Cité and Cité Grill

[tommy]

i have reservations for a large party at Cite for their post 8 PM wine dinner.   i just saw in the 2002 Zagat's that Cite Grill has the same deal, and i think it's cheaper.  am i throwing away money here?  shouldn't i have made reservations at the Grill?

[Tree]

Funny you should mention that.  I had dinner in the Grill last night, which (along with the restaurant) serves some of the best french fries in NY.

I noticed that the grill was offering the wine dinner as well and that the price was either ๆ.95 or ๋.95.  I think the restaurant does it for ๋.95.  In other words, it's (about) the same price.  

I believe that the 2 places share a common kitchen - the menus are quite similar with the grill offering a couple of cheaper alternatives.  

My conclusion is to stick with the restaurant, which is quieter, more civilized and, overall, more conducive to the nicer meal you are planning.

[tommy]

Quote: from Tree on 1:30 pm on Nov. 30, 2001

My conclusion is to stick with the restaurant, which is quieter, more civilized and, overall, more conducive to the nicer meal you are planning.

actually, it's 8 guys who are going to basically get rip-roaring drunk and loud! ;)

thanks for the info.  i feel more confident in my decision and won't let my friends bust my chops now.

[BristVol]

Is Cite a viable restaurant or is the appeal the all you can drink wine after 8?

Thanks for any input...

[Jason Perlow]

Its a decent restaurant and the wine pairings are nice. Its owned by the same restaurant group as Smith and Wollensky/Maloney and Porcelli.

[tommy]

i've found their steaks pretty damned good and consistent. it can also be a "fun" place, given the fact that everyone's drinking a lot of wine. service has never been a problem either.

would i chose it over other steakhouses in midtown? some yes, others no.

[sandra]

We had our rehearsal dinner there some years ago and it was great, been back many times, and it was great...

Nice rooms also..

[mags]

Cite was the unofficial club of the company I sort of used to work for. Ate there I don't know how many times. Good but I don't think great, and rather too noisy for my tastes. For a steakhouse, I'd opt for Michael Jordan's or Strip House, if a trip to Brooklyn isn't on the agenda.

[alanamoana]

i've never been, but my boyfriend loves the wine dinner. i guess the appeal is the all you can drink wine. he's not a professional foodie, but he sure loves his steak!

[clg]

I don't eat steak so I can't comment -- but I did have a fanastically prepared cut of pepper-crusted tuna at Cite many months ago.

What's all this about all-you-can-drink wine? ... that certainly wasn't the case the night I ate there (and PAYING for wine at Cite can get quite expensive, quite quickly)

[tommy]

What's all this about all-you-can-drink wine? ... that certainly wasn't the case the night I ate there (and PAYING for wine at Cite can get quite expensive, quite quickly)

i'm pretty sure it's every night. at the very least, it's pretty much all week nights. a prix fixe of 60 bucks gets you dinner and all of the wine you can drink out of a selection of 4. the wines generally include a sparkling, a white, and 2 reds in my experience. this is available after 8 pm.

info here.

one of the entrees is french fries, which comes with a side order of filet mignon. although that's an old joke by now, it still makes me smile.

the wines aren't oustanding in my estimation, but it's certainly fun for a group. i usually go once a year around the holidays for business dinner/celebrations.

Edited October 16, 2003 by tommy (log)

[alacarte]

I think of Cite as a business lunch place. For that reason, I avoid it.