Picholine

[mr food]

Admin: Archived discussion on Picholine, covering the year 2002, can be found here.

Any thoughts on Picholine?

[Ellen Shapiro]

Have been to Picholine twice for lunch in the past <6 months. Nothing new to report . . . it's still the same wonderful restaurant.

[ned]

Ate at Picholine just about a year ago. I and three others did the tasting menu. It was a spectacular meal. Of the best I've had in NYC. If you go you must have cheese, particularly the epoisse.

[jogoode]

Here's a link to an old menu.

Ellen,

Is the sea urchin panna cotta still available? I'll kill for a good urchin dish.

Anyone know who's in the kitchen nowadays. That old menu I linked says David Cox...

[ja3480]

the chef is a talented man named Craig Hopson, always a pleasure to speak with

[jgould]

Ate at Picholine just about a year ago. I and three others did the tasting menu. It was a spectacular meal. Of the best I've had in NYC. If you go you must have cheese, particularly the epoisse.

love max, but maybe its a prejudice against terrence brennan. do not find picholine to be as good as others feel here. & just don't get the buzz about him. picholine opened up when there were very few places of quality on the UWS; & provided a fancy setting & introduced max, the cheese maven, to nyc!

artisanal, judging by the negative comments, & the falloff in business, tends to indicate brennan's mercurial rise & fall (?) - how long will artisanal last?

his midtown east steakhouse closed due to terrible service & ridiculous nose-bleed prices. finally, consumers said ENOUGH, which is something we don't do enough of!!!

[saycheese]

We go to the opera at Lincoln Center periodically, and ate at Picholine once last year before an evening performance. We thought the food was good, fairly priced, and the service was attentive to our need to get out in time for the performance, without being overly rushed. Unfortunately, we had to skip the cheese course, but the selection on the cart looked extremely tempting. We'd go there again. We've also been to Cafe des Artistes pretty recently, but only for dessert after the opera. The price for 4 people was pretty astronomical in my opinion. And there was a really unpleasant smell in the restaurant, like spoiled food or garbage -- really nasty! I don't know of any other good restaurants in that area, although Rosa Mexicano is around there, and some people seem to like it (I haven't been there yet, but the new one in DC has gotten pretty mediocre reviews).

[hastings]

Have eaten at Picholine three times: wedding night, anniversary and birthday. Each meal was outstanding, each plate memorable. Two complaints 1) sticker shock on some dishes makes you think it's Alain Ducasse; it's not 2) some customers seem to think their contributions to the toilet bowl belong on the cheese cart: I've never seen such "shit don't stink" attitude in a restaurant on the West Side, the side of town where I expect foodies, not self-satisfied bloviators channeling Judge Smails from Caddyshack.

[Schneier]

NEW YORK (IPU): Dinner last night at Picholine. I chose the restaurant because I wanted game.

Picholine had a winter game tasting menu, a "regular" tasting menu, and a $300 white truffle tasting menu. Instead of going that route, we picked this and that off the various tasting menus and the a la care page. And we shared a lot.

Our menu:

"Chesnut fennel soup with cranberry compote and duck confit." I really liked this dish. The soup was smooth and tasty, and the cranberry added a nice sour note.

Pheasant boudin blanc. This was served with a celerac, pistachio, and truffle salad. Another really well-balanced dish. (I didn't even mind the piece of shot in the sausage.)

"Sauteed foie gras, Bartlet pear coulis, and cocoa tuile." Nothing wrong with this dish.

Wild boar serloin. This was a pretty basic preparation, and was served with porcini mushrooms, red mustard leaves, andv a porcini puree. Good meat, and good dish.

Roasted woodcock. There's some importer that's bringing wild Scottish game to New York; this is the second restaurant that I've seen it on a menu this Fall. The menu said "partridge," but when the waiter heard that I was here specifically because I wanted game he said that there were a few woodcocks in the kitchen (although not on the menu). I have never seen woodcock on a menu in the U.S. It came with the head -- to prove that it was a woodcock -- and feet, served with beets, roasted diakon (they called it "navet"), mustard greens, a piece of foie gras (not sure why), and a fairly standard veal reduction. The bird was very gamey, especially in the legs. And really delicious.

