L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon NYC (2006 - 2008)

[Sneakeater]

Hey maybe we can all sit in the bar and watch.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Hey maybe we can all sit in the bar and watch.

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Just don't ask for a bite of my foie. And my opinion of a worth-it $20 martini is one served by a half-naked, buff, bunny-dipping* French guy with good hair.

(*) Playboy bunnies, remember?

[alanamoana]

Hey maybe we can all sit in the bar and watch.

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Just don't ask for a bite of my foie. And my opinion of a worth-it $20 martini is one served by a half-naked, buff, bunny-dipping* French guy with good hair.

(*) Playboy bunnies, remember?

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i worked with a french waiter with good hair...unfortunately, it was all on his back is that an angora swe.....oh crap, you don't have a shirt on

edited to add: have a great birthday dinner ffb...be sure to post your observations (to only barely keep it on topic)!

Edited October 22, 2006 by alanamoana (log)

[FabulousFoodBabe]

i worked with a french waiter with good hair...unfortunately, it was all on his back    is that an angora swe.....oh crap, you don't have a shirt on 

edited to add: have a great birthday dinner ffb...be sure to post your observations (to only barely keep it on topic)!

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:laugh:snorting up coffee::: OMG! Maybe a little flambe station would have taken care of that.

I'm so, so looking forward to this dinner. I'll post dates and times so anyone interested can observe and speculate amongst themselves as to what Mr. Fabby sees in me.

And keeping this completely on topic, while he's an enthusiastic diner, left to his own devices, he'd rather eat simple food, and not sit for hours and hours. He always said that he'd have liked Per Se and TFL more if he could have been outta here in a couple of hours, and I know he'd never sit still for Alinea. He does like Bouley, Daniel, and The Modern. So this should be interesting.

[alanamoana]

i ate at l'atelier in las vegas. we weren't there for hours and hours. we did sit at the bar. i felt like the pacing of the food was pretty good once the dishes started coming out of the kitchen. the action behind the bar is fun to watch (i know you have a culinary background, so it should be fun for you too) and makes the time go by faster as well. it is a "fancy" restaurant, but it is a completely different vibe than per se and others. hopefully your husband can enjoy it as well.

on the other hand, i have a really good friend (works at per se) who ate at blue hill stone barn recently (last weekend?) and he said the pacing was just as slow as molasses. they were a bit concerned they would never get their next course once plates were cleared from their current course!

[Sneakeater]

Yeah, actually, I would say Atelier seems perfect for Mr. Foodbabe. Especially if you sit at the counter.

Edited October 22, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[tupac17616]

I will try to write a more in-depth account of my meal (or at least post some pictures) when I have some more time, but in short I'd say that my meal last Sunday at L'Atelier was one of the best I've had this year. Though the two restaurants are clearly very different, I enjoyed it as much as Per Se in May; it didn't lag incredibly far behind a 30-course mindblowing meal at Manresa in Los Gatos, CA that I had at the end of August either.

A friend and I sat at the counter. I got the tasting menu. Then we both chose several things a la carte. We split everything, creating our own 19-course tasting menu. Three hours later, we emerged with stomachs feeling 10 lbs heavier, and wallets probably that much lighter. But man, it was one hell of a meal...

[larrylee]

FYI to first-time callers - the number posted in the first message of this thread is for the hotel itself. Ask for L'atelier and you'll be transferred. You can request a table or the bar ("counter" as they call it) but they won't commit to that selection. So you might request the counter and end up sitting at a table.

[BryanZ]

tupac where do you find friends at school to drop that much bank with you? I need some of your friends, seriously.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Yeah, actually, I would say Atelier seems perfect for Mr. Foodbabe.  Especially if you sit at the counter.

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Hmph. Now I have to go back and read the whole thread to figure out what you're talking about! Seriously, it'll be fine. He's less of a diner than an eater, but it'll buy him a few months of me not nagging him to go back to Per Se.

