Rouge Tomate

Five hundred thirty-​one reviews during Rouge Tomate’s nearly six-​year existence and not one reference by reviewers here on The Website that it occupied the site of the legendary Copacabana nightclub, opened in 1940 and hopscotching into other Manhattan locations since 1992.
There’s some old expression having to do with remembering people, places or things that aren’t here anymore. Either it’s gone from the lexicon, or I’ve forgotten it.

In a sky full of Michelin stars, Rouge Tomate shines brighter than most. With its heavenly food, simple-​yet-​elegant atmosphere, and phenomenal wait staff, it is an excellent dinner choice for a date or classy group event. The experience is worth it, so go get your good suit!
Unfortunately we had to pass on the tasting menu. Alas, I was stuck with a single entrée for the whole meal. Normally I would call that cruel, but the lamb was perfect. And with the Hawaiian Walu to start, we managed to have some variety at a comparatively reasonable price.
When we asked the waitress for wine recommendations, she was well-​prepared. There wasn’t a large selection, so it was mainly narrowing down by red/​white and fullness of the wine. Still, I was surprised and impressed!
The dessert was risky. My first bite didn’t pass through all the layers of the cobbler, which was a mistake; it needs that strong, sour bottom layer to balance the delicately sweet fruit in the upper layers.
Rouge Tomate, you flattered me and left my cheeks blushing red as your name implores. A veritable triumph for good cuisine and an atmosphere that momentarily spares its guests from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. For a classy dinner out on a weekend, I you can not be easily beaten.

Second time eating dinner here, and may have been even better than the first! As a vegetarian, they’ll customize and make many things veg-​friendly.
All dishes were spectacular — veggie amuse-​bouche, great foccacia bread, mushroom tartare (egg served over a mushroom block — surprising but works nicely), carrot gazpacho (I’m not usually a huge fan of tomato gazpacho, but this was great — well-​seasoned but not overwhelming), gnudi (decadent), customized vegetable plate (really let the veggies speak, rather than covering them in a lot of sauces) and icebox cake (vegan — good, but not as good as their chocolate sphere which has terrific presentation and is delicious). All served beautifully and each with their own vibrant flavors!
Perfect and friendly service. Definitely a bit on the pricier side, but you go in knowing that.

After trying Tomate Rouge for dinner and enjoying their food I was at Saks so decided to go there for lunch. I didn’t see a vegetarian entrée on their prefix so I do the next best thing — call the restaurant.
The lady who answered the phone said they accord are vegetarians and can substitute entrees. Awesome!
I ask her what entrée or pasta would they serve me today — she said spaghetti and I said awesome!
I said can you make sure before I schlep 10 blocks and she put me on hold for almost 8 — 10 minutes, I’m wondering if she herself is making my spaghetti
A lady came back and said — we do not accommodate vegetarians and hung up!
Really? That’s just rude!!! Had I gone there and ordered as per what the girl originally told me? I wonder what they would do? Strange!
My previous meal — 4 stars
This phone experience — minus 1 star

Loved Rouge Tomate! Very cool, modern setting, and an absolutely fantastic location. Something about the atmosphere kinda feels like you’re inside a swanky hotel restaurant, not sure why. Old UES money dominates in these parts, and you can tell by the dinner crowd. That said, the prices are fairly reasonable, and nothing seemed way out of line for this caliber of a venue. Food, service and atmosphere were all highly enjoyable.
Cocktails — «Brooklyn to Bronx» for the whiskey lover in the group. End of story. Large assortment of yummy non-​alcoholic mocktails as well.
Appetizers:
Lobster Toast — quite tasty, with large chunks of lobster, but probably my least favorite item.
Hawaiian Walu — has a little kick to it with jalapeño garnish. Lemon-​grass ginger oil gives great flavor. Delicious.
Arctic Char Crudo — THE must try dish on the entire menu, hands down. Melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness. Divine.
Mushroom «Tartare» — loved it. Over easy egg on top mixes in and binds everything together.
Entrée:
New Bedford sea scallops a la plancha — 4 massive scallops served with fennel, razor clams, fava beans and some other choice garnishes. Exquisite. Scallops were cooked perfectly.
Vegetarian — fennel and leek risotto was more enjoyable than the spaghetti carbonara.
Dessert:
Seven Layer Chocolate Icebox — A little bit of sweet, a little bit of salty. My type of dessert. Great ending to an awesome meal.

