Chanterelle
Categories: French, American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan/TriBeCa2 Harrison St
(between Hudson St & Staple St)
New York, NY 10013 (212) 966-6960
- Nearest Transit:
Franklin St (1)
Chambers St-W Broadway (1, 2, 3)
Chambers-St-Park Pl (2, 3, A, C, E)
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Dressy
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
23 Reviews for Chanterelle
Service, Service, Service.
I have been to Chanterelle twice and both times I found the food to be great and the service amazing. Every time I looked down, there was a warm roll on my bread plate. I have no recollection of how it got there...
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Disappointing. Did I come on a (really) bad night? The tasting menu was not very imaginative and some of the wine pairings were puzzling - in an "am I crazy or does this wine suck?" kind of way. The sommelier seemed to be having an off night as he was sometimes very late to the next course. As in, we were almost finished before he brought the wine. Good thing all I wanted was tiny sip with each course.
The lack of music and artwork lends to a rather hushed ambiance in the spacious dining room. I found the enormous floral arrangements to be a bit distracting and I could smell them from my table.
The food was good but I found it to be heavy - even for classical French. Not surprising since chef David Waltuck readily admits to being very liberal with his usage of butter.
They do have a wide selection of unusual cheeses, but I wasn't blown away by the selection I tried.
I heard so many rave reviews of this place from friends so I came with high expectations. Those expectations were fully met in some ways, happily overwhelmed in others, and satisfied for the rest.
Service was definitely much better than I expected. I complimented my server early on and in general, joked around with everyone, and was treated quite well for the entire meal. They were attentive, really nice, not pushy in any way, and greatly impressed with my ability to eat large amounts of cheese (more on that in a moment).
The first two courses were excellently prepared but not particularly original. However, the chicken third course was tender and well seasoned - truly a pleasure. Then came the cheese course. The woman presenting the cheese thought I was joking when I said I'd try each one. I listened patiently as she described every offering on the cheese platter. Then, she asked me again which ones I'd like to try. She giggled a little when I told her that I wanted to try each one. And then she arranged them in order of strength around the plate. DELIGHTFUL!
And finally dessert. They bring you so much dessert it's unbelievable. Definite thumbs up on that. And they let you take the leftovers home! For serious? Anyway, the other great thing about dessert was that my bf had the most interesting thing I've ever tried - a chocolate basil parfait. The basil was presented as an ice cream and it was truly original. It was refreshing, had a lovely texture, and went surprisingly well with the chocolate. I don't think my bf liked it as much but he had to admit that it won points for its creativity.
There you have it. My experience with Chanterelle. I would definitely go back and I would save more room for dessert (and maybe some more cheese).
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I'll preface my review by saying i attended a wedding here, and so its not quite the same as attending the restaurant, but i wanted to throw my two cents in anyway.
I thought it was wonderful, and will absolutely put this on my list of restaurants to hit up. Everything I ate was delicious and ineresting without being pretentious. Im was hoping that the appetizers were a little mini tour of the chanterelle menu offerings and it turns out i was right-- most of what we had has been or is offered on the restaurant menu.
The restaurant is very small, but intimate, not claustrophobic at all, probably because of the tremendous corner windows and high ceilings, and the decor is very simple. The only thing i wasnt crazy about was what i call the "coffin lining drapery" which for some reason really stood out in my head, but now im just nitpicking.
The passed starters included a delicious tasting of prosciutto with fig on toast, (wonderful!), fried oysters over a diced cucumber salad (a crowd favorite) rare beef tenderloin over a homemade potatochip (good but nothing exciting), and two things im sure were created just for parties and are not on the chanterrelle menu but probably should be in some form-- mini 'grilled cheese' which were wedges of melted something outrageous (i didnt ask) between two heavily garliced wedge of toast (heavenly!) and the chanterrelle take on the pig in a blanket-- sausage in pastry with spicy mustard dolloped on top. I believe there were also duck spring rolls but i never managed to find them.
Our first course is right off the tasting menu and was to die for. Salmon tartare with wedges of corn chips and a light dusting of caviar. I dont even like salmon and i ate every bite.
Dinner was also off the menu-- loin of lamb or halibut, both of which were very good, but not on par with everything else i ate that day. I suspect that they might have been chosen for their simplicity to be more crowd pleasing as not all of the guests are adventerous eaters.
Overall, I really want to return to Chanterrelle to try out the menu and I recommend it to others as well.
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Did I eat at the same place? If you don't get the tasting menu, you have to depend on a tiny appetizer, tiny entree and worthless dessert. When I asked for clarification about whether the "whole table" (all 2 of us) had to order the tasting menu, the waiter with the goatee started an argument and was very sarcastic. After that they virtually ignored us. I complained to the maitre 'd and he said the people around us were having complicated flights of wine. i asked then do you prefer that non-wine drinkers not pay you to eat here and he apologized. Also told him to send the waiter with the goatee to finishing school. Man, really overrated.
Now I'm laughing because I' reading a 2-star review of this dump and the oenophiles weren't treated too nicely either!
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My experience with this restaurant was perfect. The service was impeccable, and the food was nearly orgasmic.
