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Home > Restaurants > Picholine

All Reader Reviews of...

Picholine

35 W. 64th St., New York, NY, 10023
nr. Central Park West
212-724-8585

7.9 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
70% Would you go back?
62% Would you take a date?
6% Would you take kids?
75% Would you go on business?
75% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 8.0
Service: 8.4
Décor: 7.1
Value: 7.0
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  • Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 17

disappointed

jimsugardener from 31406 | Posted on 7/4/08

Overall Rating: 6 (Mixed Reviews)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 7
Service: 2
Décor: 3
Value: 2

We have always put dinner at Picholine at the top of our list for our visits to New York...we loved the creative cuisine, the service, and the decor. On a recent trip to the city in June, we felt that we got a different experience. The chef's treat was served to 2 people in our party on one plate laid across the table for them to share. The plates were laid down on the table without a glance from the server. The John Dory was tough and overcooked.. a bad choice on my part. The flowers have no smell. And the new decor is a lavender monotone. The 2 salvations were our good table and the apple dessert which was divine. We will no longer recommend or return.

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24 out of 42 people found this review helpful.

Sets a standard

FoodMaven from 10128 | Posted on 6/21/08

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 8

Allways very please with food and service. Particularly enjoy taking out of town guests to this trendy NY place with excellent food. Service outprforms consistantly - not what you would expect (unfortunately) from such a great food location in NY. I like it a lot.

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10 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

fantastic service; food okay

bnsracing from 10009 | Posted on 2/9/08

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? Yes
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 8
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 8

Went with some good friends the other night and tried both of the tasting menus ('royale' and 'game'). Mostly the food was good; a couple of fantastic surprises, along with a couple of letdowns. If anything I was expecting the service to be stodgy, but our waitress, sommelier and cheese guy (industry terminology, sometimes I use it to impress girls) were charming and hilarious. We were very well taken care of. Thank you!

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81 out of 166 people found this review helpful.

Amazing from start to finish

melindagray from 11372 | Posted on 9/8/07

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 9
Value: 10

Bar drinks - inventive & delicious. Bartender - friendly enough without smothering. The suggested Tawny Port cocktail (port, lime juice, ginger ale, ice) was an original & perfectly refreshing start to the evening. Service was informative (gave detailed, tantalizing presentations of each dish), attentive & gracious. The tasting menu was well-paced (allowed us a comfortable exit as opposed to the usual painful roll out the door). Atmosphere was proper yet relaxed. The space felt intimate but not cramped. Decor was a tad over-fluffed (heavy sconces & drapery) but a gorgeous grey/white palette & beautiful chandeliers/lamps made up for it. Crowd was a bit stuffy, presumably due to the downtown crowd having not discovered the place yet. Menu - full of inventive surprises yet felt classic. Liberatingly flexible tasting menu (we switched out several dishes to share a wider variety). Every bite gave us layers of smiles (sea urchin panna cotta w/chilled ocean consomme & caviar, white gazpacho w/paprika shrimp & red gazpacho granita, olive oil-poached halibut w/basquaise chutney & idiazabal - all cases in point). Support for local/organic farming made everything taste better. Sommelier provided incredible wine pairings. Best restaurant experience we've had in a while.

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210 out of 400 people found this review helpful.

Simply wonderful.

Catherine | Posted on 3/26/05

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 9
Value: 10

We have been to Picholine on several occasions and cannot imagine a trip to NYC without a dinner there. The food is spectacular and the service is flawless. As busy as it gets -- and it does get busy -- one always feels well cared for. Don't hestitate to make a reservation here.

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314 out of 687 people found this review helpful.

Packaged European Gourmet Dinning Expereince

martin_chamois from West 50's | Posted on 1/14/05

Overall Rating: 1 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 5
Service: 3
Décor: 5
Value: 5

Manhattan like most cities has restaurants that solely exist, even thrive, based upon the marketing scheme that if you package an European Gourmet Dinning Experience into a over decorated living room of some distant grandmother, and declare it a "must" dinning spot that is for "special occasions", scores, hundreds, even thousands of gullible people will book the restaurant full every night and particularly on the weekend. This is one of these places. It is a pre-packaged experience right out of Disney. The problem is if the diner actually is from Europe, or dines frequently in Europe, they quickly recognize the joke and then all the friendly smiles from the Maitre‘D and waiters disappear. Save your money and time and support real restaurants in Manhattan and when you want “an experience” go to the theater or to Disneyworld.

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336 out of 721 people found this review helpful.

Daniel who?

stellaparone | Posted on 12/7/04

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 8
Service: 9
Décor: 10
Value: 8

Went last weekend- the place opened at 5:30; it was packed by 5:45! The atmosphere is wonderful and intimate. I'm not usually a fan of french fare, but the food here is fantastic and they serve resonably sized portions, in stark contrast to Daniel, the most overrated french in new york. Also different from Daniel is it's service, which is helpful and friendly, not stuffy. So if you're deciding between Picholine and Daniel, or any other french restaurant in the city, Picholine is the clear winner. Plus- perfect location before or after the opera. Get the fennel & endive salad, wild striped bass, or any of the tasting menus. Simply wonderful.

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356 out of 683 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic

caseystar1 from 10021 | Posted on 9/17/04

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 8

We went last night and this was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had in New York. This was a dining event, so even though Picholine offers a pre-theater menu, we found taking our time and truly savoring the experience was the best way to go. The service from every member of the staff was exceptional, but not snobbish or obtrusive. Entree portions were reasonable and filling. My sirloin was done perfectly to my specifications and my husband's white truffle and rabbit risotto was out of this world. Of course the cheese is not to be missed. While one can purchase these cheeses in fine shops, Picholine serves them at the perfect tempurature for the specific cheese and you simply cannot do that at home. The chocolate souffle was perfection, as was the Maine Blueberries with Creme Fraiche and lemon sorbet. Overall an amazing evening and we would love to go back. Picholine is expensive, no doubt, but if one is in the mood to spend, you cannot do better than Picholine, in my opinion

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264 out of 632 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

ramrod | Posted on 8/28/04

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 9

One of my best meals in NYC. From the moment I sat down to the moment I said goodnight, Perfect. The food was creative and well executed. I always heard great things, but I never knew a cheese course could be that divine. The topper for me was all the great wines paired perfectly with everything. The sommelier made the night very special. I'd go back every night if I could afford it.

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263 out of 625 people found this review helpful.

complete experience

bggaskey | Posted on 8/26/04

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 9
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 9

all i can say is i have yet to find a better restaurant than picholine,from the gracious welcome at the front door to the hot petit fours at the end of our meal.we all know that picholine has possibly the best cheese board in the country,but you need the food to be the equal and at times surpass,and it does! i especially love the saddle of lamb, my wife enjoyed the exotic spiced squab.the wine list is as comprehensive as you will find in the city and they are very accomidating when it comes to choosing a wine.on the particular night that we had the squab and lamb the sommelier helped us pick out a beautiful 1990 hermitage (which is one of my favorite regions).i've gone on long enough.it was fantastic.

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259 out of 615 people found this review helpful.

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