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- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for Irises Cafe and Wine Bar
9 reviews in English
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Review from Will D.
8/23/2011
We very much enjoyed lunch in Irises. The salads were delicious and the service was marvelous. The restaurant itself was nicely decorated and clean.
We would be very happy to visit again, when in the area. -
Review from Aria v.
New York, NY
12/1/2009 2 photos
If you need to impress a date or are just craving a good glass of wine, you can't go wrong with Irises. The food is good, the martinis better and the jazz band the best.
Food:
I've been going to Irises since I was a toddler, so it holds a special place in my heart, sure. But over Thanksgiving this year, the fam and I stopped in. First, I have to say this about Irises: they really try, they do. This is the North Country, so not everything is on par (if at all) with New York City, but this if fine dining the P-burgh area.... even if there are paper sheets over the white linen table cloths.
But Irises falls victim to the trying-too-hard plight. Everything from their specials to their salads sound so complex and delicious, but it tends to come out on the wrong of complicated. When you read if off the menu or hear your waiter tell you the specials, it all sounds good, if a bit much. To the untrained ear it sounds like a sweet serenade, but Irises often attempts to be overly elaborate in their flavor palates. While sometimes they pull it off, they can fall flat.
That is not to say their food is bad by any stretch though. Veal demi glace may seem to be on every one of your dishes, they make it well. The meats are always cooked to perfection and they make a damn good mirepoix (that seems to be better than the escargot, honestly). One thing that really shines is the wine list. It's on the smaller side (not for the North Country though), but it has some very good wines. Particularly the Marquis de Riscal 2004, a rioja which I love.
Most recently, I had the linguini alfredo with chicken which was very cheesy and thick, but good. There was also a crab cake dinner ordered, which was very hefty. It was crispy, and not very crabby, but needed spice. The filet bordelaise was also on our table, and the steak was very good. Even the sauce wasn't so bad, although I would have preferred a drier red wine.
Venue:
Irises has been open as long as I can remember, originally just as a simple cafe. But in 2005 they expanded, opening up the Burgundy Room a banquet for catering and events. They revamped their image a bit and made a separate formal dining area and a more casual, lounge-like wine bar area.
Without taking the ferry over to Burlington, Irises is one of the fanciest restaurant you can go to in Plattsburgh. The walls and carpeting need some updating, and the tables would seem more elegant without the white paper sheet on top, but it's nice. If a little stuffy, but the exposed brick walls really add a nice touch. During the summer they have an outdoor patio and will get local bands and singers to come entertain.
Often they do drink and dinner specials for reduced prices, and they get live jazz in there pretty often (the band was better than the singer that night though). The crowd is often pretty mellow (assuming the NYC gays don't sit next to you--it was a ball though), and of an older age set than most. Carol, the owner, has really tried to make Irises a classy joint, and if you need to impress a date or celebrate a birthday, this is where you should go.Listed in: North Country Living
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Review from Jess P.
Santa Cruz, CA
2/26/2010
I was visiting my brother in Plattsburgh and wanted to take him somewhere nice, as a break from dining hall grub. And well, there aren't really a lot of nicer restaurants in P'burgh. It's mainly just a lot of chains and diners. (Although I do like the Thai and Indian places!)
Anyways, someone recommended Irises. And as it turns out, they have a gluten-free menu. I was sold.
We shared a scallops appetizer and I had a delicious wild mushroom risotto with a veal demi glace and truffle oil for $15.95. Very tasty! A little gummy but I've sort of come to expect that in most restaurants when it comes to risotto. Good wine recommendations too. I cannot remember exactly how much the bill came too, but I remember thinking it was pretty reasonable.
To be honest, I really can't remember which dish my brother had. I was just way too thrilled to find a nice restaurant with a gluten-free menu in P'burgh. -
Review from Adam S.
Yonkers, NY
2/21/2008
KEEP THIS PLACE OPEN!
The eclectic menu and fantastic wine list is enough to keep me coming back every time I'm home. An open, bright and spacious dining room make for a light setting in this "fancy" Plattsburgh restaurant.
