Arabelle

After reading all the bad Unilocal reviews, I was afraid our Sunday brunch reservation was a huge mistake. But it wasn’t! Brunch is $ 49 per person and after having gone to some of the overpriced mediocre brunch places I’ve been, this one was actually quite worth it. The portions are generous. I couldn’t finish any course in its entirety and it wasn’t because I was trying to be a lady. My black truffle eggs Benedict was pretty standard. But I was a bit disappointed that there were only 2 eggs when it said there’d be 3 according to the menu. It didn’t matter though because I was only able to finish one. The salmon was impressively crispy on all sides and was thoroughly enjoyed. We got tea and were excepting an exorbitant charge after reading about the overpriced coffee, but our pots of earl grey seem to have been included.
The point is, having a bread basket of danish, croissant, scone, and muffin, a pot of tea, 2 lemon ricotta crepes, 2 eggs Benedict with potatoes, and a cheese & fruit plate in what looks like a rich French person’s home more than filled me up physically and emotionally.

There were a mix of good and bad reviews but we decided to give it a chance because it seemed like a reasonable price for a nice Manhattan Sunday brunch. We were not disappointed! My wife and I both had the prix-​fixe menu. Her choices included lemon crepes, eggs benedict, and a cheese platter to end it. I decided to have the red quinoa, the salmon and eggs, and the banana bread pudding. Each item was made well and tasted great.
The salmon, in particular, was flavorful and delightfully crispy on both the top and bottom. It was, dare I say, one of the top 5 best prepared pieces of salmon I’ve ever had. The bread basket, which included a scone, croissant, and danish, were great with the clotted cream and jams. Tea, which I thought would cost extra, was included.
The waiter, Dutta, was attentive and very polite. The environment was that of someone’s fancy tea room in old imperial Britain. I didn’t think it would be enough food, but I practically rolled out of that place with a belly full of brunch goods. For about $ 50 a person, it was well worth it and I would definitely recommend it to someone tired of the sub-​par and uneventful Brunch buffets of the same price, if not more.

This is fine dining at it’s best. At first I was nervous because the place is extremely fancy. The impeccable customer service, the way that all of the staff members made us feel right at home even though it was restaurant week I would definitely go back because they made sure we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. The food was excellent I am not a fan of bass but the way that the chef prepared it it was absolutely delicious and the chilled pea soup was to die for. Every single staff member treated us with the upmost respect and made sure that it was a good time and that there was nothing we needed for. The chef even sent out some delicious little desserts for us to have as thanking us for complimenting him. We were even running late for the reservation and I called and the host changed it to accommodate us for 15 minutes later. This place was epitome of fine dining!!! I definitely recommend!!!

I’m giving this place one star for being the most horrible value ever. What you get for your money at breakfast is a joke. $ 9.50 for a very regular pot of coffee. $ 18 for two eggs served with toast, half a small tomato, and some greasy old roasted potatoes. It’s just sad that wealthy people can’t do something more interesting with their hard earned money, and that the people who cater to them can’t exercise their creative and artisanal muscles to deliver a product worthy of the astonishing price point.

I love coming here for lunch even though the service is extremely slow, almost non-​existent. Perhaps I like it because there are usually not many people around me. And perhaps, because I love hotel restaurants.
1) There are 2 types of fries; the regular thin ones are better– delicious and crispy
2) Chicken club– very good
3) Beef sliders– they’re okay
4) Chicken soup with mushrooms– very good
5) Mezze plate– good

Lovely setting, as many reviewers have testified. Just be ready to spend $ 9 for a coffee and $ 11 for a double espresso. That almost makes the $ 21 cocktails seem reasonable.

Went here for restaurant week and was blown away by the service. This was the 2^nd time I’ve been and had great experiences both times. It’s quiet and never crowded and has a classy atmosphere. They gave us little extras like 3 types of bread and petit fours in addition to the 3 courses. At the end of our meal the server gave us a bag of chocolate chip cookies with some menus. Needless to say I was impressed.

