Le Cirque
- Nearest Transit:
59th St-Lexington Ave (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
63rd St-Lexington Ave (F)
Lexington-3rd Aves-51st St (6, E, V)
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Formal (Jacket Required)
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
11 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Midtown East
"You don't have to be a card-carrying member of the Social Register to dine here but if you are not you will most likely be in the minority.…" read more »
38 Reviews for Le Cirque
Had dinner at Le Cirque to celebrate with my beau, and I was extremely disappointed. The wait staff was friendly, but I felt they were rushing us. Sat down ordered a bottle of water, perusing the menu, and immediately they asked for appetizer orders. We didn't have enough time to look through the menu nevertheless the wine menu. The food was very salty aside from the pomme frites (French fries) which was under seasoned.
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The service was friendly and helpful. Your surrounding fellow diners look very rich and very Republican (just ignore them, and you'll be fine). The wine list leans towards the pricey (lots of bottles for more than $1000 I seem to remember), but is extensive and varied.
The meal was exquisite. Each dish was a veritable composition, highly detailed and balanced. Our first courses included: Soft-shell crab (2 crunchy, light, meaty crabs with something reminiscent of potato salad), Frogs legs fricasee with peas, onion, and bacon (wonderful), Foie gras ravioli (how can something be light and rich at the same time?), and lamb dumplings.
Our entrees included: Paupiette of Black Sea Bass (potato crusted -- which was my favorite of the night), Grilled Halibut, Poached Chilean Sea Bass champagne sauce, Osetra caviar, leeks and hon shimeji mushrooms (delicate and stimulating), and a Lamb with mint.
Psychologically, everything is so light and delicate and your brain doesn't realize how full you are until trying to eat dessert! The desserts (included with the Prix Fixe) were fun, but not my favorite part of the meal. They actually tended to be too sweet for my taste.
All in all, Le Cirque represents quite a financial investment (unless you're one of those rich Republicans...ugh), but is the ideal place to feel pampered and honor a special occasion.
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I came here to try one thing: The potato crusted sea bass. They had to replicate it on Top Chef and Jim Lampley raved about it on After Hours with Daniel.
What a fucking disappointment. Two drinks, one entree, $100 out the door. Plus, the coat check immigrant practically accused me of trying to steal coats since I couldn't find my ticket, and I had to listen to a nagging voice all 'dinner' long. Not my high point in NYC.
As usual, dishes are rated 1 - 10, 10 being amazing
$47 Potato Crusted Sea Bass (4)
Not bad, but not very good, either. The preparation was decent, however, the sauce was uninteresting. That's the whole dish so I don't see what's so amazing about it. I've had cereal that should get more media coverage than this dish.
Also, the place is boring. So, unless you roll in a wheelchair, there are better places in the area.
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Pretentious, but not the real thing. Food was just OK - not hot. Had to be sent back. Water glass never refilled. Bread not on the table and only offered once, And the pompous air about the young woman who greeted us at lunch - over the top. Save your money. There are so many better places in NY.
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What is there to really say about Le Cirque? It is a space clearly committed to excellent food done terribly well. I can only give it three stars, however, because there are such better places in the city to blow this much cash. Namely Per Se and Le Bernardin.
On a recent trip to Le Cirque, all the food was done with stunning competence, but that extra moment of culinary surprise or excitement was frankly missing. The restaurant also seems committed to an over-the-top decadence that can sometimes be just a little scary. Don't get me wrong, if you can sneak up on your conscience, smack it upside the head with a crowbar, bind and gag it, and then shove it in your trunk, you will swoon over the various iterations of foie gras, especially the ravioli. This is when unctuous is screamingly positive--just wait for that sliver of black truffle to slide into the melting fat...
The Paupiette of Black Sea Bass was technically stunning (in its now unavoidable Top Chef context). The lamb dish is fun and timely with multiple cuts of the animal sharing the stage. The braised shoulder component was excellent, with shredded meet sidling up to apricot.
We were unadventurous with dessert, which is, of course, where Le Cirque's dessert menu comfortably resides. Both the Crme Brle and Chocolate Souffl could be isolated in a time capsule as exemplars of their kind for future chef-archaeologists to uncover.
