Recommends

wordbird00

Joined 5 years ago

No bee in my bonnet!. My father and I both live in Manhattan and are no strangers to bad or overpriced meals at restaurants that are trying too hard to be cool. Apiary is NONE of these things. I brought my very picky father to Apiary, partly because of his unabashed love of honey and partly out of my secret wish to be a beekeeper. Like other reviewers, I was hesitant to go based on previous reviews, afraid my dad would be his complain-y self if things weren't just right, but decided to throw caution to the wind and give a new place a go. I was very very pleased with the meal and the presentation. I thought the decor was pleasant and not gaudy... felt a bit like a beehive with the wooden slat screens. We each had the green salad which was very good. Light and crunchy. I had the skate which was amazing, and pops had the Moroccan chicken which he also liked a lot. My father would consider himself a sangria connoisseur, and he really liked the red sangria. We both practically inhaled the trio of ice cream (cashew/vanilla/honey) at the end of the meal. Fighting over it with our spoons. The service was great. And the BREAD! There's nothing better to me than having great bread with your meal, and Apiary certainly had it. A nice white French bread and a decadent olive bread. Nothing really knocked me out of my chair about Apiary, but it was still a great meal and a very pleasant middle-of the road place to go in the neighborhood.

Recommends

wattsrocks

Joined 10 years ago

Pleasantly Surprised. After reading negative reviews I was hesitant to try Apiary when a friend suggested it. But we decided to give it a shot. It was a blustery cold night and I was happy to escape the cold into this inviting establishment. We ordered a $25 bottle of Rioja - it was such a good price that I feared it would be ghastly. It was lovely! I suppose I can understand why some people say it has a hotel bar vibe, but I like clean lines & minimalism. Especially in a small space...who wants a ton of heavy textiles or chotchke everywhere? The food was Delicious. The olive bread very good but would have been even better warm. We ordered the Beet Appetizer which was 6 thin slices (3 red & 3 golden) w/ a drizzle of toasted pralines & sort of a goat cheese cream. Thankfully it wasn't drowning in sauce, although I guess it could have used a touch more of the topping. Yum! We shared the Scallops & the Skate. The scallops were a good size (4 of them) & served over a bacon risotto. I don't eat meat and was so happy & surprised when they said they'd make it without bacon! This dish is fabulous! I know that some things taste better with meat (especially bacon), but honestly I think the flavor was perfect without it. There was some fall flavor in there that I couldn't identify, perhaps apple? I don't know - but we loved it. The scallops were perfectly seared - great texture.The risotto could have been a little creamier for my taste, but it didn't matter. We finished every last grain of rice. The skate had a nut dusting & served w/ a grilled cauliflower & spicy eggplant. The fish was cooked perfectly & the flavors divine. The presentation was simple & tasteful. For dessert - the pumpkin creme brule. I had one at another restaurant this fall and they were both reminiscent of pumpkin pie filling. However Apiary's out-shined the other place. The caramelized top was heavenly and it was a little warm which I love. We paired it with the suggested dessert wine which was nice. Will definitely go back.

Recommends

JDWP

Joined 5 years ago

Good if you order the right stuff. I went to Apiary a couple of weeks ago with a group of girlfriends. I had read really mixed reviews about the food, so I memorized what had been well regarded and ordered it...the Moroccan chicken was really good. I hadn't heard anything about the fall squash soup with curry and was really pleased with that as well. BUT, my friends didn't really love anything they got, even after I prevented one of them from ordering something I had read wasn't good. The service was just ok, the lack of cocktail list was uncool with one of my friends, and then to top it off we were annoyed when we found ourselves pictured in NY Mag a week later when the place was reviewed. Thank goodness they just got my back, b/c I would have been really displeased if there was a picture of me in a magazine without my permission. One of my friends was not that lucky, and I think it's poor form when there are only 10 people in the place to not let them know that there is a chance they may be in a major publication.

Recommends

evfood

Joined 5 years ago

Great upscale neighboorhood spot. Have been to Apiary twice (first time on its first night). First impressions of the space were small and intimate, with cute retro decor. A great addition to the usual grungy or farmhouse-y EV places; finally a neighboorhood spot with a refined and sleek feel. All appetizers and entrees were good, not amazing, but good. Nothing failed - can't say that about most area restaurants. Desserts were equally satisfying. Stand-outs included peach and serrano ham, rabbit, and chocolate, cashew tart. Peach sangria was the best of the three, and the wine list offered a vast and inexpensive range. Not sure what all the other reviewers were talking about! With very decerning taste and a strong palate, take my word for it and give it a try. Despite slightly awkward and inattentive service, will continue to return.

Recommends

chutoi

Joined 7 years ago

soso. us: two foodies, always on the hunt for something new.

First comment: the decor is cheapish, fun, but not in accordance with a place where you get 30 dollar entrees. And these HERON lamps? These "sculptures" which shed "sharper image" like LED inspired blue light around? I think a really big NONO!