Fun space. Great food. Good drinks. Had a business dinner here a couple weeks ago. We chose to have the special tasting menu and were not disappointed!
Beware to have a good chunk of time for your meal… dinner took over three hours maybe close to four from the time we sat down to the last dessert after the dessert.
If you have a special event or work function where you want to spend time eating a great meal this place is up there among the best in Manhattan.
Enjoy!

Meh… I’m not so sure I get it. The business lunch prix fixe is the way to go here. Compared to the a la carte menu, it’s a steal. 3 courses for $ 32. I had the sweet pea, water crest, anchovy and ricotta cheese salad to start. I was not very impressed by it… possibly the poorest part of the meal. For the main I had the tile fish… now THAT was well done! If I had had that alone, I’d probably have given this place 4 stars. The dessert was also only just okay.
The ambiance is impeccable, and the service was great. Friendly staff, very attentive. They whisked away and reset EVERYTHING between each course. I can’t fault them on the service. Food is where they fell a little short.

Wow, this place has it all. You walk in and it’s sexy. It has a very modern décor that would impress anyone. The food was delicious and filling even though it’s not a large portion. Service here was impeccable and left completely satisfied. It is pricey so be prepared for that.
I recommend the Artic char crudo, warm octopus Spanish salad, Hawaiian Walu, the scallop, and black bass. It was all delicious.
This place is perfect for a special occasion or to impress that out of towner.

Came here for dinner on a weekday with a Savored deal. $ 70 per person for their eight-​course tasting turned out to be a steal, and one of the best meals I can remember.
Our personal favorites included an amuse-​bouche trio consisting of an oyster with strawberry and ginger, caviar with cucumber gelee, and a quail egg with sea urchin and lobster mushroom. Overall an excellent start to the meal. We also loved the cured arctic char dish, as well as the squab with foie gras. Even the pickled rhubarb and rhubarb ice cream we were given as a palate cleanser were delicious. We weren’t a fan of the gazpacho, but I feel this more of an issue with personal taste.
Service was warm and prompt, and the interior of the restaurant has a chic, modern feel. Will definitely return for either dinner or drinks.