Seriously, my obnoxious three star review aside, it's hard to go wrong here. For me, if I'm going to pay these kinds of numbers for food, I tend to want a little more audacity coming out of the kitchen. Maybe when I've done grown up and am returning from personal helicopter shopping (seriously, the gentleman at the table next to us had just bought a helicopter), I'll enjoy an occasional gulp of decadence at Le Cirque.
I also only got a half-smile from Sirio, which I guess is good considering we were obviously riff-raff that had sneaked in through the back of the tent.
It's hard to go wrong at Le Cirque, the dinning experience is excellent. The service is some of the best in New York, and the food is very good, in the small portions they serve you. However, these are the expectations at Le Cirque. It has set itself up for these great expectations and does not stray ahead or behind of the set expectation. Le Cirque is not the best "high end" French restaurants in New York, nor is it the worst. The enjoyable dinning experience comes with a hefty if not astronomical price tag. Le Circque is a good establishment, nevertheless, I would pick many before it.
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What happened??? I like Le Cirque... but when I went there last time for dinner... Food wasn't that great. Had Lobster Ravioli, Shrimp in Lemon Grass "froth"... Sea Bass wrapped in thin potato (YES, the one from Top Chef) and Sirloin Steak... EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS SALTY. WTH? I was expecting a bit more refined and a bit better tasting food. Overall it was ok... NOT the GREATEST... BUT TRY IT OUT. ENJOY~!!!
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Come one, come all to The Circus! This is the most amazing restaurant that I have ever eaten at (and I eat out a lot) which is why I am dedicating my 200th review to Le Cirque.
I felt as if I was walking into another world as I entered. To my right it was the bar area and to my left the dining room. The walls are decorated with tiles of pencil like circus themed drawings.
We started off with a fall appetizer which was composed of truffles, truffle cream, and foie gras. This dish was amazing that I felt as if I wanted to pick up the plate and lick it clean. Then I would have licked it a second time just to make sure that I had gotten off every bit of goodness from that plate. For our entrees, we had the Chilean bass with in a Champagne sauce topped with Osetra caviar, leeks and hon shimeji mushrooms and the prime dry aged strip steak which was coupled with mini potato circle topped with shredded beef and mini carrots. Both dishes were phenomenal and were cooked to perfection. I cannot stress how much we feel in love with the food. We then had "the dessert before the dessert" which was a mousse with Mandarin oranges (if I remember correctly). It was okay and I actually didn't see anyone else get this special dessert which is why I am still a little surprised to this day. We also ordered the creme brulee and chocolate souffle. Both were good but not the best that I have had. Their food though was worth the trip that I made to Manhattan.
My only problem that I had was that if one person at the table orders the pre fixe menu then everyone else also needs to order the pre fixe, which I think is unfair. We spent quite a bit of money, but the next time that I come to the city I will certainly make a reservation to stop by Le Cirque.
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my childhood friend is the chef and he is for me the best chef in the world
just see his resume or eat his food !
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Full of Millennium Girls looking for their next victim.
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The food was great here. I wasn't quite impressed as I was with the food at Eleven Madison Park, Peter Luger's, Po, or Trattoria L'Incontro, to name a few places, but on the legit scale, it rates on about the same level as MC Hammer ("2 legit 2 quit").
The problem I had was that it was stuffier than a VW bug full of clowns with overactive sweat glands in the Alabama swamp in July. It's jacket-required, and you can smell the snobbiness in the air.
The prices here are pretty outrageous, even considering the quality. As such, we ordered off the restaurant week menu. The server did not seem to appreciate that some of us are not Bill Gates and can't afford to drop a full week's paycheck on a single dinner, and carried a slight air of douchebaggery throughout the meal. Make no mistake though - the food was very good. The chestnut pappardelle appetizer was a huge hit, and the chocolate desserts were among the best I've ever had.
As an extremely biased Italian-American taco enthusiast, however, my opinion is that French food is pretty over-hyped in general. Sorry - I meant "Freedom food" (America - f**k yeah!). To quote Mel Gibson about Le Cirque, "THEY CAN TAKE OUR LIVES (or at least a large chunk of our cash), BUT THEY CAN NEVER TAKE OUR (right to refer to French fries as) FREEDOM (fries)!!!"
