Madison Bistro

03/09/12

Some of the worst faux French service in NYC

by Real French Person

Very rude wanna-be french maitre d' who was condescending from the moment we walked in. Their wine list is poorly laid out - it listed Moulin a vent as 2007/2008. One would assume they had both 2007 and 2008 as a wine list must have a vintage attached to the wine. According to the know-it-all maitre d', this was not the case. It was one or the other: 2007 or 2008. They only had one. He acted as though it was normal to list several vintages although they only had one. The condescension continued throughout the meal. When we told him that we were both ordering the prix fixe and that we planned to share all the dishes, he insisted that we tell him who was ordering which dish for "placement" purposes. We had already told him we were sharing. When I pointed that out for the second time, he said, "Fine. It doesn't matter." Half of the dishes were good, some were mediocre. The tarte flambe was good. The bread was mediocre. The seafood overcooked. We had a Bloomspot that gave us $30 off the $142 bill. The maitre d' said, "You didn't tell us about this." I said, "I did. When I called. That's what the Bloomspot instructed to do." He then took it, and said, "Next time, give it to use when you walk in." What - so I could get even worse service? When I told him I was giving him a tip commensurate with his service, he became enraged. He followed outside the restaurant and asked us why. I explained to him how he was condescending to us the entire meal. He threw up his hands, exasperated, and said, "Fine!" As we crossed the street, he screamed, "And you used a Bloomspot!" Yeah, buddy. For $30. That's the cost of a digestivo, which a lot of good French restaurants give you for free. You get better service from Subway than from this fake Frenchie. Note that his review is the ONLY review at this point from 2012

10/29/09

My Favorite Neiborhood Restaurant

by YA932

I Go there at least one night a month for dinner with my wife and about once a week for business lunches with clients. The food is always fresh and delicious and the service, always impeccable. The atmosphere is perfect for a business lunch or for an intimate dinner. The back room is also great for large groups as I had my birthday dinner there a couple months ago with about 14 of my friends. The beautiful bartender makes a mean apple martini too.

• Pros: The steak tartar is out of this world

04/08/09

Excellent food, nice atmosphere, good service

by cubefarmer

Went here recently on a business trip and enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was nice, albeit a bit dark. The food was excellent - the bouillabaise is a real winner, the raspberry and chocolate soufflés excellent, the french onion soup savory. We also received a complimentary mini-appetizer of what appeared to be avacado, tomato and basil. The service was good, and the wine very good.

It was on the pricey side and, as such, probably a place I would not go often were it on my own dime (personally speaking). My entree was, I believe, $30, and the soup around $12.

• Pros: Food, service, wine
• Cons: A bit pricey

11/13/08

delicious French Cuisine

by THow57

This may be my favorite restaurant in New York. It is not too stuffy for a nice French restaurant, and very well done all around. They have a bustling atmosphere yet quiet enough for real conversation, beautiful decor, delicious French cuisine.

• Pros: ambiance,food'service

04/28/08

Average!

by Franz07

I received a gift certificate for this restaurant, so we decided to check it out. We were seated on the lower level, up against the stairs. It was crowded, the tables are very close together, and it was quite noisy. We were sat right next to a big party- not romantic at all. The food and drinks were okay, a bit over priced, but what isn't in New York??! The customer service was great and much appreciated, but the environment was a let-down.