I’m not sure why exactly I had always shied away from Rouge Tomate. Perhaps I had equated its UES location and its Michelin star with a certain presumptuousness, but when a group of friends took the initiative to make a reservation, I easily gave in. Thus, on a chilly winter evening, I made the trek to the extravagant front steps with more just just a little hesitation. Despite my initial misgivings, Rouge Tomate has one of the more modern and eclectic interiors that I’ve stumbled across. In line with its name, there’s a substantial amount of red, in both several panels of the wall as well as the tinted lights from the ceiling, against many pieces of sleek, pale wood. After checking in with the hostess, I was quickly shown to our table and after a little persuasion, garnered the agreement of the group to go for the Tasting Menu.
The Trio of Amuses started the meal off on a high note, featuring an Oyster drizzled with pomegranate mignonette and garnished with ginger and cilantro (fresh, crisp, and not too briney); a Cauliflower Panna Cotta (made luxurious with a topping of American Sturgeon Caviar); and a Farm Egg filled with an emulsion of mushroom, sunchoke, and black truffle. We were still praising these starting bites when our first course, the Hawaiian Ono, made its appearance at our table. Served lengthwise, the dish featured several cubed cuts of Ono, a lean and mild-​flavored fish, against a serving of Daikon Kimchi, a celery root and apple purée, and a sprinkling of sesame. I would have appreciated an extra dose of acidity, but it was a smartly composed dish, with ingredients that paired and contrasted well with each other.
The next course, a Roasted Chestnut Soup, was yet another lamentation on the small serving sizes. The dish began with diced celery hearts and black truffles before our servers poured over a perfectly blended soup of chestnut, buttermilk, and a hint of Hudson Valley Foie Gras. Seasoned well, balanced, and silky, we all agreed that it was a perfect remedy for a cold winter evening. Thankfully, this was followed by an equally strong course of Nantucket Bay Scallops, which was paired with a celery root-​buttermilk purée, and accented with slices of pink lady apple, kale, and trumpet royale mushrooms. Each scallop was carefully seared on both sides, which brought out a wide textural range and flavor, and while I questioned the addition of the pink lady, the components on the plate worked in harmony.
The last two courses, however, were perhaps the least satisfactory of the meal. I was able to substitute the original course (venison) with another entrée that featured duck. What I received, however, didn’t bring out the best in this protein; the duck lacked any flavor and neither the crisp skin nor the neatly rendered layer of fat that I had been looking forward to was present. The attempt at «fried rice», which took wild rice, clementines, and broccoli rabe, didn’t contribute much to the dish. And dessert, a Citrus Quartet, had its highs and lows as well. While we enjoyed the bites of Cheesecake and Crêpe Cake, the Frozen Mousse was far too sour and the Gelée had an unpleasant aftertaste that none of us could pinpoint. The latter two were left predominantly untouched, and for good reason.
In hindsight, the five (six, including the amuses) course dinner deserves a solid four stars. Most of the savory courses were standouts and while dessert left something to be desired, I left the restaurant feeling both full and satisfied. While it’s not a place one can visit too often, it’s perfect for the occasional splurge and the times to celebrate.

I love rouge tomate! Came here for dinner with my husband on a snowy night. The restaurant is simply stunning and it is so spacious inside It is unheard of in NYC. The restaurant is classy yet very comfortable and the servers all seem very nice.
The food is excellent! We ordered the hawaiian walu, the gnudi and the chestnut soup for appetizer. I love how every component of the dish goes so well together, i can tell the chef put in a lot of thoughts what to put on the plate. They also use a lot of different fresh local vegetables which is a big plus. For entrée we got the duck and sea scallops. The duck is served with kim chee and have a very interesting asian profile. The sea scallops are amazing as well although the sea scallops were on the small size. Their presentation is like a work of art which made the food even more enjoyable.
Another thing I love about this place is that they offer freash squeezed juice and house made soda, so if you dont order alcohol you have those options instead. Entrée size is very small though and it is very pricey here. The walu only came with 3 piece and so was my duck breast entrée. For 2 people we spent over $ 200, but i left the restaurant extremely happy and satisfied despite the small portion size, i guess quality is much more important than quantity!

BEWARE, this is an OVERHYPED place
at Rouge Tomate, concepts prevail while tastes are lacking.
I get that the whole fresh ingredients and certified movement give Rouge Tomate a nice platform to operate with. However, the chef did not cook up mind-​blowing dishes with these ingredients.
Commendable dishes:
*** sea bass *** (⁸⁄₁₀)
appropriately coocked. my friend is a BIG fan of seafood and this passed her tasting test! The broccoli rabe mesh on the side was also very flavorful. Seems it is cooked with Indian food techniques, giving it a thoroughly flavorful and somewhat creamy texture
*** duck breast *** (⁷⁄₁₀)
I would ALWAYS try the duck dish if it’s on the menu. The on at R.T., unfortunately, is not the best I’ve had. I mean, it is definitely decent and juicy, yet I still savor the parsnip reduction on the side SO much more than the entrée itself
** Off menu roasted chicken breat ** (⁷⁄₁₀)
Thanks to a private event, I got to taste the secret dish :) Again, the dish was properly done– juicy, tender meat with chewy skins and nice side dishes. Yet it is still underwhelming compared to the chicken next door at Rotisserie Georgette
**Gnudi appetizer ** (⁸⁄₁₀)
enjoyed it quite a bit on a snowy winter night. the gnudi had the right amount of al dante, and was complimented with the creamy sauce and veggies
** Décor ** (¹⁰⁄₁₀)
LOVE the warm walnut toned wooden floors. The stairs are in big wooden panel of the same color as the floors, making them a playful extension and connecting the space upstairs and downstairs with style.
There is even a cute pound downstairs with pink cherry petals sprinkled throughout. The 2 person tables sit on top of an extension of the floor and is defined by floor to ceiling glasses, making the dining experience truly a *scene*.