I would highly, highly recommend the fois gras mushroom scallop dumplings. Easily the most wonderful dish I have ever had the joy of experiencing. There is a reason they won a James Beard Award.
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What a disappointment. Service was odd from the very beginning. When they asked me what type of water we wanted, we asked for still water. They brought us tap water, so I clarified and asked for bottled water. They brought us sparkling water. I had to ask for bottled still water a third time.
The food was decent, but unimpressive. Definitely not worth the price. As a James Beard Award winner, I had expected more from them but the flavors were not as interesting as I had hoped. Although dinner was decent, it was a completely forgettable meal.
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Like sitting in your eclectic great-Aunt's Parlor room. You don't have a great-Aunt? High ceilings, hush-hush, strange furniture, foo-foo shi-shi atmosphere, and weird company.
The maitre d' was cool - yellow glasses and odd, Andy Warhol-like mannerisms. The rest of the staff was just fine. The tasting menu with wine was better than fine. (Hurrah for the crazy salad and cheese course). But $1400.00+ for four? Holy Cow.
Nice, even exemplary at points, but not worth it.
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The $125 tasting menu is not too filling and you leave satisfied.
Good solid French cuisine.
Must get: Grilled Turbot
Decor: Classy, Elegant
came here for dinner for my bday last month and it was amazing. one of the best dining experiences ive ever had. the foie gras and scallop dumplings melted in my mouth and the mixed grill lamb plate was delicious. its very expensive but so worth it for a special occassion.
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went there about 12 years ago w/ my family and decided to take my boyfriend there for this bday recently. boy, has my perspective changed. definitely don't like their protrayal of someone's dining room feel. everyone in the room, diners/ staff, were all self conscious or stiff. it was not a relaxing environment and I understand it's an upscale restaurant but i don't think it's necessary to be afraid to even make a peep of a sound.
our dishes were fine but i think i expected more from them. i think they were missing innovation and yet it wasn't classically protrayed either, so i felt lost with what i'm trying to discover with them. and in the back of my mind i'm comparing them to other french places like le bernardin or bouley. but i did enjoy the desserts and petit fours!
overall, i think we didn't enjoy the dinner too much. i didn't walk out with the feeling that it was well worth it. i felt something was missing for the price paid and i wasn't totally satisfied.
After harassing my poor boyfriend for a year to take me here, we finally went last year on our anniversary. The food was everything I was hoping and more. Absolutely exquisite, perfect wine pairing, etc. The service was nice and made us feel totally welcome.
That being said, the atmosphere was strange. I can just picture the owners using the keywords "romantic" and "classy" when talking to their interior designers... like someone wrote before me, like a stuffy French restaurant. I was expecting this part, but it was the crowd that got to me.
Besides the couples (the usual crowd for this place, it seems), there were several large tables of what looked like professionals still in their suits, talking loudly and brashly all night. My reservation was on a Thursday night at 9pm, I think, and these people looked like they had been boozing up at the table for hours. Perhaps they are the only ones that can have a leisurely dinner at this place (it IS at least $100/person) like it's no big deal, but for us plebes, I would've liked a more special experience. Too bad.
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I've been here a few times, and I like it a lot. I agree with the reviewer who commented the atmosphere is odd. The last time I was there one of the waiters was like seven feet tall, and the other had on these crazy yellow glasses.
All of the dishes I've had here are definitely solid, I haven't had one that I disliked in the entire bunch. What pushes Chanterelle over from regular high-end restaurant four star into five star is that I had probably the best dessert of my life here. I'll be coming back in the future hopefully to see if they can reach those kind of rarified heights again, but holding the title to "the best" anything I ever had is enough to get them into the five star range for me.
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My husband and I have talked about going to Chanterelle for years, ever since we bought David Waltuck's "Staff Meals" cookbook and fell in love. Anyone who cooks this well for their own employees, we reasoned, must do truly amazing things for their diners.
The atmosphere is odd -- the gauzy balloon shades covering the windows look like they haven't gotten an update since the place opened in the 80s, and the wide-open room seems sparse, not elegant. No banquettes or booths... just a few tables, overly fragrant floral arrangements, acres of plush carpet, and deathly silence. Very much the old-school stuffy French restaurant vibe: I kept expecting John Belushi to pop up and ask "how much for your weemin? how much for the leetle girl?"
We opted for the tasting menu and wine pairings. I'll try to find the copy of the menu that they gave us -- unrequested, I might add -- and report back. At the moment, though, nothing really stands out about the food, other than that the foie gras course was appropriately sized (unlike the usual trying-too-hard gigantic slabs that ruin your appetite for the rest of the meal), the cheese trolley selections were impressive, and the basil souffle for dessert was very strange.
Service was good overall, with a few glitches: More than once, our wines didn't make it to the table before the course they were supposed to accompany; we got served the same wine twice -- once with the foie and once with dessert -- by mistake; and we kept getting handed from server to server when our main waiter would disappear.
