What becomes a boutique hotel most? A David Rockwell design, yes. A European-style spa, surely. But the biggest draw, for scene-hungry tourists and locals alike, is the stylish chef-driven restaurant. The Carlton, which has operated as a hotel for more than a century, gets an "It" kitchen of its own in Country, chef-owner Geoffrey Zakarian's boutique bookend to Town at the Chambers hotel. Rockwell burnished the grand Beaux Arts premises, which include a bar and lounge, a formal dining room that serves what they call modern European-American fare, and a 90-seat café. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
Brunch
Sat.–Sun., 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
7.0
"Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10
David Rockwell did a superb job with the interiors. but the fun stopped there. we sat at the Cafe at Country. OMG. so terrible. we sat FOREVER, waiting for everything: our first drinks, our appetizers, and our main course. I think by 2 hours, our main arrived, and my husband and I looked at each other, and starting laughing in disbelief that we actually WAITED for what we were looking at! he ordered ravioli and there were only like FIVE small pieces on his plate. and I ordered some tuscan chicken dish, and it was just a piece of cooked chicken!
and then we did something i've never, ever done before. we just got up without paying and walked over to the manager to complain about our unbelievable experience. he was a great listener, and was very apologetic, and asked us to come back for another dinner on them (er, I don't think so). He also waived our bill and I was incredibly relieved.
We hopped in a cab and went to Red Cat, because we were still starving.
Nice place to look at, sucky service and small portions
The food turned out to be mediocre, the portions very small, and the service abominable. Once our waiter took our order, he never showed up again. When I commented on that, he pointed to all the crowds and said it was really busy. Actually, at these prices, "It is really busy" does not cut it. The waiter never bothered to show up at least once, to ask how dinner was and if we needed anything.
As for the food, in general it was OK, but the portions were pathetically small. My wife's salmon for $25 was literally a sliver of salmon. My brother's duck salad had about 5 leaves of arugula and 5 slices of duck breast. Overall, three appetizers, three main courses and 3 beers ran us $180.
So, lesson learned, bang for the buck is not what this place is. Go for a drink, enjoy the beautiful place, especially the upstairs (the downstairs is rather gloomy), and go to 11 Madison Park to have a nice dinner with impeccable service.