Dessert was a piece of goat-cheese cheesecake on a peanut crust, served with red currant ice cream.

(No cheese this time; too full.)

Picholine is a pretty restaurant, and I always enjoy eating there.

B

[Megan Blocker]

Had dinner here tonight...my Christmas gift from two of my closest friends was an evening out. The Nutcracker, and dinner at Picholine.

The amuses were a touch odd - a tuna tartare (chopped with what tasted like yuzu) topped with freshwater caviar, on a slightly stale corn chip (?), then a mini-spanakopita (which I really liked, though I'm not a huge feta fan), and, finally, a mushroom panna cotta with a parmesan crisp. In all honesty, savory panna cottas just make me think of aspic with milk - and I like aspic, but there's just something odd about it.

I started with the braised pork belly and parmesan gnocchi, which made me think of something Daniel might make, a la the "Oink" thread. It was rich and delicious, as pork belly should be, though not overly interesting.

For my main, I actually split with my friend Hall (we were super-classy and switched plates halfway through). I started off with a duck and mushroom risotto, which also had chunks of butternut squash and some truffle oil. This was delicious. I've never understood how anyone can do a whole truffle menu, but it's always wonderful to have one dish with it. The earthiness really complimented the duck.

My next main was the saddle of lamb - not bad, though nothing to write home about. I love lamb, and I really enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away.

The desserts were...odd. Again, Hall and I did the switcheroo, and we tried the pumpkin cheesecake crisp (really pumpkin cheesecake filling in a spring roll) and the apple three ways. The pumpkin cheesecake was good, but the apple was just plain icky. Not sweet, not savory, somewhere in between.

Overall, a great experience, and very good food - just not superb. Fabulous company, though!

[oakapple]

It seems that when I roll the dice with fine restaurants on New Year's Eve, I keep getting snake eyes. Restaurants tend to offer a limited menu—something they can serve to hundreds of people quickly and easily—at an inflated price.

Let me be clear: I did not have a bad meal at Picholine last night. But my friend and I paid almost $800 (incl. tax & mandatory 20% tip) for a dinner that, to put it charitably, just might have been worth about a third of that. A New Year's markup is fair, and to be expected, but a 200% mark-up? I am not so sure about that.

Picholine was serving a six-course prix fixe at $195. We began with a quartet of amuses bouches, consisting of: (1) Cauliflower Panna Cotta with Caviar; (2) Peekytoe Crab Tartelette; (3) Goat's Cheese Gougère; (4) White Bean-Truffle Soup. These were all small, but together made a respectable first course.

There was a choice of two appetizers. We had the Sauteed Foie Gras and Wild Game Pate with a Kumquat Chutney and Port Vinaigrette. (I haven't noted what the other appetizer choice was.) This was a superb, thick lobe of foie gras, and certainly the best dish of the evening.

For the fish course, the choice was Maine Diver Sea Scallops or Wild Striped Bass with Truffle Toast, Salsify and Oyster Jus. We both had the striped bass, which was skillfully prepared without ever rising to excellence.

For the meat course, the choice was rack of lamb or Scottish Pheasant with Crosnes, Dried Fruit, and Foie Gras Sabayon. On this dish, the accompaniments were better than the main event. One imagines Picholine's assembly line of scores, and perhaps hundreds, of pheasant breasts, and it isn't a pretty thought. Is high-quality pheasant available in such quantities? I found mine dry and tough.

Picholine's cheese course is possibly the best in New York. We received a generous serving of six cheeses, none of them likely to be encountered anywhere else. We were feeling rather bloated by this time, but we did give a try to each of them:

(1) Fleur de Maquis, a sheep's milk cheese from Corsica, encrusted in dry herbs.

(2) Roncal, a sheeps milk cheese from Navarre, Spain. This was a hard cheese, and our least favorite of the bunch.