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let's start with the disclaimer that this is totally not my scene. i'm pretty sure it's a "jacket required" restaurant, and while i don't mind dressing up too much, i don't especially like the arrogance that is associated with certain fine dining institutions. but hey, you get through it, have a good time with your table mates and enjoy the wonderful food.
everything is quite decadent as you'd expect though maybe a bit crowded. the space tends towards the aural reverberations of a cacophony of noise which might drown out the sweet nothings that are whispered on a romantic date. if you're a fan of wine be sure to take a quick glimpse of the "wine tower" which is encased in a glass cylinder that reaches up about 30 ft to the ceiling. this should give you a good sense of being able to pick out your perfect wine, whatever it may be
the food is of course very well done. the food wasn't extremely memorable in blowing my mind, but you could tell it was all done with the profession of french cuisine. maybe i just wasn't feeling the love of standard foods that seemed to be a bit boring? foie gras was very rich and assorted main courses of duck and their signature dish, potato crusted sea bass, were all done to perfection. the service was efficient, but not particularly friendly or memorable in any way.
overall, it's a nice classy place to go. it meets the standards of fine dining, but if i was going to make the effort to put on a suit I'd rather go to an even classier place for even better food.
I thought this place was going to be really stuffy and Republican, and I thought the food would reflect that. Boy, was I wrong! ...- on the latter, I mean. Went for lunch on a Friday at 2pm w/ co-workers [yet again, as with most of my reviews of high-end restaurants, I did not pay for this meal. Wheeeeee!]
I love what Buo Z. said in her review: "the crowd is a mature one." Uh, true that. This place is not trendy, that's fo' sho'. It's an oddly shaped space, and in the center is this gargantuan display case that wraps around a huge post in the center of the room, and on display is a collection of some of the most tacky and ill-placed tchotchkes ever. Even the plates - while obviously top quality and new - are tacky in their stuffiness. Then again, what do you expect from a restaurant which still has photos up of Ivana Trump and Ronald Regan, and other famous restaurant visitors, in the hall by the bathrooms?
Anyway, the lunch was a $39 prix fixe. I got a snow crab risotto for appetizer, which was delicious. For the main, I got a dish which is apparently one of their signatures: sea bass wrapped in paper-thin slices of potato which get baked to a crisp, sitting on a bed of braised leeks. Amazing. I got to taste the polenta [mashed-potato consistency] that came with my friend's rabbit dish, and I also got to taste the spare ribs that another friend got. Both were excellent.
For dessert, I wasn't in the mood to experiment - unusual for me, but then again, I'm all about chocolate straight-up. So I just got their molten chocolate cake [which they call a chocolate fondant] with coffee ice-cream on the side. Delish.
It's a nice place overall, but probably best for parents or family. It was particularly nice to go in the daytime, because it gets a lot of sunlight.
I am not ashamed to admit that I cried tears of joy during my first dining experience at Le Cirque... a private meal in the kitchen courtesy of the Executive Chef will do that to a girl... but it was the personalized birthday cake and serenade by the entire kitchen staff that made me really weep like a baby.
I've since been back and dined in the actual dining room, as well as the more casual bar area, and both times were as exceptional as my first.
Bottom line - Executive Chef, Christophe Bellanca is an angel AND a genius, completely deserving of his recent NY Times review: http://events.nytimes....
The staff is charming and accommodating and completely void of the attitude that often accompanies a 3 star restaurant.
If you are looking for a dining experience worthy of happy tears then Le Cirque should be your destination.
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This place is 4.5 easy. We ate here during "Restaurant Week 2008" and loved our meal, but by the looks of the menu if we had ordered from their regular fare, we would be rating it a solid 5!
Great ambiance and excellent service with food that is also great but not quite worth $60 a plate. We have had food just as excellent/tasty at L'absinthe for half the price.
Men MUST wear a jacket so go prepared. We saw them turn people away for it.