I have been to Irises several times since they opened a few years ago. Sometimes I find myself just meeting friends for drinks at the bar because it's such a fantastic place to be. You can frequently find live performers on the weekends. In my opinion, any place with live entertainment automatically boosts its rating.
The food is fantastic, the prices are reasonable, service is very good and occasionally you will have a celebrity sighting. (On my last visit, I ate across from former governor Pataki!)
Keep Plattsburgh classy! GO TO IRISES!!! -
Review from Angela M.
Palmdale, CA
3/2/2009
I visited here last Friday with my bf who was in town because my co-worker highly recommended it. To start it was a nice space, we arrived around 9 o'clock and a live band was setting up in the bar area. I decided to try a martini since that is what they were known for, I think I got a pomegranate one based on the recommendation of the waitress, she came out with the martini glass and the tumbler filled with another drink so that was a pretty good deal for the price of the drink.
We decided to try the foie gras/duck confit appetizer and were extremely disappointed. The portion size was huge and normally that is a good thing but for something as rich as foie gras it was a bit overwhelming, and I am not sure about the shredded pieces of duck confit randomly found inside the dish, it was on some kind of a polenta cake which was a strange mix. I would not recommend getting this appetizer.
On to dinner, my bf got the halibut special and I got the vegetarian dinner sampler. His halibut was cooked perfectly, it was extremely moist and seasoned perfectly. My dish was not as great as his but that was in part because I found a hair in the brie puff pastry. I let the waitress know and she apologized profusely and took the dish off the bill and offered us free dessert which is where the 4th star came in, that was great service. The chef even saw us out and asked if we were ok because he felt terrible about it, that's a pretty classy move and shows how much he takes pride in his food.
All in all it was a pricey evening out for Plattsburgh the halibut dish was $27 which I feel could have been a bit cheaper because its halibut after all but I would definitely recommend Irises and would visit again to sample a few other items off their interesting menu. -
Review from Jeff G.
Plattsburgh, NY
10/5/2009
One of the two nice restaurants in Plattsburgh (the other being Anthony's) that offer a nice atmosphere and a good place for a special evening. Professional crowd by local standards. The food selection is nice and the portions are usually just right to allow for desert. The bar is know for it's martini's. Jazz bands and guitarists are usually on the menue starting Thrusday nights. There is normally some lively and interesting couples or groups in the bar area.
A good place to start a night out, or end up if not too late and you don't want to hang out with the college crowd -
Review from Audrey D.
Hollywood, FL
6/21/2011
When you are tired of Chains and want something a little nicer, try them. The food was really great, the filet special was great and the key lime martinis were some of the best I have had. The decor is a bit dated, but this is Plattsburgh. The dessert sampler was awesome and not too big, I shared it with my mom and had to stop myself from licking the caramel off the plate. I am not a local, but I would return when I'm in town. Overall a very pleasant experience!
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Review from Ginger H.
Walnut Creek, CA
3/16/2011
My husband and I wanted to take his mother out to dinner. We were visiting from California. We went online and read about Irises. It was lovely, with a varied menu and an interesting wine list. You can choose a flight of red or white wines. I chose a small Caesar salad and the risotto. The salad was quite generous and tasty. The risotto was rich and delicious. I was thrilled to find this gem in Plattsburgh.
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Review from Tiff J.
Hartford, CT
4/23/2010
As much as I would like to laud Irises the truth is, it's nothing special. I realize this is *the nicest* place the town of Plattsburgh has to offer, and so gave it an extra star with that in mind, however, my experience was none too pleasing when I visited. The food and menu were sub-par and unnecessarily complicated- (ofttimes a clean, simplistic approach to fine dining trumps pretentiousness... esp. if you're situated in a smaller town)- and the service wasn't that great. More disturbing, the owner/manager was rude, after later being confronted by an acquaintance, about making a third party privy to said friend's personal credit card information and purchases at the establishment. Not professional and not a good look for the restaurant when its patrons can't trust employees to keep that info confidential. Hopefully Plattsburgh will gain a place that's comparable and far more enjoyable to patronize.