So you’ve spent some money across the street at Barney’s and now it’s time for lunch or dinner. Rouge Tomate is a great place to spend a bit more money on drinks and great «sustainable» food, whatever that means.
I’ve been to Rouge Tomate once for a business lunch. My director insisted that we all go with the prix fixe «corporate» lunch menu which varies seasonally but it always consists of a soup or salad as a starter, a protein-​ridden fish or meat as the entrée, and a sweet or chocolately dessert. I had no complaints, since I wasn’t the one that was going to dish out the $ 35-​$ 40.
I actually am in love with their squash soap but it comes and goes with the season. It is served during the colder months, just fyi but I am in love. It reminds me of the homemade soup that my grandmother used to make for me. It’s soothing and nostalgic. And Rouge Tomate has put a heavy price on that, seemingly! Hahaha
First off– the venue! It’s an amazing two floor restaurant. And extremely well-​lit. That’s something you can’t find in most Michelin award restaurants, in my opinion. Very high ceilings add to the white tables, wooden floor, and columns, and the lucite stairs that lead you downstairs is something you’ve got to see for yourself as you head to your table or to the restroom. I think the top level is a better place to dine in, because there are booths to add to the extravagance. The bottom level is a bit more lounge-​esque.
Their Moscow mule is to die for. This has been the best Moscow mule I’ve had. They pour it into a chalice-​like mug from what reminds me of the Renaissance era. Try it, you will not regret it!
Their dinner food menu and drinks is the way to go. Rouge Tomate has been awarded 1 Michelin Star and it is well deserved!
I think I always opt to go for their squid ink fettucini or their sweet bread. Their fettucini is filled with plenty of seafoods and the sauce isn’t as heavy and detectable as the usual white or red sauce would be. It’s a very light, garlic-​infused pink sauce and olive oil.
Their sweet bread dish is something that not everyone would like– it is an acquired taste but I do have a yearning for it, once in a while.
I love oysters but maybe it’s because I’m not a connoisseur but I can’t really tell the difference between the ones they serve at Rouge Tomate and the cheaper ones that bars sell for $ 1 a piece during happy hour. $ 18 seems a bit much for a plate of 6 – 7 oysters.
Perfect for those with the accommodating salary and a delightful treat for birthdays and anniversaries!

So happy about the choice to come here. Came here for a double date on a Thursday, and they were completely accommodating to hold our table cause one of us was running a little late. The bar does a lot of seasonal drinks, and I had the pecan pie manhattan, which was just sublime.
We opted for a much of regular dishes rather than the tasting menu.
Spaghetti squash toast — really nice flavors and play on texture between how the spaghetti squash and crab meat both shred into strips. Nicely done.
Nantucket bay scallops — raw marinated large bay scallops, with a little bit of citrus. Nice, clean flavors here.
Sweetbreads and tongue — this was one of those dishes where the individual components didn’t really make sense. The sweetbreads were plump, crispy, and delicious as a standalone piece. The tongue was prepared in the style n flavor of corned beef and served over picked veggies reminiscent of sauerkraut, which paired perfectly with the corned beef. I just don’t know those corned beef flavors go with the sweetbreads.
Local monkfish — so they always say monkfish is a poor man’s lobster, and I kinda agree. It is meaty like a lobster tail and flavorful, without being fishy. You could pass it off as a lot of other things. The accompaniments of mushroom and black garlic spaetzel were really nice.
Chocolate icebox cake — don’t recall all the details of this, but it was kinda like a moist cookies and cream brownie with sea salt. So, so good. One of the best desserts I’ve had in a while.
Also tried a bite of the wife’s venison, and the meat literally melts in your mouth. You could seriously cut it with a spoon.
This place was really satisfying for us all. We probably ended up spending about $ 260 per couple all in, after our 20% savored discount. We did have a fair few drinks and 2 bottles of wine.
Really recommend giving this place a go, but be prepared to spend.