We arrived at 5:30 for dinner and he attempted to seat us in the cafe area but I protested. He made us wait at the bar for a while and then seated us in the main dining room area- I guess we didn't look "uppetty or wealthy enough" to be seated there in the first place. It was empty so there was no excuse. The service at our table was friendly enough. We did have to ask for bread a few times but they re-filled our waters often and brought us more butter when we asked for it.
I was disappointed that they did not have any red meat on the price fixe menu for R.Week. Choices of fish, salmon, or chicken.
We did order the chocolate souffle in addition to price fixe desserts and it was delish.
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Service was, um, attentive, but interfering to the point of being condescending (did the waiter really need to reposition my wine glass--which I was in the middle of drinking--when taking my order?).
Food was...solid. My bronzino was good, but I wasn't compelled to savor every bite; in contrast, the pommes dauphine were perfectly puffed and I definitely savored every bite. Which was easy, because I only had about four bites' worth. (My Thai-inspired shrimp appetizer came with two shrimp, which would have been okay, if they hadn't been on the verge of being both cold/limp and underwhelmingly flavored. Not subtle, just underwhelming.)
The chocolate fondue was also...solid (notice my clever use of ellipses to connote hesitation again? Yeah, I'm good). It was a bit too molten in the middle, but flavor was spot-on, and unlike the actual food, there was a lot of it.
Granted, this is a Restaurant Week review; but are the city's restaurants really all under-performers when it's their time to shine for a new audience? If they don't want the business (which could possibly turn into new repeat business, although from the way they treated us, I'm not sure they really think that's the case!), why do they sign up for the promotion? Sigh.
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[Yes this place was featured in the Iron Chef show. The owner had to taste test the contestants food.]
If you rate this place lower than 4 stars I seriously don't know what kind of food you're eating (or what kind of person you are).
Well enough banter, I visited this place because it's Zagat rated at five stars. That alone is an incredible feat.
This place is located in this awesome glass/metal complex. It's in the shape of a giant "c". If you come here with a camera, I'm sure you will take at least ten pictures as I did.
Inside the "c" you will find a little sign for Le Cirque. It's unobtrusive and kinda secretive.
As you enter you will find a luxurious interior. It's va-va-voom gorgeous! Everything has a glossy sheen to it or looks quite expensive.
The bar/lunch area looks very up and up, but still comfortable.
The dining hall is like your sitting inside a genie's lamp. The walls are covered with fabric, there is exposed wood, and it's just so deng puuurty. I can't remember all of the details because I went here the summer of '07. But some nice interior details are circus illustrations made out of wire, little glass windows that expose the kitchen, and fresh flowers at each table.
My guest and I sat at a table backed by a booth. All of the plating was custom. Depending on the dish you had, there's a little illustration of a a circus related thing such as a sea lion, clown, juggler, monkey, or whatever. The name of the restaurant is also on all of the plates. One of the most impressive things that I have only seen at like one other place is their butter. Yeah I know, you're like "what can be so good about butter?" Well the butter was had their name embossed in the butter. It was a small touch, but it just reminds you that you're at a high-end place.
The service was great. It never felt like the service was hovering over you like at other places. Our main waiter was always prompt and we had a casual conversation about restaurants. Surprisingly he did live in SF for a little. The since the table is backed by the booth, every time my guest had to go to the restroom, they slid out the table so he could get out easier. What an insane but cool thing to do. Plus every time you leave your seat they leave a new folded napkin for you. The dining hall manager came by at the end of our meal and even struck up a very conversation. Since we explained that we're foodies, she recommended us "tourists" other places to eat. The conversation didn't seem forced, an actual genuine personality! I understand what other people are saying about the snoody customers, but it's not like you're eating your meal with them. And if there are snoody customers, it just shows that the food is that good.
The food was excellent. Everything was very clean in terms of presentation, flavor, and execution. Dessert was also mind-boggling good. Anything is good. Typically if you spend a lot of money at a restaurant of this calibre, they give you some free food. This place gave us a good amount of sweets. It was a tray of cookies, tarts, and truffles. These were very exceptional. Prices aren't so bad either. Lunch entrees range from $25-35, while prices go up for dinner ($35-60, yikes!). Go to their website and you'll also be impressed.
