Tribeca Grill, Alto, Telepan, Aureole, Perry St.

[Alex]

My D.C.-based cousins are enthusiastic foodies and wine collectors. They enjoy eating out, of course, and like to bring their own wine whenever possible. They're going to be in Manhattan for a few days and, knowing my eG connection, asked me to assist them with some restaurant choices. They already have a reservation for the tasting menu at WD-50.

1) They're meeting their wine broker for dinner on a Monday night. They'll have two spectacular bottles of Burgundy with them, one white and one red. The broker suggested Tribeca Grill, but they're wondering about the quality of the food. The alternatives they mentioned were Perilla, Perry Street and La Sirène. What's the quality at those places?

2) For another evening, they're debating between Aureole (which they said looks great but pricey -- they can afford it, but maybe WD-50 is their splurge for this trip); Telepan (reasonably priced); and Alto (currently waiving the corkage fee). Any thoughts about these?

3) They wrote, "We are considering La Grolla for...dinner with one of our price-conscious relatives on the Upper West Side." A good choice?

Edited April 19, 2009 by Alex (log)

[daisy17]

I love Perilla - the chef/owner is Harold Dieterle, the winner of the first Top Chef. His food is unfussy & refined American, interesting but approachable. It's the kind of place I'm happy to go to any night of the week - I don't consider it among the *best* restaurants in the city, perhaps just below (don't get me wrong, I love the place). I haven't been to Perry St, but it's a Jean-Georges Vongerichten spot that many egulleters rave about, but you can find mentions of it on other threads. No idea what La Sirena is. I haven't heard Tribeca Grill mentioned in a food-focused conversation in at least 12 years. I'm sure you could get some good food there, but it doesn't belong, IMO, in a list of places I'd prepare for "enthusiastic foodies and wine collectors" in from out of town. Out of that list I'd do Perry St. or Perilla.

WD-50 - YES. And if that kind of food interests them, Tailor.

Aureole has a newish chef, Christopher Lee, whose food I've never eaten but who I know is well respected. He started there at the end of last year and I'm afraid to say that I haven't heard much about Aureole in a while. Perhaps others can chime in here - I think it's been mentioned in other threads, so perhaps you can search for it.

Telepan is good. I enjoy it for its proximity to the opera, its focus on seasonal ingredients and its fairly reasonable price. There are better restaurants in the city, but I do enjoy it from time to time. Others on this forum disagree with me and don't like it. If you want local/seasonal/farm to table kind of food, Blue Hill is better.

Alto's chef has changed since I've been there, but it's gotten good reviews, as has its sister restaurant Convivio, which has sounded less expensive to me. Based on what I've heard I'd be happy to try either.

Aureole's website says its prix fixe is $84. If I were ok with that price range, I would very quickly instead go to Gramercy Tavern (really fantastic in every way) or Blue Hill, or the newly opened Corton which people are enjoying very much. For something less expensive I would go to Hearth. You might consider Eleven Madison which I think would be more expensive but many people LOVE (put me in the like a lot category, not love) - it's also a bit more formal feeling (the room is spectacular).

[oakapple]

1) They're meeting their wine broker for dinner on a Monday night. They'll have two spectacular bottles of Burgundy with them, one white and one red. The broker suggested Tribeca Grill, but they're wondering about the quality of the food. The alternatives they mentioned were Perilla, Perry Street and La Sirène. What's the quality at those places?

First of all: unless money is no object, you should inquire in advance about the corkage policy. Not all restaurants allow outside wine, and those that do may charge a big bundle.

Objectively, Perry St. is probably the best of the restaurants you named. Tribeca Grill doesn't get a lot of press, but I have never had a bad meal there. It is very good, solid American food, but it's not a culinary trend-setter. Perilla has the Top Chef story behind it, but I don't think it's on the same level.

La Sirène is a small French bistro, much more casual and unassuming than any of the others. One point in its favor is that it's BYO, so there is no corkage charge there.