(3) Le Moulis, a cheese from the Pyrenees, described as "semi-firm, lingering, earthy, and fecund," whatever that means.

(4) Winnimere, a wonderful raw cow's milk cheese from Greensboro, VT.

(5) Sprintz, a cow's milk cheese from Switzerland that was described as "hard, majestic and profound," whatever that means.

(6) Stilton, a cow's milk cheese from England that had a "mineral tang."

All quotes are from the cheese menu, which (as always at Picholine) they give you to take home, with your choices circled and numbered.

Finally, there was a dessert tasting, which consisted of four small mini-desserts on one plate. At this point my stomach was yelling "No mas!", but I gave most of them a try. I found them unremarkable, but perhaps I wasn't the best judge of things by that time. Mignardises, which I didn't touch, came with the bill.

I've saved the most serious complaint for last. Picholine has a wonderful wine list, but we took our chances on the recommended wine pairing, at $115 per person, i.e., $230 for the two of us. At that price, we could have had two terrific half-bottles or a blow-the-doors-off full bottle, and had money left over. Instead, we put ourselves in Picholine's hands, and went home both poorer and disappointed.

We were served just four glasses each, with no wine for the amuse or the cheese course. A little math tells you that they were charging $28.75 per glass, and for that price you expect the best, especially at a restaurant noted for its wine list. We were optimistic when we tasted the excellent sauterne that accompanied the foie gras, but what on earth were they thinking when we were served a red wine with the striped bass? I know it is not impossible to drink red wine with fish, but for a wine pairing it was bizarre. Moreover, the server advised that it's "something new from Oregon." For that we were paying $28.75 a glass? My friend aptly characterized it as "flat" and "lacking any body."

For the pheasant, our server turned up with another red, which she assured us was "something bolder." We couldn't taste any difference at all. Several hours later, as we were reliving the meal, my friend and I concluded that they give us the same wine for both courses. We are not wine experts, but we think we can tell when something allegedly "bold" is in fact no such thing.

A mildly fizzy dessert wine came with the final course, and this was more suitable, but by now we were rather offended at what we'd been given for our $230. I've ordered wine pairings at a number of restaurants, and normally you get a range of provocative choices that present some strong contrasts, and really enhance the meal. Instead, we were simply ripped off. In addition, several of the wines were mis-timed (i.e., arriving well before the food they were supposed to go with).

The space at Picholine is of course lovely. Naturally, the restaurant was packed. Our reservation was at 10:30 (after the New York Philharmonic Gala), and there were still people getting seated after us. Service showed the potential for being first-rate, but on such a night, naturally there were slips. On another day, I think Picholine would do a lot better.

We paid $195 apiece for the food, $115 apiece for the wine pairing, 20% for service, and tax, for a final bill $795.93. At that price, the restaurant should be going the extra mile—nay, the extra light year—and they did not.

Edited January 2, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Fat Guy]

It's always disappointing, but never surprising, when restaurants fail to deliver their baseline (no less best) level of food and service on holidays, during pre- and post-theater services, during restaurant week, etc. While such lapses are hardly forgivable, it is nonetheless not reliable practice to generalize from them.

The curse of Picholine is that it is so heavily utilized as an adjunct to Lincoln Center. Yes, it's probably the best place to get a meal pre-Lincoln Center. And that meal will be good. But it's virtually impossible to cram a great Picholine experience into that time slot, especially given the demands on the kitchen and waitstaff: they have to get the whole restaurant turned over by 7:45.

If you want a great meal at Picholine, make your reservation for after 8pm (though not right at 8pm, because the staff will still be shell shocked). And plan your meal with cheese in mind -- the whole "we were too full/didn't have time for/didn't feel like cheese" thing just doesn't cut it, unless you're of the "we flew to Cairo but just didn't feel like checking out the pyramids" school of exploration.