[tupac17616]

FYI to first-time callers - the number posted in the first message of this thread is for the hotel itself. Ask for L'atelier and you'll be transferred. You can request a table or the bar ("counter" as they call it) but they won't commit to that selection. So you might request the counter and end up sitting at a table.

That's interesting. When I made the reservation (in person at the restaurant), they said my request for counter seats would be no problem at all. And I saw that counter seating vs. table seating shows up on a different portion of their computer screen, so there's definitely clear differentiation.

tupac where do you find friends at school to drop that much bank with you?  I need some of your friends, seriously.

Yeah, as I'm sure you well know, it ain't easy. I only have one friend crazy (er, uh...adventurous) enough to go placea like L'Atelier, and not run away in horror when a $500+ check for two people is placed before us....

Same friend with whom I went to Masa. Same friend who I'll be joining at a wine dinner at Per Se next week. Good friend.

[Sneakeater]

Yeah, actually, I would say Atelier seems perfect for Mr. Foodbabe.  Especially if you sit at the counter.

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Hmph. Now I have to go back and read the whole thread to figure out what you're talking about! Seriously, it'll be fine. He's less of a diner than an eater, but it'll buy him a few months of me not nagging him to go back to Per Se.

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Hey. Since it's your birthday, I'll save you the trouble and tell you what I'm talking about.

Atelier has fabulous, superlative food in the French haute tradition with absolutely none of the bullshit ritual that drives unpretentious people away from fine French dining. There is absolutely nothing you have to "put up with" during a meal at Atelier. All food, no bullshit. (And, especially at the counter, fast, too.)

[BryanZ]

FYI to first-time callers - the number posted in the first message of this thread is for the hotel itself. Ask for L'atelier and you'll be transferred. You can request a table or the bar ("counter" as they call it) but they won't commit to that selection. So you might request the counter and end up sitting at a table.

That's interesting. When I made the reservation (in person at the restaurant), they said my request for counter seats would be no problem at all. And I saw that counter seating vs. table seating shows up on a different portion of their computer screen, so there's definitely clear differentiation.

tupac where do you find friends at school to drop that much bank with you?  I need some of your friends, seriously.

Yeah, as I'm sure you well know, it ain't easy. I only have one friend crazy (er, uh...adventurous) enough to go placea like L'Atelier, and not run away in horror when a $500+ check for two people is placed before us....

Same friend with whom I went to Masa. Same friend who I'll be joining at a wine dinner at Per Se next week. Good friend.

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I need some more bank. For sure. From my perspective I can't see spending $200+ on a meal that's not an entire experience. I like the pageantry, etc, etc. It will likely be a while until I get to Atelier.

Unless...

You happened to see what was on this fleeting (possibly fictitious) club menu!

Either way, I'd love to hear a full report when you get the time.

[tupac17616]

Atelier has fabulous, superlative food in the French haute tradition with absolutely none of the bullshit ritual that drives unpretentious people away from fine French dining.  There is absolutely nothing you have to "put up with" during a meal at Atelier.  All food, no bullshit.  (And, especially at the counter, fast, too.)

Absolutely could not have said it better myself. In a nutshell, that was what I enjoyed about L'Atelier.

Unless...

You happened to see what was on this fleeting (possibly fictitious) club menu!

Per my hardcopy....

MENU "CLUB"

$70

Includes two hors d'oeuvre, a fish or meat entree, dessert and coffee or tea

L'AMUSE-BOUCHE

LA TOMATE

Gazpacho with croutons and fresh almonds

L'OEUF

Soft poached egg on a spicy eggplant stew

LA MORUE

Cod fillet in an aromatic broth

-OR-

L'ONGLET DE BOEUF

Roasted hanger steak with sauteed shallots and piquillo peppers (SUPPLEMENT $8)

DESSERT DU JOUR

LE CAFE EXPRESS

Espresso with macarons

So the menu does indeed exist. It was not presented to us, however, so I have no idea when/if they actually serve it. Kind of odd, I suppose.