The bathroom is kinda nice. There's this bird cage with glowing crystals in it. Kinda small, but still richly decorated. In the hall near the bathroom is some pretty cool wallpaper. Within the custom wallpaper are pictures of the owner with famous guests (actors, royalty, artists, etc). It's cool to see that they didn't use those obtrusive picture frames and yet opted to just include it within the wallpaper. I also so the owner chilling in the bar area talking to some guy. It's nice to know that he's keeping an eye on things.
This place requires a jacket and tie for men. I'm not so sure for women but probably within the same lines of business casual attire. No tennis shoes. Make reservations, but we had no problem getting lunch reservations (it's quite empty on a weekday while dinner time is much busier).
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Le Cirque is a dining experience. They have thought of everything: decor, food, presentation, service, plating, conversation, atmosphere, music, location, etc, etc. If you're a foodie, this place is a must.
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Oh the things I miss about NY in the late 80s, power lunches at Le Cirque, flying the Concorde to Paris, junk bonds, cocaine-fueled orgies in nightclub bathrooms... Well you can't fly the Concorde anymore, but you can still eat at Le Cirque (**I cannot and will not endorse risky investments and/or sex and drugs)!!!
The places has changed locations repeatedly and has also gone through several different incarnations. But one thing always remains constant, and that is the status of one of New York's top restaurants. For lunch I recommend either the prix fixe for about $40, or the Salad Le Cirque, it's really good with the poached quail egg. The gravlax is good too, but I'm sure Aquavit and Petrossian would beg to differ. The Lobster Salad is amazing, but it costs an arm and a leg, so it's kind of a stupid thing to order.
Service is impeccable, and very French. That means some people will find it snooty (don't be so xenophobic and travel more). It's not. It's quite good actually.
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The service was absolutely perfect. However, this place can be pompous and the crowd is a more mature one. The food was delicious no matter what we ordered. The desserts were good too, not the best, but pretty good. They also gave us complimentary desserts. Remember to tell the guys to wear jackets.
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Like Faith C, i too came for Restaurant Week (dinner). And I too would give it 3.5 stars. Since stars are whole numbers only and she's giving it 4, I'll give it 3. THAT'S TEAMWORK, BABY.
##SERVICE##
The service at this place was unfortunate and strange. They seem to have way too many staff in the dining room without clearly defined jobs. Several different people came over and offered to take our drink orders. Throughout the night the waiters were practically bumping into each other as one would serve us bread, another would take our food order, and the third would be bringing our drinks -- all at the same time. The whole evening was strange -- it took the guy who seated us a long time to move the table to make enough room to let me get to the booth - -and then it took even longer to put the table back in its original position. For some reason we had a longer table than most (4 person maybe) and it was especially unwieldy.
It was never really clear who our point of contact was supposed to be -- the guy that took our drink orders was different from the guy that gave us our menu, and he was different from guy that took the food order etc. The waiter who took our drink order mumbled things at the end of each sentence that were utterly incomprehensible. And he started a sentence that trailed off as he walked away after taking our order. So strange. The appetizers and entree came quick enough, but then our desserts took FOREVER to come. We finally flagged down a waiter from the flock and asked him what's up -- he told us that the chocolate duo takes a long time to bake or something. But the people sitting next to us ordered after us and received their dessert before us. Weird screw up. Again paying was awkward -- didn't know who to ask for the check (and they didn't come clear the desserts which would have given us the opportunity to ask for it). The guy that brought over the check said something that was in an a really strong accent (neither of us could understand what the heck he said..)
##FOOD##
We ordered two cocktails ($16 each. ouch) -- i didn't think they were very good. Food wise, I would agree completely with Faith C. I had the wild mushroom veloute, which had a very strong (and very pleasing) mushroom taste. My friend's chestnut papardelle was very good. The salmon with spaghetti squash-was good, although like faith, i found that it became boring quickly. Should have listened to her review and tried the chicken..damn.
Desserts were meh. Creme brulee was a weird temperature and wasn't amazing or anything. The chocolate duo was not great, although we loved the chocolate mille feuille,
A solid but kind of disappointingly unremarkable meal marked by some strange strange service.