2) For another evening, they're debating between Aureole (which they said looks great but pricey -- they can afford it, but maybe WD-50 is their splurge for this trip); Telepan (reasonably priced); and Alto (currently waiving the corkage fee).  Any thoughts about these?

Alto is probably the best choice among that bunch. WD~50 would also be very good, provided you're into avant-garde cuisine. I'm reading good things about the new chef at Aureole, but there hasn't been much press yet, as I think the critics are waiting until it moves into the new space. Telepan is highly uneven, and not on a par with any of the others you mentioned.

[ellenost]

I love Perilla - the chef/owner is Harold Dieterle, the winner of the first Top Chef.  His food is unfussy & refined American, interesting but approachable.  It's the kind of place I'm happy to go to any night of the week - I don't consider it among the *best* restaurants in the city, perhaps just below (don't get me wrong, I love the place).  I haven't been to Perry St, but it's a Jean-Georges Vongerichten spot that many egulleters rave about, but you can find mentions of it on other threads.  No idea what La Sirena is.  I haven't heard Tribeca Grill mentioned in a food-focused conversation in at least 12 years.  I'm sure you could get some good food there, but it doesn't belong, IMO, in a list of places I'd prepare for "enthusiastic foodies and wine collectors" in from out of town.  Out of that list I'd do Perry St. or Perilla.

WD-50 - YES.  And if that kind of food interests them, Tailor.

Aureole has a newish chef, Christopher Lee, whose food I've never eaten but who I know is well respected.  He started there at the end of last year and I'm afraid to say that I haven't heard much about Aureole in a while.  Perhaps others can chime in here - I think it's been mentioned in other threads, so perhaps you can search for it.

Telepan is good.  I enjoy it for its proximity to the opera, its focus on seasonal ingredients and its fairly reasonable price.  There are better restaurants in the city, but I do enjoy it from time to time.  Others on this forum disagree with me and don't like it.  If you want local/seasonal/farm to table kind of food, Blue Hill is better.

Alto's chef has changed since I've been there, but it's gotten good reviews, as has its sister restaurant Convivio, which has sounded less expensive to me.  Based on what I've heard I'd be happy to try either.

Aureole's website says its prix fixe is $84.  If I were ok with that price range, I would very quickly instead go to Gramercy Tavern (really fantastic in every way) or Blue Hill, or the newly opened Corton which people are enjoying very much.  For something less expensive I would go to Hearth.  You might consider Eleven Madison which I think would be more expensive but many people LOVE (put me in the like a lot category, not love) - it's also a bit more formal feeling (the room is spectacular).

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I recently had a great dinner at Aureole with Chef Christopher Lee at the helm. He's doing great things at Aureole. I have another dinner planned at Aureole in a few weeks. I'll report back.

[Robin Meredith]

1) They're meeting their wine broker for dinner on a Monday night. They'll have two spectacular bottles of Burgundy with them, one white and one red. The broker suggested Tribeca Grill, but they're wondering about the quality of the food. The alternatives they mentioned were Perilla, Perry Street and La Sirène. What's the quality at those places?

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I love the wine program at Tribeca Grill, and used to attend many tasting events and wine dinners there, but eventually lost interest due to the relatively mundane, dated quality of the food. Perry Street is a wonderful restaurant but JG's food isn't always the ideal backdrop for blue chip Old World wines due to the level of spice and acid you will frequently encounter.

I understand Union Square Cafe is currently offering very modest corkage charges (somewhere in the $10 range). If this works for you geographically it may be a much better choice - the food is inherently wine friendly and the kitchen is functioning at a fairly high level at the moment.

[oakapple]

I love the wine program at Tribeca Grill, and used to attend many tasting events and wine dinners there, but eventually lost interest due to the relatively mundane, dated quality of the food.

