maintain eye contact as he waited on us and seemed more preoccupied with what was happening at another table. Long after we finished our first bottle of wine, no one asked if we would like another. When we finally had the chance to order a second bottle, halfway through our entrees, it did not appear until dessert. One dining companion explicitly told the restaurant we were celebrating two birthdays. This was completely ignored. Considering this is a relatively new restaurant, I found these to be Adour's least offensive transgressions. At it's most offensive, the staff was rude and unprofessional about accommodating simple requests like additional menus for the table. When someone in our party politely stated we were finished with our food, the waiter huffed and said in an aggravated tone, "I'm getting to it." Another waiter snickered when we questioned the $10 coffee choices. Overall, I felt as though I was more of a burden to the staff than a welcomed customer. To me, Adour personifies every negative stereotype about "fancy-pants French restaurants," as one food journalist called it, without the quality to back it up. If Adour were a person, it would be Kanye West, only without the talent. Having dined at four out of five of the four-star restaurants in New York, I had high expectations for Adour. In comparison, it is laughably inadequate, and I mean that quite literally, as we were laughing when we left.
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