In short, it just wasn't quite the impressive experience you'd expect at these high prices. And high prices they are: We spent almost $600 for two, after tax and tip. Nothing was bad, almost everything was quite good, but nothing was amazing, stunning, or otherwise impressive. And frankly, I'd rather have three $200 meals -- or two trips to the French Laundry -- than eat here again.
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This is my FAVORITE restaurant in NYC! I've never been disappointed with the food and amazing service. Make sure you try the seafood sausage--it's the best. For the best deal---go during lunch, they have a lunch prix fix.
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This was one of those meals you remember for the rest of your life. Normally, I go into a fancy restaurant and am impressed by the appetizers and let down by the main. This place never let me down; the chef kept surprising me. The food keeps coming. The Cheese plate was amazing and the host was very knowledgeable about both wines and cheese. Go on an empty stomach. Great for vegetarians, too. If you are going to spend 50+ bucks on a plate once in your life, this is the place to do it.
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I think it's one of the prettiest places to dine simply because of the immense light the dining room draws. The white table cloths and the gorgeous flowers give the whole thing a very classic feel. The food is superbly delicious and the wait staff is beyond complimenting. ALSO! The desserts....holy....crap! SO GOOD! SO GOOD! The pastry chef is amazing!!!! Chanterelle is definitely worth experiencing (a good friend of mine worked here, so we were lucky enough to get the hook up), just make sure you save save save before heading here and/or try to catch it during restaurant week. The only thing is that it's a tiny dining room and the noise level is well...non-existent--reeeeeeeally quiet dining. Whispering gets a little awkward after awhile. Make sure you leave your gossip at home. But GO!
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Update: The atmosphere at dinner is definitely much more different than at lunchtime. My friend was so excited to come here for her birthday, and we as good friends obliged. No longer was the dining room a serene hush of quiet, but it had a rather boisterous, celebratory feel. Loud enough to give the room a chattery buzz, but low enough that you could carry on a normal conversation. Perfect!
Again, service was phenomenol. Although we love food, none of us are wine experts and we left that to the suggestion of the house. Roger Dagorn, the sommelier, picked the perfect wine, a Schroeder S, that complimented our meal perfectly. At the end of the night, he even gave the b-day girl the metal label of the wine as a keepsake. Water and wine glasses were constantly filled. Everything was impeccable!
The food is excellent! I'd been raving about the seafood sausage for such a long time that it became a must order for my friend. The b-day girl got the shrimp and was in heaven. I was going to order the shrimp as well, but was intrigued by the shellfish salad. I was glad I ordered it! Simple, but delicious. Packed with shellfish. If we weren't better friends, I might not have shared it. Really. I would have seriously covered my plate and stabbed someone with my fork if they even came in for a taste. But no, I shared and no one left with fork marks on their hands.
Entrees were delicious as well. I can't recall what the b-day girl got, but my friend and I both got the beef. It was cooked to perfection and I couldn't stop eating it. I overstuffed myself. We all did. Everyone enjoyed the food so much. I would've suggested the cheese course, but knowing how full we all were, we just went with dessert to finish.
The ever changing menu tempts me to continously go back for more, but my wallet always screams for mercy. It's well worth it to splurge and eat ramen and pasta for the next week or so to make up for the expense of it. Actually, I think it's a pretty decent deal. For the quality, service and overall dining experience, I'd go once a month to enjoy the new menu.
So my dear Chanterelle, you finally get the 5th star. It's much deserved...
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I'd give this place 5 stars, but it's just so darn quiet in there. Had lunch here with friends and we were afraid to lift our voices above a whisper, lest everything crumble when you speak at a normal decibel. The service is excellent, the food superb. I'd actually come back here to eat, but I need to be able to talk and laugh with friends. www.chanterellenyc.com
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quite possibly our favoritre restaurant its too bad we only go there for special occasions, birthdays anniversarys.. I wish service and food quality was this good at every restaurant in NYC. sure the decor is a bit stuck in the 1980s but its neutral enough that you can just concentrate on the lovely service and food. it doesnt smack of trendy- here today gone tomorrow instead its a classic.
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The service at Chanterelle can be amazing; the first time I went there, the waitstaff were invisible until the exact moment they were needed, and then they suddenly appeared with exactly what I needed without prompting. Honestly, it was a little scary. The food itself is high dining in both quality and the fairly spare portions, but after a few courses and a decadent dessert, you leave feeling completely sated. Chanterelle is also usually available for lunches during Restaurant Week; it's a good opportunity to take the afternoon off work and treat yourself to a fancy meal.
Incredible but UNBELIEVABLY costly. Very high falutin' kind of fare makes this a special occasion place at best. It's a little like eating dinner in the Hermitage.
This is the most wonderful restaurant to celebrate a special occassion. The food is superb, the service is outstanding and the dining room is lovely. Oh the flowers! A fantastic choice and a New York Classic. If you like La Grenouille, Chanterelle will become your new favortie restaurant.
I dont get it! This place is awful. Every entree is covered in the same "salty" sauce. The food is way overpriced. The only thing that makes it at all worthwhile is the seafood sausage. Other then that I would say stay away you can fine much much better restaurants for much much cheaper prices in manhattan!
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