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To refute some previous reviews - I actually did not find any snobbery at this well-done five-star establishment. What I did find:
1) Overwhelmingly good service. Everyone tries to make sure you are having an oustanding experience. Every waiter will keep an eye on your table, even if he is not really serving your table; the bread roll man comes back to you without your having to bat an eyelash. Even the hostess would make rounds to make sure all was well, and offered us a second round of petit fours!
2) Good food: every bite was clearly fresh, organic and well selected. My shortribs just fell apart to my fork, an there was a perfect amount of fat in each bite. The vegetables were so fresh in my salad you could taste each individual leaf of the greens! Also, the portions are rather big -- not absurdly gigantic (a huge pet peeve of mine), but enough to get you more than full - very unusual for finer dining establishments.
The only bother - the creme brulee was a wee bit on the runny side and the crust not as hard as I perfer, but the vanilla bean flavor was amazing! Oh, and for some odd reason, certain bites of the tuna roll didn't suit my palate perfectly, while others were amazing.
3) Beautiful decor: classic decor, with whimsical china and lots of light coming in from the big windows. Loved it. Does anyone know if I can buy the china?
With the top three things I look for in every experience - service, food, and decor scoring mega points, what more can you ask? Oh, maybe an occasional celebrity sighting if that's your thing -- we sat just a few tables from D. Trump, Jr and Ivanka. Nice to know even the outstandingly wealthy like to have lunch among family.
Oh - it is rather expensive, but the $39 3-course pre-fixe lunch is a steal. You don't get anything different from the regular menu in terms of the dishes themselves, just less selection.
This is now my favorite top restaurant in NY.
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(3.5 stars)
My friends and I took advantage of Restaurant Week and had lunch here today. When we walked in, we were given the once over and ushered to the cafe. Granted, we are young, but do you seriously need a receding hairline to dine under the big tent? Not that this detracted from the experience of eating at a great restaurant, but I do wince at the judgment of the hostess who might as well be a bouncer at an outdated club. Maybe I'm being a little harsh...perhaps all the RW people were seated at the cafe?
So why 3.5 stars? The flavors of the appetizers and entrees, albeit traditional, were incredibly lush. Between the four of us, we tried everything on the RW lunch menu. So here's a rundown of everything, in case you have trouble deciding what to eat.
APPETIZERS
The wild mushroom veloute was creamy, yet sharp with the taste of wild mushrooms. I tasted some little chanterelles in there. Meanwhile the Australian shrimp with foam was perfectly cooked, but I must say that I'm not a fan of foam. The chestnut papardelle with veal was a winner: potent parmigian and the chestnut/veal combo just melted in my mouth. The house salad was a typical organic mesclun mixture with some walnuts and cheese. Good, but it's an option that could be had anywhere.
ENTREES
The salmon with butter-dill-squash-spagetti was great, though I was bored with my dish by the fourth bite. There was nothing innovative in the flavor combination. The branzino was cooked perfectly with baby veggies and pommes dauphine (basically a glorified tater tot). I liked the smoky flavor of the fish, but I expected something more...earth shattering. I loved the chicken-ginger jus - the complex sauce seemed to open up with the two bites I had. This entree was probably the best of the three options offered.
DESSERT
Eh. That's all I can say about this course. The creme brulee was nothing special, though I did enjoy scraping off the vanilla beans from the bottom of ramekin. The chocolate duo was not good, with the exception of the little chocolate souffle. The chocolate mille feuille, really a glorified kit kat bar, seemed just too sweet for my taste. And I just didn't like the white chocolate sorbet with a wafer under it, again too sweet.
All in all, a good solid meal, impeccable execution, but nothing that knocked my socks off.
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Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to [one of] the [hrmmm...maybe top twenty] greatest show[s] in New York!
Rife with charming decor and a lighthearted ambiance that belie the prices on its menu, Le Cirque was an overall good experience. I appreciated the flexibility the hostess had in my arranging last minute reservations, changing the numbers in the party, etc. Additionally, the little monkey theme, instead of being creepy in the caged-Ringling-Bros.-crazed-monkey-who-throws-poop -at-the-audience-out-of-rage-and-boredom sense, was incredibly cute and playful along the lines of the Hermes website's little irreverent pencil drawings.