FOOD:
Note: Rouge Tomate serves clean, organic, healthy, high-​end, contemporary food. They do this probably better than any other New York restaurant, but the rub is, is this what you want from a Michelin-​starred restaurant? It may be, however we were looking for something a fewer caloric restrictions and more of an opportunity for indulgence. That said, no what you’re getting into. Ordered prix-​fixe «business lunch». Started with a wonderful gazpacho, however the taste of the food progressively declined with each course. Ordering dessert at RT is pointless; they’re that bad.
SERVICE:
Michelin level service. Knowledgeable staff. Friendly and down to earth.
DECOR
RT serves food in a beautifully modern, albeit somewhat antiseptic, space.
PRICE
Very well priced for the quality of food and service.
OVERALL
This place is a value, especially for those looking to eat healthy, organic food. If you are looking for indulgence, this is not to place for you. If you are looking for high-​end healthy, nobody does it better.

Rouge Tomate, I’ve walked by this place so many times, I’m surprised I’ve never really noticed it. On my quest to try to get reservations into Le Bernadin or Per Se, my failure to secure a table led me to Rouge Tomate. Thankfully this Michelin starred restaurant is actually possible to eat in without having to be the first person to call in 3 months in advance.
The interior of Rouge Tomate is impressive for its midtown location. The restaurant is spacious, modern, and absolutely beautiful. With an upstairs and a downstairs, you can appreciate that tables are spaced far enough apart that you don’t have to overhear other people’s conversations, or move a table aside so the other table can get out. This restaurant is so impressively large, they have multiple private dining areas including one that has its own dedicated kitchen.
We opted to try their seasonal tasting menu at $ 89 which is an absolute steal compared to other similarly rated restaurants. I chose to pair it with their cocktails and away we went. First up was a trio of amuse bouches. The oyster, followed by panna cotta, followed by a soft boiled egg and mushroom/​lobster. Out of the three I enjoyed the oyster the most. I found the panna cotta very one note in flavor with the savory panna cotta accented by an abundance of caviar. The farm egg continued this theme of awkfward salty/​savory flavors. As I was getting slightly disappointed by the initial start, I was happy to receive the hawiian walu. It finally woke up me up with more than a simple one note flavor profile I had just had in that boring progression of amuse.
Following the walu was their autumn squash soup, fantastic flavor and certainly made you think of Fall. The best dish of the night came next which was their pacific black cod, perfectly executed, perfect seasoning, and boy of boy could I eat a triple portion of that. Our last savory course of Squab and foie gras came. As much as I love foie, it was not the best I’ve had by a long shot, it was actually pretty disappointing, I did however believe the dish was a success. Finally, I thought their desserts fell flat. Since it was essentially squash three ways, you could imagine it being pretty dull in sweetness. The soufflé, smores, and ice milk were just a little too muted in sweetness than I would normally crave for a dessert. Also the cocktail pairing was the worst with this dish and simply did not work.
Overall the service from the front of the house at Rouge Tomate were fantastic. They were attentive, friendly, described the dishes in great detail, and certainly one of the best I’ve had in the city (still no Ramsay though). The kitchen however was in my opinion a bit slow. They were off to a great start at the beginning of the meal but it seemed that they took longer and longer to churn out the rest of the courses as the night went on. We had reservations at 7:00 and we weren’t out of there until 9:00. Although the tasting menu portions were quite tiny (as to be expected), I left feeling satiated and definitely felt like I got my money’s worth.