This is neither here nor there, but I went back again last night just for the sugar sphere. As great as remembered. Friend had the ice cream and sorbet sampler, and enjoyed it. Ooh, and their very fresh macarons. (Last time lemon, this time chocolate). Not a bad place to stop by just for dessert, and in the end, not much more expensive than, say Room4Dessert or Chikalicious.

[BryanZ]

Thank you much.

[Sneakeater]

This is neither here nor there, but I went back again last night just for the sugar sphere. 

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How did you do that? Did you just walk in? How long did you have to wait to be seated?

[tupac17616]

This is neither here nor there, but I went back again last night just for the sugar sphere. 

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How did you do that? Did you just walk in? How long did you have to wait to be seated?

Walked in last night (Saturday) around 9. Asked for two spots at the counter. Their initial response was that they were "fully committed", but at that point the other hostess came over, recognized us from the weekend prior and welcomed us back, and said she'd see what she could do. Promised two counter seats after a ~20 wait, we were subsequently informed that those weren't going to work out. So we were offered a table after a total wait of maybe 15 mins. At first we were disappointed not to be at the counter, but the table was not bad at all. And the seats against the wall are pretty damn comfortable actually. Not unlike a couch.

I'll be back again.

[donbert]

How did you do that?  Did you just walk in?  How long did you have to wait to be seated?

I walked in a few weeks ago midweek at around 7pm and manged to get 2 seats at the counter with no wait. Might have been a fluke though.

[jsmeeker]

FYI to first-time callers - the number posted in the first message of this thread is for the hotel itself. Ask for L'atelier and you'll be transferred. You can request a table or the bar ("counter" as they call it) but they won't commit to that selection. So you might request the counter and end up sitting at a table.

That's interesting. When I made the reservation (in person at the restaurant), they said my request for counter seats would be no problem at all. And I saw that counter seating vs. table seating shows up on a different portion of their computer screen, so there's definitely clear differentiation.

tupac where do you find friends at school to drop that much bank with you?  I need some of your friends, seriously.

Yeah, as I'm sure you well know, it ain't easy. I only have one friend crazy (er, uh...adventurous) enough to go placea like L'Atelier, and not run away in horror when a $500+ check for two people is placed before us....

Same friend with whom I went to Masa. Same friend who I'll be joining at a wine dinner at Per Se next week. Good friend.

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I need some more bank. For sure. From my perspective I can't see spending $200+ on a meal that's not an entire experience. I like the pageantry, etc, etc. It will likely be a while until I get to Atelier.

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I can't really take much issue with your feeling, as I kind of feel the same way. I visited L'Atelier in Las Vegas back in June. It was great. Really wonderful food. And there was no bullshit pretense. We were on the tasting menu which gave us just one single option, so you can't "screw up" anyway. It was all nice, very efficient, proper service. Just friendly enough. But it did lack that feel you get from a more traditional white table cloth fine dining place. And yeah, more often than not, when I'm dropping that kind of coin, I like to have that elemetn too. But that should be meant to take anything away from L'Atelier. It's still great. You should go. You'll really like it.

[Felonius]

Also, I think it might be illuminating, in some sense, to explain why I've never eaten at ADNY and Per Se -- two obvious comparisons -- so I can't compare them.

ADNY is the kind of hyperfancy restaurant that my late wife WOULD NOT TOLERATE.  So we never went.  It's too ostentatiously luxe for business entertaining (at least the kind I do).  And it's also too ostentatiously luxe for dates -- there is such a panoply of wrong ideas that could be conveyed that it doesn't matter which one would be picked up.