Speaking of monkey poop (were we? well, now we are), the bathrooms are super pristine and smell yummy. They are complete with those European toilets you can't figure out how to flush (almost as bad as the three seashells a la "Demolition Man") and right down to the detail of the little Le Cirque sticker that tapes the roll of unused toilet paper shut.
On to the meal -- good food. Not as mind blowing as Jean-Georges (in my opinion), but good food and well-presented. Also, SURPRISINGLY generous portions considering it is a fancy-ish place, and, in my experience, the amount of food is usually inversely proportional to the price on the menu (See, e.g., Pio Pio, review forthcoming).
As for food specifics, my sesame crusted cod was divine, but the white asparagus bed on which it so delicately rested was a bit...off in texture. I thought they had overcooked the asparagus (plural...asparagi??) as the texture ended up being a little too mushy and stringy for my taste. Dessert? My creme brulee was good if a little thin. The chocolate souffle was incredible, rich, and thoroughly decadent. One person in our party ended up getting hers a bit late because there was, according to the server, a "souffle incident" in the back. Translation? If someone is missing a pair of eyebrows, you know who was the culprit.
I liked this place, and the service was friendly. High marks for not being afraid to get a little creative and playful with the decor and flatware. The dining area is beautiful, but not overly intimidating. The food was good, but not as complex and creative as I've had at other places (namely, Jean-Georges -- it's my favorite so far, but I guess that's obvious by now). Four stars for an overall good-to-great experience.
P.S.: I guess it's also obvious by now that, in addition to Jean-Georges, I am also quite fond of making parenthetical statements (in case you hadn't noticed...).
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Ehh....overrated, mostly pomp and circumstance. There are about 15 other restaurants that I would choose before I went back here.
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I was initially going to give Le Cirque 4 stars for the food, but I decided to be stingy and take one away just to spite the snooty older-crowd patrons and staff. Granted, my friend and I are in our mid-20s, but everyone sure did a great job to make us feel out-of-place -- from the coat check lady to wait staff. Special thanks goes out to the older woman sitting at the table next to us, decked out in designer goods, who couldn't stop clutching her louis vuitton purse tightly as she glared at us up and down with disgust.
The decor of the restaurant was very attractive and colorful -- hence the circus theme. Even the flatware was of the circus theme! My friend and I both ordered fish as our entrees, and they were simple, fresh, and delicious. We ordered the potato puffs as a side dish, and if I could, I would eat the them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They were light and fluffy, yet crispy at the same time. Another noteworthy dish was the dessert -- we ordered the le cirque stove, not knowing what to expect. It ended up being a mini kitchen stove (literally) made out of chocolate with little chocolate pots and pans that held the different sauces to pour over a small piece of cake.
Overall, the food was delicious and solid, I don't think you can go wrong with anything you order. But if you are dropping this much $$$, I'd rather pass on the snootiness and take my money elsewhere.
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Le Cirque, wich used to be at the New York Palace Hotel, still have the BEST foie gras in town. It's called THE FOIE GRAS DE CANARD POEL AUX FRUITS DE SAISON. If you can, just try it!! As a matter of fact, the Le Cirque has been one of the most prestigious restaurants in New York for years and just recently they opened the new place in the Bloomberg Tower (midtown). Be certain that the quality remains the same. Also try the duck. It's wonderful. Tender and juicy. Expect to spend about 80 dollars, including desserts, but you just can't go wrong. Totally worh it!!
Even for restaurant week, this place had great service and great food. i can only imagine what it is like to dine there on their "real" menu.
Such a cool place to eat, the colorful modern decor livens up what would be another stiff, expensive dining experience. Going for modesty during lunch, I had an incredibly juicy chicken breast. Something so simple turned out to be something I couldn't get enough of. The choc mousse was amazing. It was a parred down lunch so the service was good, but I'm sure if we had more specific requests or were less laid back I'm sure they would have been up for the challenge.
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Affordable, friendly and delicious meals is what sums up Le Cirque. Giving it 5 stars for being so perfect.