[Peter B Wolf]

To quote Steven Shaw:

" And plan your meal with cheese in mind -- the whole "we were too full/didn't have time for/didn't feel like cheese" thing just doesn't cut it, unless you're of the "we flew to Cairo but just didn't feel like checking out the pyramids" school of exploration. "

This can not be said better, but live the European way:

'do your opera visit one night and the dinner another'

Make it "a night out", or in this case 'two'.

get away from old habits, like combining dining out and movie visits.

Make both a single "occasion".

[Sneakeater]

I went to Picholine for the first time in years -- maybe a decade -- Friday night. Yes, we went for pre-theater (pre-opera, actually). But I still have to say that I completely failed to remember how good this restaurant is. If that was their second-best experience, then I MUST go back for a 9 PM reservation to see what they can really do. Because my meal on Friday was simply excellent.

The pre-theater meal is a three-course prix fixe for $78. As far as I can tell, everything on the menu is available.

I started with the Veal Sweetbread Boudin Blanc, with fava beans and other greenery. This sausage was superb. Using sweetbreads makes for the lightest boudin blanc you've ever had.

Then the Wagyu Beef Shortribs Two Ways (I can't tell you what two ways they were cooked, but one was soft and one wasn't). Very good. One of the sides was a Kim Chee Puree -- a great idea, beautifully executed, interesting and delicious and a perfect complement to the rather plain meat.

Cheese tray for third course. What is there to say?

Picholine remains an excellent source for imaginative, well-thought-out, well-executed food. (If the execution was this good when the kitchen was obviously stressed, I can only imagine what they turn out later in the evening.) The prices are more than reasonable for what you get. So why don't you hear much about Picholine any more? I think it's because Picholine has gotten pegged as a pre-Lincoln Center place, and people don't really think of going there for its own sake. It used to be that you could say that it's the neighborhood (who'd go for a serious fancy meal on West 64th St.? That's Cafe des Artistes territory, for God's sake). But now that Jean-Georges and the Time Warner places have opened, that no longer holds.

I haven't been to Telepan yet -- I'm eager to try it -- but quite frankly, I'd be very surprised if it turned out to be better than, or even as good as, I now realize Picholine still is. I really think people should start considering Picholine a serious dining destination again.

Edited April 24, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

I should add something about the duck risotto that I stole off my dining companion's plate. What a great dish. I note from the a la carte menu that it's one of their cheaper options -- but I'll bet it's one of their best. Too often, risotto is simply too rich. Not here (and you'd be especially concerned because of the richness of the duck). It was exquisite.

[Sneakeater]

I guess the reason I'm so enthusiastic is that here's this meal I had at this place you hardly hear mentioned anymore, and it was better than any meal I've had recently at any comparable lower-end-of-expensive establishment in New York. Better than Tocqueville. Better than Hearth. Better than Cru. Better than Wallsee. Better than Town (I can't speak to Country yet). Better than Jovia. Better than 5 Ninth. Better than Cafe Boulud (well, OK, maybe not, actually). Better than any of the places that always (almost reflexively, it seems) get recommended here.

I'm not knocking any of those other places. I like all of them, some of them a lot. But here is this place that, to me, Friday night, seemed better.* It's a shame if it gets lost in the shuffle.

____________________________________________________________

* I know: it was just one meal. It could have been the company, it could have been the occassion, it could have been my mood. We all have to understand the limitations of the one-shot hit-and-run reporting we get on sites like this.

Edited April 24, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Mulcahy]

I have to agree with Sneakeater. My husband and I went to Picholine for the first time about a month and a half ago. We had an 8:30 reservation and the food, service, and entire experience was extraordinary.

[Megan Blocker]

I guess the reason I'm so enthusiastic is that here's this meal I had at this place you hardly hear mentioned anymore, and it was better than any meal I've had recently at any comparable lower-end-of-expensive establishment in New York.  Better than Tocqueville.  Better than Hearth.  Better than Cru.  Better than Wallsee.  Better than Town (I can't speak to Country yet).  Better than Jovia.  Better than 5 Ninth.  Better than Cafe Boulud (well, OK, maybe not, actually).  Better than any of the places that always (almost reflexively, it seems) get recommended here.

