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Alain Ducasse at the Essex House
155 W. 58th St., New York, NY, 10019
between Sixth and Seventh Aves.
212-265-7300
| 8.1 | "Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
Grandeur
TheBoyAboutTown from 10019 | Posted on 11/28/06
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To say that you have eaten at Alain Ducasse is enough to warrant a $150 + wine meal. The service is on point, the staff is not pretentious and iit is just a great place to sit back, relax, dine and enjoy the fact that you "have arrived."
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black truffles
Jmccue | Posted on 12/14/04
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We over celebrated our anniversary in 1/02. I selected the black truffle dinner. I was offered to select my black truffle for the night from a velvet lined box. This set the tone for the evening. Food was excellent (even with black truffles on everything). Service was excellent. We felt it was a little over priced for comparable French cusine.
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An expensive night out
sandman980 | Posted on 11/5/04
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While a nice meal with large portions, the value and quality are just not appropriate. Our veal was very fatty, the lobster was luke warmand wine pairings were just ok. I would have expected more for $500/ person excluding tip.
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TO EXPENSIVE
GABRIELLE | Posted on 10/3/04
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IT IS THE TYPE OF TOP OF THE TOP RESTAURANTS YOU MAY SEE IN EUROPE TODAY, SPECIALLY IN FRANCE BUT IN AUGUST I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF VISITING "EL BULLI" IN ROSES SPAIN AND FOR FAR LESS (not cheap at all) I HAD THE FERRAN ADRIA EXPERIENCE, FAR SUPERIOR TO DUCASSE IN NY, PARIS OR MONACO. IT IS A PITY WE DON'T HAVE ADRIA HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
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America's Great Restaurant
joetavie | Posted on 9/10/04
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Perhaps the most expensive restaurant in America....but definitely the BEST- An amazing EVENT in every way: Great food, megnificently prepared and served flawlessly - I've spent weeks in Europe that didn't give me as much pleasure as an evening here - and an added plus: they have a delightful un-pretentious staff - I've traveled the world and consider Ducasse THE great restaurant-
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Shy of Greatness
hungryjacq from 11215 | Posted on 6/4/04
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To say I had great expectations of Alain Ducasse is a gross understatement. So perhaps it's unfair that I was disappointed; it's kinda like winning the lottery thinking the jackpot is $100 million, only to find out that it's actually $30 million. But I digress. The service is the big show at AD and rightly so; food only gets so expensive, right? We had so many servers, it was hard to keep track of who did what. Fortunately, we didn't have to, because anyone we saw was happy to help with any request. Rather than the tasting menu, we opted for the three-course dinner (I'm not a big fan of cheese plates) and the meal was good. Quite good, in fact, just not what I had built it up to be in my mind. Try the foie gras, get the lobster tails and the steak is a definite yes. And try not to be as hard on Alain as I am.
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Mediocre Food at Extravagant Price
asim | Posted on 11/10/03
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I have rarely been so disappointed while dining at a Michelin 3 star rated restaurant. My lobster was stringy and sauce was bland and metallic. Veal was ok and my dessert tasted of nothing but the rum poured over it. This food is niether exciting nor tasteful it is just expensive.
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Dining as theater
huntleysf | Posted on 9/22/03
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Very theatrical and stilted but huge fun, a true Parisian experience (but stratospheric pricing for the privilege) complete with aloof formal waiters, ultra-refinement at every stage of eating, but with childlike whimsy in the candy cart and ice cream sundae presented with dessert. Some touches are unique in the city: a velvet stool for Madame to rest her handbag on, a bag of brioche to take home for breakfast, cassis oured form a huge bottle held at arm's length by the waiter, Baba au rhum with a choice of 12 aged rums..it goes on and on.
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AVOID ALAIN
DESIWOOD | Posted on 3/5/03
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AS OVER-RATED AND OVER-PRICED A RESTAURANT AS WE'VE EVER EXPERIENCED WORLDWIDE. EXCELLENT SERVICE, HOWEVER, SERVING PRETENTIOUSLY MEDIOCRE FOOD.
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The culinary pinnacle
BarneyG | Posted on 1/28/03
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If someone said to me "I'll take you anywhere you like for dinner" it would be AD. In the most stunning of rooms, with a friendly and perfectionist wait staff, you will be hard pressed to find the right adjectives to describe your dining experience. And yes, it is very expensive, but for a special occasion - none compare.
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