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Note: The following also applies to: The French Laundry, Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Le Bernardin, Jean Georges, La Cachette, Melisse, L'Orangerie, JiRaffe, Cafe Bizou, et al:
If at any time, you find the waitstaff here (or at any of above self-aggrandizing venues) getting haughty (odds are, they will), simply motion them closer to you and whisper: "Pardon, but I've had better French food in Cincinnati..." If they respond with disbelief (or 'tude) then simply follow up with "...at Maisonette." No challenges will be issued.
For additional ammunition in affecting attitude change: Maisonette was lauded by the NY Times and CBS 60 Minutes as "the best French restaurant in the world outside of France" and was awarded Mobile 5-Star rating for forty (40!) consecutive years.
...negotiations can then start for your overpriced meal at the then-proven, second-rate venue being 'comp'd.
Bonne Chance!
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Nicely done at its new location, but not nearly as posh as its attitude would suggest. Perhaps the understatement is what I like most about Le Cirque. Or, its attempt to deliver exclusivity without too much effort.
As a vegetarian, the menu isn't impressive and graviates heavily towards meat. The chefs are accommodationg, however, and Le Cirque remains one of the places to be seen. Don't take it too seriously, though..even the snottiest server can be reminded of who's paying the bill.
Enjoy, with perspective.
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le cirque. the new york city restaurant par example. went tonight with a friend and had some appetizers and drinks at the bar. the bar menu, which is separate from the dinner menu, is tasty, affordable and maintains le cirque aire of quality italian faire.
as for the rest of the rest-au-raunt, the new decor is very mod, works well with the new bloomberg architecture and definitely puts this remake on the top of the must eatiserries in nyc. the menu looks phenomenal so will need to go back and try it, and the service has maintained its top notch quality since the back in the days when it was in the Russian Tea Room. Congrats to the Maccione's for getting it right... again!
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I know this is supposed to be one of New York's top pick but I don't really see the big deal. Snobby People, Snobby Waitstaff and Snobby Food. I can enjoy a good meal but this place isn't it.
This place was fantastic! Yes, it is expensive. So worth it! I went when it was white truffle season, and man, it was heaven in my mouth! The foie gras was amazing. The rizotto was superb. The desserts? I'm not a dessert person, but DANG! So yums! We got to meet the owner too! He was funny and gracious. Our waitstaff was personable and funny. The decor was fabulous too! So fun! Not stuffy or serious as you might expect. Everything has the "circus" theme and I thought it was refreshing!
My friends had some great wines. Red, white and dessert. They seemed to be happy with the selections. I wouldn't know; but they did tell me a story of how when they had come years before, they had ordered a really old bottle. When the somlier came to open it, he broke the cork! (I guess it was so old, the cork had rotted a bit.) So they called to owner at home and he came to the restaurant and he came! When we met him that night, they asked him if he remembered that night, and he said he did! How awesome is that?
Try going during white truffle season. It's SO worth it! You'll be happy you did!
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I can deal with a snobby place if it lives up to it in decor/food/ambiance/etc etc. The decor was kind of cool, but the staff was just COLD. Our waiter was very rude about have a dish sent back. It's something I never do, but he messed up on my order and gave me a dish I definately did not want (and wasn't planning on paying for). I kindly asked if he could give my what I had originally ordered, and I got served a big plate of attitude. When my dish finally did come, it wasn't that great.
Le Cirque isn't THAT bad I'm sure, I probably went on a bad night so I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because I know a lot of people think it's great. I just don't think it lived up to its hype.
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fancy describes this place. guys, they won't let you in without a jacket. my favorite part of the meal was a $10 dessert which i'll describe below. To illustrate the elegance of this place, I was given about 7 bread choices for my meal, we got a small dish at the beginning compliments of the chef (not sure if it was a palette cleanser or not), we were poured bottled water and the fiji bottle had a silver holder for it, the desserts all looked like art pieces (serious art, too), and we had a sommelier help us choose our wines. Services was, needless to say, great. The food was basically all very good and moderate in size. My red snapper was probably the most creative dish (aside from our floating island dessert --- the lightest meringue I've ever had).
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