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All Reader Reviews of...

Artisanal

2 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10016
at 32nd St.
212-725-8585

Avg. Rating

7
Food: 7
Service: 6
Décor: 7
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

64% would go back.

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Restaurant has plummeted since your review. Go elsewhere

By infdaze on 3/29/2008

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 4
  • No, I would not go back!

The quality of food and service has dropped substantially. It is sad to see another neighborhood restaurant falter in a location otherwise devoid of quality dining options. Last time I was there, I never received my entree. The check came back and everything but my entree was on the bill a total of $80. Not even a token discount or drinks removed from the order! According to the time on the receipt, we wasted an hour and a half there for one round of drinks, apps, and half of our table's food. If you are looking for a brasserie experience, head to Balthazar or Pastis instead, or go a couple blocks away to Le Halles.

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140 out of 256 people found this review helpful.

Restaurant in decline

By LottieM on 9/7/2011

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 2
  • No, I would not go back!

Went there this weekend. Waited at table over 15 minutes before getting water. Staff seemed to be playing a game: how long can we pretend you don't exist. Ordered Risotto- it was soggy. Absinthe drink was disgusting. To top a bad night off, someone stole my umbrella. I have (errr HAD) a nice Italian umbrella. Wanted to bring it to table, knew it would get stolen. Angry waiter told me I had to leave it at corner by coat check. When I told manager about it, instead of offering me loaner, basically told Me tough s**t and to leave the restaurant. Had to walk a few blocks in heavy rain, with no umbrella. Bummer. Won't ever go back there.

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39 out of 68 people found this review helpful.

Tasteless and Watery Fondue

By silc on 8/30/2008

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

First I felt compelled to send back their tasteless and watery "blend fondue"; then came the "fontina, garlic and herbs", which tasted even worse... I had no choice but to send it back again and go home hungry. The waitress was super nice and kindly apologized...

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111 out of 219 people found this review helpful.

Dissapointing

By CindysTake on 10/29/2007

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 8
  • No, I would not go back!

I love nothing more than cheese, so I thought this would be my mecca. Unfortunately for me the OVERPRICED and Small Portion of Cheese Fondue must only be described as disappointing. The cheese used was too sharp and made the roof of my mouth itch. It lacked the creamy bubbly consistency a true fondue is known for. The bread served with it is baked hard and Black on the bottom. My tongue stayed black all night and I have never been back.

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278 out of 545 people found this review helpful.

disorganized

By squid on 2/3/2003

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

Disorganized and expensive for melted cheese. Many of the wines are not available , at least the three times I tried this restaurant. Each time there were serious service lapses, missed orders etc... Forget it.

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249 out of 489 people found this review helpful.

Needs work

By Lizzybee on 10/31/2003

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

Excellent wine list, even if they usually are out of what you want! Service is still spotty and unneccesarily snobby. Waiter turned up fondue fire so hot my dish burned and I had to flag him down to save it. I've heard others have had the same problem. Dessert list is quite good: mix of delicious standards and even more delicious unconventional sweets. Overall, though: a disappointment. However, the menu is different enough to impress a business lunch associate (if they're not in the culinary business, that is!) and the bright lights and subtle decor make it a good choice for business entertaining.

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253 out of 534 people found this review helpful.

Unexpected Disappointment

By nightbird on 2/5/2004

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 6
  • Service: 2
  • Décor: 6
  • No, I would not go back!

If this wanna-be french bistro thinks it's going to get by on its impressive list of cheese, the out-of-touch owners are going to be sorely disappointed. To start, the service was disgraceful; if you're going to charge top prices, your staff should at least know not to clear one patron's plate before the rest are through. The tables were so close together that my companion enjoyed at least one elbow to the head and enough derriere in the face to last a lifetime. And to add insult to injury, the prix fixe dinner looked liked yesterday's leftovers; a sort of "punishment" for merely taking advantage of what the establishment proudly boasts on tacky cards lying on your plate. Oh and the dessert? It basically looked and tasted like a repackaged muffin. Thanks, but no.

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314 out of 702 people found this review helpful.

Worse than Denny's

By vtavgjoe on 2/5/2004

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 6
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 9
  • No, I would not go back!

Despite our reservation, we waited 20 minutes in an impossibly crowded entrance area, and the service only went down from there. Our waiter never told us about the specials, we were brought bread halfway through the meal, and only after asking repeatedly, did we get butter with it.....after the last course. The food was average, definitely not worth the $70 per person we paid.

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301 out of 646 people found this review helpful.

Cheese for those who don't know cheese.

By blunto on 6/24/2007

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 6
  • Décor: 6
  • No, I would not go back!

I grew up in the parts of Switzerland next to Haute Savoie, France. A few hundred cheeses made in the close vicinity. From this perspective, Artisanal is a bust. The fondue ("traditional Swiss fondue") is worse than the cheapest fondue you could pick up in a grocery store in Switzerland (and available in many stores in the US). Wrong mix of cheeses and kirsch. Not very pleasant if you expect something like authentic fondue. And the cheese selection is deceptive. The one cheese from Haute Savoie was a poor specimen. Cheese is great. Bad cheese is terrible.

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408 out of 756 people found this review helpful.

Stressed out staff and a chef resting on his laurels

By tasterC on 5/5/2009

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 4
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

I ate at Artisanal years ago and enjoyed myself. Last night I took friends from Canada. It was packed on a rainy Monday, so we waited at a bar area table. Twice waiters confused our table with the one next to us. When our table was ready, we discovered our bar tab couldn't go on our dinner bill. In giving the specials our waiter didnÂ’t say the fish special included chorizo. My friend, who ordered it, doesnÂ’t eat pork. Our waiter (insincerely) apologized, but we were almost done when her new dish arrived. I had mushroom risotto with butternut squash, and truffle essence. Some squash was undercooked and unpleasantly crunchy. At $19.50 it should have been perfect. Artisanal claims to serve seasonal food, but butternut squash is a fall vegetable. For dessert we had chocolate fondue. When we mentioned a nut allergy, our waiter went to check ingredients, informing us the madeleines were bought in, not homemade. Maybe chef Brennan is preoccupied with his new downtown eatery, or is more concerned with maintaining his Michelin stars at Picholine, but that's no excuse for letting quality slip at Artisanal.

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102 out of 214 people found this review helpful.

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