Per Se, OTOH, would have been fine for my late wife, and, even despite its high price, is to my mind sufficiently low-key in the ostentation department for a date.  But you can't get in.  I can't plan meals a month in advance, and even if I could, I won't spend all morning on the phone trying to get through (much less have my secretary do it), and can't eat a big multi-course meal at the odd hours that are usually avaibable anyway.

Also, neither of those restaurants seems fit for solo dining, my other frequent option.  ADNY because, even if you occassionally COULD snag a table at the last minute, it just seems too fancy/ritualistic, and Per Se because you can't walk in.  (I NEVER plan solo dining in advance.)

So I never go to those places.

Atelier Robuchon, at least during its soft opening during these waning, inhabitant-free months of summer, is perfect for a solo semi-walk-in.  Once the modified reservation policy kicks in, I'll never be able to do it on a date (since we'll be unable to get a reservation for one of the tables, and will be unable to ever expect counter seats without an intolerably long wait), and I'm sure the wait at the counter will be such that I won't be able to walk in anymore.  So it goes out of my repetoire after Labor Day.

But for now, in a way, for my needs, it's perfect.  A place with great food, but no ritual.  I wish it could stay that way.

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I completely agree with your comments here Sneakeater. I have the same issue with Babbo. Love the food, but trying to get a table reservation for a date or seat at the bar solo is about as much fun as a root canal. Incidentally, friends of mine recently tried to get a table at Babbo for their anniversary and gave up after weeks of trying. Where are they going instead? They're "settling" for Atelier Joel Robuchon NYC!

[robyn]

Also, I think it might be illuminating, in some sense, to explain why I've never eaten at ADNY and Per Se -- two obvious comparisons -- so I can't compare them.

ADNY is the kind of hyperfancy restaurant that my late wife WOULD NOT TOLERATE.  So we never went.  It's too ostentatiously luxe for business entertaining (at least the kind I do).  And it's also too ostentatiously luxe for dates -- there is such a panoply of wrong ideas that could be conveyed that it doesn't matter which one would be picked up.

Per Se, OTOH, would have been fine for my late wife, and, even despite its high price, is to my mind sufficiently low-key in the ostentation department for a date.  But you can't get in.  I can't plan meals a month in advance, and even if I could, I won't spend all morning on the phone trying to get through (much less have my secretary do it), and can't eat a big multi-course meal at the odd hours that are usually avaibable anyway.

Also, neither of those restaurants seems fit for solo dining, my other frequent option.  ADNY because, even if you occassionally COULD snag a table at the last minute, it just seems too fancy/ritualistic, and Per Se because you can't walk in.  (I NEVER plan solo dining in advance.)

So I never go to those places.

Atelier Robuchon, at least during its soft opening during these waning, inhabitant-free months of summer, is perfect for a solo semi-walk-in.   Once the modified reservation policy kicks in, I'll never be able to do it on a date (since we'll be unable to get a reservation for one of the tables, and will be unable to ever expect counter seats without an intolerably long wait), and I'm sure the wait at the counter will be such that I won't be able to walk in anymore.  So it goes out of my repetoire after Labor Day.

But for now, in a way, for my needs, it's perfect.  A place with great food, but no ritual.  I wish it could stay that way.

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I completely agree with your comments here Sneakeater. I have the same issue with Babbo. Love the food, but trying to get a table reservation for a date or seat at the bar solo is about as much fun as a root canal. Incidentally, friends of mine recently tried to get a table at Babbo for their anniversary and gave up after weeks of trying. Where are they going instead? They're "settling" for Atelier Joel Robuchon NYC!

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I agree with both of you about the reservations BS. Went to ADNY as a walk-in (a fluke) - and to Per Se with a stranger I met here who had a reservation but had lost her dining companion due to a change of plans. Still - after that 5:30 "dinner" at Per Se - well it's not anything I'll ever do again anywhere. But one suggestion I have is to do lunch at places that serve lunch. Impossible dinner reservations are frequently possible at lunch. The food is usually less expensive - and you may get better treatment as someone unknown to a restaurant at lunch than you would get at dinner. L'Atelier is open for lunch. Robyn

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Terrific. Just terrific! Perhaps it was that Tom & katie's wedding kept the paparazzi away from me so I could really relax and enjoy .. I don't care. It was a wonderful meal and a wonderful time.