I don't carry the water bucket for Tribeca Grill, but I do question the characterization of its food as "dated," which imparts a negative connotation merely because the restaurant continues to do what it has always done, at pretty much the quality level it has always had. I am not really sure that any cuisine is dated. Okay, maybe if you come up with some Escoffier recipe that no one has made in 50 years, but not Tribeca Grill.

[LPShanet]

My D.C.-based cousins are enthusiastic foodies and wine collectors. They enjoy eating out, of course, and like to bring their own wine whenever possible. They're going to be in Manhattan for a few days and, knowing my eG connection, asked me to assist them with some restaurant choices. They already have a reservation for the tasting menu at WD-50.

1) They're meeting their wine broker for dinner on a Monday night. They'll have two spectacular bottles of Burgundy with them, one white and one red. The broker suggested Tribeca Grill, but they're wondering about the quality of the food. The alternatives they mentioned were Perilla, Perry Street and La Sirène. What's the quality at those places?

2) For another evening, they're debating between Aureole (which they said looks great but pricey -- they can afford it, but maybe WD-50 is their splurge for this trip); Telepan (reasonably priced); and Alto (currently waiving the corkage fee).  Any thoughts about these?

3) They wrote, "We are considering La Grolla for...dinner with one of our price-conscious relatives on the Upper West Side." A good choice?

←

As suggested previously, it's definitely worth calling restaurants to find out their corkage policies. Some places in NY don't allow outside wine in at any price, and others have been known to charge well upwards of $50 in some cases, and there are even a couple above $100! On the good news side, several top restaurants have recently announced greatly reduced or eliminated corkage fees in the last few weeks/months, especially on specific nights of the week. As for your specific questions, here goes:

1. The meals I've eaten at Perilla have been VERY good. And Perry Street is consistently good as well, if not quite at the level of Jean Georges' flagship. La Sirene has a very different vibe from the other two, but has its merits. It's a local, very casual bistro, with a chef owner who is passionate and quirky. The choice will be dependent on their mood, as the comparison is a bit apples/oranges/kiwis. Tribeca Grill is definitely a solid choice as well, though some of the work there may seem familiar. What some earlier posters refer to as "dated" probably has to do with the fact that while the dishes seemed innovative conceptually a number of years ago, they are now more familiar and have been knocked off at countless other restaurants. That said, it's still a solid choice, if not groundbreaking.

2. I've heard good things about Chris Lee's work at Aureole, but haven't been there since he took over. Still, I'd be surprised if it wasn't good. As for Telepan, I'm sure this will raise some hackles with its supporters, but I happen to think it's one of the most overrated restaurants in the city. Its localvore style is admirable, but the food just isn't that consistent or exciting to my palate. Alto is first rate, but if they're looking for another splurge, I'd probably recommend trying Corton or The Modern ahead of it. And if they'd like to save a little cash, then Convivio (operated by the same chef as Alto) is an excellent choice...less formal than Alto, but the food is just as good in my opinion.

3. I think they could do a lot better than La Grolla on the Upper West Side. While it's not a neighborhood known for great dining, La Grolla isn't even one of the better places in its immediate area. Dovetail, Cesca, Eighty One and Ouest are all MUCH better, albeit a little pricier. And Celeste, Kefi, Spiga and The Mermaid Inn are all arguably better, and similarly or lower priced.

Hope this helps.

[weinoo]

Don't enthusiastic foodies want to try places like Ssam or Noodle Bar, the new Fatty Crab on the UWS, Keste for the great Neopolitan pizza, Katz's, or any of those "only in New York can you get this" restaurants?

[Robin Meredith]

I don't carry the water bucket for Tribeca Grill, but I do question the characterization of its food as "dated,"

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Fair enough - "dated" was not the right adjective. I'm not sure what the right adjective is, but I do know that all of my meals there (included some pricey wine dinners that should have been an opportunity for the kitchen to show its stuff) left me feeling completely flat.