Two-​stars is, admittedly too harsh, BUT I wouldn’t go back or recommend it and I have definitely have had better…
The thing about Arabelle is, it gives off the impression of fine dining with a beautiful (although a little too «UES» for my taste– kind of felt like a «ladies lunching» spot) atmosphere and high prices. But beyond the surface, it is pretty standard and even sub-​par in some areas.
Perhaps one of the reason I had such a «bleh» experience was because I went for restaurant week — but let’s face it — restaurants don’t have to participate if they don’t want and sure as hell shouldn’t skip out on quality service and food when they do.
Honestly, I was more intrigued by the non-​restaurant week menu and asked the waiter if he would suggest me ordering that entrée or from the prix fixe menu. He pointed me in the direction of the prix fixe, but upon reflection, I think it had more to do with the fact that the kitchen had prepared those dishes and not the duck-​risotto dish I was eyeing and wish I had ordered.
I ordered the tomato-​mozzarella-​basil salad, hanger steak, and white peach mouse. All of which was perfectly adequate, but honestly nothing special. I didn’t need to go to a «fancy» restaurant for any of the things I ordered — and none of it required a chef to come up with or execute. Again, nothing was bad, but nothing was fantastic, creative, or worth going back for.
Also, the service was lacking — they put in the very bare minimum and put the check on the table before they had even taken our dessert plates — they didn’t even have tables that were following us so there was no need for the rush. Lastly, since our reservations were for 8pm, my friends and I met at their bar before dinner — the cheapest drink was $ 15 (eek!). We told the waitress that we had an 8pm reservation so we needed to pay our bill. She informed the hostess — we paid our bill — and sat there chatting for a while. For some reason, we assumed they were going to tell us when our table was ready but no one came. When we realized this, we got up and asked to be seated. It was all just very sub-​par for what I expect from a nice dining experience.
I have been to a many restaurant week meals — and I frequently return to those I have good experiences at — so treating restaurant week-​ers poorly is a poor business practice…

Better then average spot, not a place to «rouse it up» but for a moment with friends, coworkers, dates, etc. (you know what I mean). The food program is average design, not too brave but certainly not boring. We shared some plates, enjoyed the drinks and agreed it was a nice spot to try when you want to say, «you’ve been there.»

I’m not a buffet person because I don’t like to gorge and the food is usually not that good anyway. I wanted to take my mom out to a nice place for Mother’s Day and she’s been wanting to try a fancy buffet in a Manhattan hotel so we ended up coming here for the Mother’s Day brunch.
For $ 95 a person, you’d expect good food but what a disappointment! I was only able to get a late reservation at 2:30PM so the food must have been sitting there for a while. The shrimp cocktail was kind of soggy from sitting in the melting ice though the next batch that was brought out later was better. It wasn’t a very wide selection of food because it was only buffet style for the desserts and appetizers which included chilled seafood, vegetables and salads. The lobster was ok, definitely not amazing by any means. Then there were about 8 entrees to choose from for your main course. I had the salmon but it was pretty bland. The desserts did not look very attractive so I didn’t even feel tempted to try a lot. I ended up just having some fruits and a bit of flan which was surprisingly good — it had a nice rich creamy caramel flavor.
The service was also not so great. We waited forever before our waiter came to take our order and a waiter argued with a customer at another table about what she ordered when she informed him that the dish that came was not what she ordered. WTF? All of the mediocrity would have been acceptable and I would have given it 3 stars if I only paid say $ 30 for the average buffet place but for over $ 100 a head, it should have been much better.

The interior was very clean and elegant. very upper east side-​ish.
Our waitor was very rude and unhelpful. He was very pretentious and seemed to smirk everytime we asked a question and made a comment.
We came here for restaurant week.
The soup came out and it was icy COLD. We couldnt even eat half of it… i’ve never had cold soup in my life. gross!
For our entrees we had the mignon and it was way too tough (we ordered medium). blehk

Nice place. Good looking gold-​themed décor. Tasty veggies. Chicken, bread, and dessert were standard. Service quick and attentive. Bathroom nice. Clientele upscale chic. Atmosphere quiet, proper. Classy.
The hotel also has a small, comfortable, very elegant bar in the next room. The bar has a completely different look and feel from the dining room, with rich wood.