I'm not going to dissect the dishes because I spent many years doing that for my job and I am thrilled to be able to dine for the pure pleasure. I don't photograph my food for the same reason, though there were a couple of diners down the counter from us who were doing just that. While they were trying to get the right angle on the sugar sphere, I was enjoying mine. So maybe I'm crazy and alone, but this was food to just be enjoyed.

The counter was the right decision for us. What a lovely surrounding, what comfortable chairs and kind service, and the food was so pure and clean that I had to make myself not exclaim.

The sea urchin and lobster gelee tasted like the ocean. The sweetbreads were mine, all mine, because Mr. FB can't get away from "what they really are." Too bad -- these would have made him a believer. Venison, quail, foie burgers, crab, langoustine, calamar, sea bass (for my husband), and the coconut ravioli pre-dessert were just one amazing dish after another. The sugar sphere and the chocolate revived my joie de dessert.

As we prepared to leave, the full effect of the martinis and the wine kicked in, and I felt completely comfortable kicking off the Choos and walking down the stairs in my stocking feet.

Happily,

Fabby

[ulterior epicure]

This is not to underestimate the potential greatness of what the current $190 tasting menu might offer, but FYI:

I just got a peek. Gone are those wished-for days of the "value" tasting that Sneakeater and others posted about in the restaurant's fledgling days (what, we're talking four months ago?)... oh well.

Of course, gone from the tasting menu are the $39 "L'Oursin" and now-$98 "Le Caviar Oscietre" with capellini. The famed $17 "La Langoustine" with pesto is still kicking. A little suprised (and disappointed) that there is no cheese course.

u.e.

Edited February 20, 2007 by ulterior epicure (log)

[camper]

I had lunch here on Monday and it was a long time coming. We had a reservation for 6 and all was well. To make a long story short, things hit and things missed. Foie gras over cooked---- Amadai perfect. Too much bell pepper on the tuna tatarte ---sweatbreads awesome. At the end of the day...........I have others to try before I go back

[tupac17616]

This is not to underestimate the potential greatness of what the current $190 tasting menu might offer, but FYI:

I just got a peek.  Gone are those wished-for days of the "value" tasting that Sneakeater and others posted about in the restaurant's fledgling days (what, we're talking four months ago?)...  oh well.

Of course, gone from the tasting menu are the $39 "L'Oursin" and now-$98 "Le Caviar Oscietre" with capellini.  The famed $17 "La Langoustine" with pesto is still kicking.  A little suprised (and disappointed) that there is no cheese course. 

u.e.

I've gotta agree with you, U.E. The "value" is not quite as evident as it once was, but doesn't seem entirely gone. There is still Kobe beef, for example, which carrries a $90 price tag a la carte. It's too bad they took off L'Oursin. I've always enjoyed that dish. With Le Caviar Oscietre, you're not missing much. It's pretty to look at, but nothing special flavor-wise. The langostine on the tasting menu currently is not offered a la carte (although I'm sure they'd sub the one with pesto, if you wanted. The scallop in seaweed butter is weak, IMO. Le Riz is also not that great. For dessert, I'd definitely sub in Le Marron or Le Sucre, for the chocolate-lover or the non-chocolate-lover, respectively.

I had lunch here on Monday and it was a long time coming. We had a reservation for 6 and all was well. To make a long story short, things hit and things missed. Foie gras over cooked---- Amadai perfect. Too much bell pepper on the tuna tatarte ---sweatbreads awesome. At the end of the day...........I have others to try before I go back

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Can you tell me a bit more about the amadai and the tuna tartare? I've not yet had the chance to try either.