12/30/05

80s Redux

by nekkochan

The food was inventive and quite deelish, but the waitress was laughable with her pretentious 80s-velvet-rope-palladium-doorman attitude. That was a buzzkill, considering we were all very much looking forward to a delightful culinary experience. Caught her dissing our table with a co-worker at one point. The prices and the portions are a bit our of proportion with one another. Would I go again? Too many great places in this town to pay good money to deal with a waitstaff with an attitude. That style of service is so not happening...

• Pros: interesting wine list, inventive cocktails, inventive menu
• Cons: waitsaff

11/29/05

Inventive Dishes

by macbethnyc

Ate here for the first time last night, and we had a very good experience. The fare is creative and blends ingredients that aren't paired on more typical menus. Yet, the flavors seem to truely belong together and you can't understand why you haven't tried pork, cannellini beans, black mint, apricots, tomato concentrate all together before. True, the portions are small, but we didn't leave hungry. We each had an appetizer and an entree and all were delicious. If you don't splurge on the wine, it's actually not a painful night out for your wallet.

• Pros: Creative menu
• Cons: Crampted quarters

09/01/05

A Dining Pleasure

by katrinasview

I had a unique and extremely pleasurable dining experience at 71 Clinton Fresh Foods.

The chef's creative combinations of flavors took my palate to a place it has never been. The Wahoo melted in the mouth, foie gras out of this world. Everything was at its best, will definitely go again soon.

• Pros: the food, friendly service
• Cons: tight seating

08/15/05

Don't Go!

by ebk

I had heard great things about this place but it was one of the worst restaurants i've been to in New York. We went on a saturday night in August and there was NO air conditioning. The service was awful - it took them 45 minutes just to take our drink orders despite the fact that there were only 5 other tables in the restaurant. The food was okay, but not a lot of choices on the menu - completely unclear how this place has gotten such good reviews . . .

07/06/05

Still a gem

by andrewjay1000

Even after losing their high profile opening chef to a restaurant across the street, 71 Clinton Fresh Foods remains a goto place for adventurous, but not outlandishly so, seasonal American cuisine. Current chef Jason Neroni is extremely talented and brings a wealth, for his young age, of restaurant (Tasting Room, Blue Hill) experience to bear every day at the markets and every night in the kitchen. Current standouts from a recent meal included a Cold Pea Soup, Braised Short Ribs with Thai Fried Rice, and Sullivan County Chicken. The wine list is also very eclectic with some values, but great selection overall. Service was very pleasant and not intrusive.

• Pros: Interesting food, Good value for hi end, Fun neighborhood
• Cons: Tight quarters

05/23/05

lower east side disappointment

by cebubelle

My friends and I were so excited to try this restaurant out since the reviews were really good, but our excitement fizzled out quickly. The menu is very limited and lacking in originality. All in all a big waste of time to schlepp to the middl eof nowhere.

05/11/05

THE WORST IN NYC EVER!

by swc_internet

I am a foodie, living in NYC for over 7 years , I have gone to the best. This was the worst I have had in the 7 years. The food overpriced, the portions tiny. The first dish I had chilled pea soup tasted nothing like peas, instead tasted like sesame oil. foie gras that looked like they forgot to cook it. it took one hour for CHILLLED appetizers to get on the table. The main dish, squab, was enedible and looked like someone forgot to something with it. It tasted like CRAP. The ribs had so much fat I'm not sure you could call it meat at all. We were offered something else but I refused since I wans't about to stay there for 3 hours when there are only 20 tables. AVOID AVOID AVOID or you will be sorry.

• Cons: Bad Food, Expensive, Tight Seating

06/01/04

Don't Change A Thing!!!

by sgourmandp

The LES is giving uptown a run for the money in terms of great restaurants and 71 Clinton is at the top of the list. The food was wonderful, whether you are starting out with the octopus, shrimp or short ribs and then going onto the prawns or pork chop. The food is glorious and very reasonably priced. After several subsequent visits I can still say this place has mastered the art of a good restaurant.

• Pros: food, service

04/08/04

This New American pioneer is still groundbreaking, neighborly and uncompromisingly fresh after all these years.

by Contributor

The Scene
Clinton Street might not have blossomed into restaurant row had this unassuming spot (the first to open there in 1999) not set such high standards. Since then, the small, boxy space has changed surprisingly little: The walls are still bright orange, the tables are still close together and crisply set, and service is still unpretentious and knowledgeable.

The Food
Founding chef Wylie Dufresne left the kitchen long ago, but the innovative international, market-fresh menu he instilled still thrives. To start, there's beautifully balanced squash soup with finely diced smoked chicken, sweet apples and salty cashews, or braised baby octopus salad, rich with bone marrow, light with blood orange. Entrees are equally stunning: Crisp-skinned roasted bass pairs with Serrano ham and caramelized cabbage confit; herbed gnocchi float in intense Parmesan broth; braised pork belly melts over mushroom-chestnut-brussels sprouts fricassee. The signature chocolate cake has a luscious peanut butter center.

• Pros: very creative food
• Cons: tight table spacing

04/03/04

Smallest Portions in NYC

by wallpaperpaste

I have read amazing reviews of this place for years, but our experience last night was anything but. The menu which must use of professional copywriter to obfuscate the choices may be diverse, but the portions were by and far the smallest I've ever witnessed in 15 years of eating out in New York. The couple next to us laughed everytime an oversized dish with flowers and micro-food arrived at any table. I thought the 80's were over.

• Pros: Service
• Cons: , Small portions, Uninteresting food