Firstoff, let’s start with the good: the ambiance is amazing, the décor is sumptuous and romantic, the bar is top-​notch and the service is excellent — definitely what you would expect from a nice hotel restaurant/​bar.
HOWEVER, the food was hands-​down the WORST food I’ve ever eaten at a nice NYC restaurant, and I would even venture to say it’s some of the worst food I’ve had in NYC, period.
My boyfriend and I were there for Restaurant Week and each had one of the two available selections for each of the three courses: a duck terrine, potato soup, beef short ribs, seared salmon, a lemon meringue tart and bread pudding. I couldn’t finish more than a few mouthfuls of anything. Even the terrine was dry and tasteless .
TASTELESS TERRINE? In a city where the worst food is better than the best food in many towns, and at a gorgeous hotel, no less? I love terrine, and not once have I ever left most of it on the plate.
I will say that we really enjoyed the romantic ambiance, so we had an amazing time anyway. But tasteless food at such a high-​end restaurant is unacceptable. If it weren’t for the service and décor, I would have had to give this place one star.
Please, please, do something to improve the food! Otherwise, we will definitely not be back.

Went there last night for Restaurant Week. Old School Charm, décor and great service. Food was aight, dessert was no doubt the best part. Ambiance outweighs the food… great place for a nice date =)
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This restaurant is attached to the Hotel Plaza Athenee’s bar. While I have stayed at the hotel and had drinks here quite often, this morning was my first time eating here, albeit for breakfast.
Service was excellent. We were seated promptly and food was brought out quickly. We both had omelettes which were flawlessly prepared despite our overcomplicating them.
Atmosphere in the restaurant was stuffy and a little outdated. Price was on the higher end even for New York.
All in all, a good experience but I think there’s better out there for the money.

Don’t let the reviews fool you. This was probably the worst brunch we have ever been to. The food arrived after 45 minutes. It was cold. The french toast was burned, and the rest of the food was tiny and poorly presented on huge plates. Do not go!

Classic and classy with regard to the ambiance and décor. Innovative and sumptuous with regard to the cuisine. We opened with the Butternut Squash Risotto and the potato soup. Both were delicious. Chef Michael Sherman has a real grasp of using fresh ingredients and letting the full flavor of the foods come through. There is a kind of open space in his cooking that lets you take in all the flavors without overwhelming your palate. This is in stark contrast to some of my experiences at other «high end» restaurants. For entrees the cod fish was excellent but the rack of lamb was truly one of the best. We finished with the cherry morello cobbler and the warm chocolate cake.
The wait staff was professional and courteous. No complaints except to my boss for not paying me enough to eat here more.

I’m not a frequent high-​end restaurant customer. That being said, I went during the summer restaurant week this year for a sample of what the place had to offer, and I was disappointed. To be honest, I don’t remember what I had other than that it was fish. The wine was good though. I have a feeling that the service and experience would have been better had I not gone during restaurant week when everyone else making 5 (small) figures goes.

My friend picked this place to try during Restaurant Week for lunch.
Very attentive service. The ambiance was very relaxing and enjoyable.
The food was wonderful though I liked my friend’s Raspberry Profiterole with Meyer Lemon Anglaise, Mint Oil dessert more than my Key Lime Cheesecake. Yummy.
FIRST COURSE: Chilled Kholarabi Soup
(Cilantro Marinated Shrimp, Avocado, Red Pepper Oil)
SECOND COURSE: Herb Marinated Chicken Breast
Fricassee of Asparagus, Radish and Baby Carrots
Truffle Scented Whipped Potatoes, Natural Jus
DESSERT: Key Lime Cheesecake
(Sweet Balsamic Reduction and Strawberries)

The service is all class. A chef who visits his tables shows he actually cares. A cauliflower pistacio espresso pre-​appetizer, dumplings between our appetizer choice and the entrée and then doll house sized desserts are just of the few extra treats that came with the pre-​ordered, excellent entrees. I felt like a queen.