Food was decent but overpriced for the quality. Staff was not very attentive, but clearly just trying to sell things. No "how is it". Consistency is lacking. Too many waiters running around.

A draft when the door opens. And its only 48 degrees outside, what will it be when winter sets in?

Improve it or lose it.

Doesn't Recommend

nycflava

Joined 5 years ago

Colossal disappointment and rip-off. My partner and I - two busy foodies in NYC and beyond - were looking forward to checking out this new eating spot, close to where we live. The review and photos in TimeOut looked promising. The first time we tried to make a reservation for a Sat night, the place was booked up. We got a table the second time we tried. We agree with the other two reviews just before ours. The first clue - when we walked in - was the casual young crowd (nothing against our younger neighbors but they very often go for looks and drinks, not for the quality of the food!). The decor is charming but a bit on the inexpensive design side, like the furniture and light fixtures came from West Elm... Service was good and pleasant. We had a person for everything task: taking our orders, bringing the bread, serving our food, etc. Specialty cocktails were excessively sweet. Mine had a thick layer of something that looked and tasted like appricot jam on the bottom of the glass - a sugar blast that made me crave for emergency insulin shots! Appetizers were decent but not great. On main courses, my partner had a beef dish which was fine but overpriced for its quality. Something more fitting for a country inn and for less cash! My entree was a colossal rip-off: two tiny lamb chops, each about an inch in size, all bone and very little meat, on some kind of hummus polenta - for $30. It was like two long earings has been placed on my plate on a bed of hummus and julienne veggies! We rushed out of this joint - skipped dessert and ran to the Dessert Truck @ corner of Third Ave/St Mark's for two wonderful, inexpensive treats: goat cheese cake and warm bread pudding.

Doesn't Recommend

CoupleFoodies

Joined 5 years ago

Okay service, decent decor, bad food. We were looking forward to a new upscale restautant right off of St. Marks. Our server was very nice, but a bit overwhelmed and her food/drink knowledge was mediocre at best. On a positive note, the wine list is fairly robust with a diverse mix of reasonably priced bottles. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the food. The crab cake (described as lump crab), was claw meat mashed into an overly seasoned, fried ball of crab paste. Comparable to those you find at any number of national casual dining restaurants (Chili's, Red Lobster, and the like). The pork loin reminded me of one I cooked a few weeks ago. I defrosted a pre-martinated piece of pork that I purchased at Costco and threw it in the overn for 20 minutes. It tasted like a mix between filet mignon, pork, and hot dog. Not overly bad tasting, but nothing that I would pay near $30 for. Finally, the rabbit was a great disappointment. Parts of it were so saltly that I had to wash down the rubbery hunks of flesh with a gulp of water. Other sections weere overcooked , dry, and bland. It was the worst rabbit I've ever had. Needless to say, we weren't hungry for dessert.

Doesn't Recommend

NYCDenis

Joined 5 years ago

Simply Gross!. I read some good preview articles about Apiary and their "star chef" Neil. Being a big fan of Bobby, I enjoy dining at Mesa where I am reminded of my hometown. I wanted to check out Neil's new place and hoped his startup would be filled with creativity and fun. Took a cab down to where the restaurant was only to realize it's in the middle of St. Marks!!!! I should've looked up the address on google map to find out where this place was.

Looking at the multitudes of college kids wearing flip-flops in their shorts, I contemplated about backing out of this place which I should've done.

Food is absolutely disappointing especially at near $30 per entree. I was looking forward to some creative power but the food was more like what your grandma would serve you. I didn't taste anything but too much honey. Spice crusted lamb came out tasting more like dessert than entree. Halibut came out so dry that it was flaking off by itself.

Service was medicore at best. I was really annoyed when the wait staff "tried" to sell me their furniture. When I am out dining, I don't want to hear some idiot telling me "oh, this is for sale and that is for sale. this looks fabulous and that looks gorgeous."!!! The funny thing is decoration wasn't even all that good. It was cold and too retro. The place reminded me of cafeterias from 80's.

My suggestion: If you are dining for semi-formal restaurant, there is Eleven Madison nearby. Better food, better deco and better service. If you are in St. Marks, bring your flip-flops and start roaming the streets and check out less expensive but more tasty casual places.

Maybe Neil will come to his senses and do some creative cooking and lower the prices. You only get one first impression.

Recommends

Jessica Allen

Joined 5 years ago

Former Veritas chef Scott Bryan teams up with a chic furniture designer to create this cozy East Village eatery.. French furniture company Ligne Roset wants to conquer the world through its stomach: Apiary is the first American outpost of its micro-chain, with branches in Moscow, Paris and Vienna. The East Village spot serves seasonal American, thanks to Scott Bryan, the lauded former chef of Veritas, who was out of the New York dining scene for a long time, and was much missed. he décor points to the restaurant's origins: Whimsical lampshades, featuring cutouts of chandeliers, illuminate deep purple and maroon chairs, which are, incidentally, available for purchase.