I'm not knocking any of those other places.  I like all of them, some of them a lot.  But here is this place that, to me, Friday night, seemed better.*  It's a shame if it gets lost in the shuffle.

____________________________________________________________

* I know:  it was just one meal.  It could have been the company, it could have been the occassion, it could have been my mood.  We all have to understand the limitations of the one-shot hit-and-run reporting we get on sites like this.

←

This was definitely not my experience when I was there in December...service was ok at best (they tried to take plates away before we were done and also to put courses on the table when the previous course wasn't gone) and the food, while strong, was not over the top great.

The company was marvelous.

[Sneakeater]

I don't want to be defensive about this. I have no stake in this place and really don't care if anyone else likes it. (I hope that didn't come out sounding nasty; I just mean that I don't want to be forcing my opinion down anyone else's throat.) But I've got to say that a multi-course pre-theater meal is almost necessarily going to involve some rushing. If the eaters don't rush, then the servers must. As someone noted upthread, multi-course pre-theater meals are almost a bad idea (although one that both of us, obviously, can't resist).*

I remember thinking, even back from the many times I went to this restaurant back when it was new(er), that Picholine was kind of miraculous in getting pre-theater customers out in time. I've never missed a curtain from there (and I've often cut it close).

_____________________________________________________

* Not that this is of any conceivable interest to anyone, but I much prefer to have a late supper after theater than to try to dine beforehand. But last Friday's opera didn't end till eleven, and even if I can eat that late, I didn't want to force that on my guest.

Edited April 24, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Megan Blocker]

I don't want to be defensive about this.  I have no stake in this place and really don't care if anyone else likes it.  (I hope that didn't come out sounding nasty; I just mean that I don't want to be forcing my opinion down anyone else's throat.)  But I've got to say that a multi-course pre-theater meal is almost necessarily going to involve some rushing.  If the eaters don't rush, then the servers must.  As someone noted upthread, multi-course pre-theater meals are almost a bad idea (although one that both of us, obviously, can't resist).*

I remember thinking, even back from the many times I went to this restaurant back when it was new(er), that Picholine was kind of miraculous in getting pre-theater customers out in time.  I've never missed a curtain from there (and I've often cut it close).

_____________________________________________________

* Not that this is of any conceivable interest to anyone, but I much prefer to have a late supper after theater than to try to dine beforehand.  But last Friday's opera didn't end till eleven, and even if I can eat that late, I didn't want to force that on my guest.

←

Ah, but my dinner was POST-theatre, after the 7:00 performance...I think we ate around 8:45.

[Sneakeater]

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.

[Megan Blocker]

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.

←

[Catherine Iino]

My husband and I went in to NYC (from Rhode Island) Thursday evening just to eat at Picholine. He had eaten there once before and like it so much he wanted me to try it. Our reservation was for 7:30.

We decided to try the tasting menu ($120), although not the wine pairings. We had a bottle of Gigondas with the meal.

The restaurant is expensive, but I found it to be excellent. The menu included the sea urchin panna cotta, Jogoode; it was surrounded by a clear aspic with lovely bits of red and green seaweed and topped with a spoonful of osetra caviar. My husband kept saying, This tastes just like the sea. It really was remarkable. But every course was masterful--not bizarre, but interesting and under control. I was very impressed.

We did have the cheese course (I would always kill for a great cheese), and it was lovely. Although, Ned, I have to say the Epoisse, which is a cheese I really like, was slightly over-ripe. Just a hint of that ammonia taste. But our other selections were unusual and delicious.

The restaurant was only about half full--maybe because it's summer?--but the service was just fine. This might be a good time to go.

[Daniel]

A friend of mine told me that Picholine just received a great write up today in The Times.. Unfortunately, my Russian is terrible, so I am unable to read the review.. But has it always had three starts or were they bumped up from two?

[BryanZ]

They've had three since like the early 90's.