Tried this place on a whim tonight. Am traveling through NYC on work business and, unexpectedly, had the evening free. If you look through my reviews, you’ll see that I am a frequent business traveler, which also means that I am a frequent solo diner. One of my requirements for a good review is if the restaurant staff still made me feel like a valued customer, even if I am just one guest that evening. On this front, Rouge Tomate excelled — I don’t know that I have been better cared for in a restaurant.
The food was also excellent, with the risotto moving into the «memorable experience» category. Their housemade ricotta cheese (see a picture) is also extraordinary.
I was glad to find a restaurant that actually served bread as humans know it. For years, restaurants have been into carb-​shaming — serving these little remnants of bread, and then expressing shock if you ask for a second piece. Rouge Tomate serves a normal, human-​sized slice of hearty bread as an appetizer.
The down side of this is, well, that it is a normal human-​sized slice of hearty bread, and thus a little difficult to eat graciously. You can either tear off individual bits of bread to eat piece by piece, or, you can try to gnaw through the crust, leaving a puddle of wheat crumbs all around you. Clearly, I opted for the latter.
Also, I did not find the amuse-​bouche that amusing. Tonight, it was some kind of roasted beet thingie with a horseradish something overlayed, topped by caviar. One, they had already forgotten that I was vegetarian, but, no biggie — let’s not just toss that roe out because a mistake was made. But the horseradish thingie was fizzy and biting, as horseradish will be. But because it was whipped up into a mousse, it left me with a sensation of «danger» — like the fizz of food that has spoiled. For me, not that amusing.

I loved Rouge Tomate! Perfect dinner, right sized portions and solid drinks. The tomato/​burrata and Concord grape/​fois gras/​peanut toasts were incredible, as was the eggplant tartare. For mains the lamb loin was delicious and the Bronzino was perfect.
Everyone rants and raves about the chocolate sphere for dessert but to be honest it wasn’t all that… I’d skip it for the roasted pear instead.
Overall it’s an excellent place and definitely worth the price.

1 Michelin Star. Chef Jeremy Bearman
This was a random selection around the area after a nice massage session not too far down the same street. I always passed by the Rouge Tomate cart and always wondered how their food were. Next time, I am definitely going to stop by their cart since the menu seems delicious and casual for a picnic in the park.
The venue itself is very sleek, chic, modern, and sexy with its red accents for the «Rouge» theme emphasis. It was very spacious with 2 levels and is located right smack in the hussling and bussling of midtown east, near the shopping and working area.
I am glad we got to try this place out and maybe I just ordered the wrong dishes or maybe it was an off night that day! I was not too impressed with my dish, which was the seared salmon (specials menu) while my friend has the almond crusted sea scallops, and definitely enjoyed it. I took a bite of his and liked his dish more too with the strong asian inspired curry flavor of the sauce that came with the scallops. We were also given an amuse bouche of summer corn soup with diced tomatoes. It was light and refreshing. I thought their butter and sauces for the side bread was a bit interesting. I didn’t really enjoy it at all. I know this restaurant is about fresh ingredients which I can see how they incorporated into their well plated dishes but maybe I just have to give it another try some other day!
I didn’t get to leave this restaurant feeling satisfied happy. Instead, I came out feeling like I just ate any other regular meal on any other day, but of course with a higher $$$. :/

For sure, Rouge Tomate is one of my favorite restarants. What I really think Rouge Tomate is unique from other restarant is that they utelize lots of different vegetables and greens in their dishes. Even in a seafood dish, the chef garnished with fresh unique ingrideients. You don’t find it bore, you get a good surprise when you are eating each dishes.
For dessert lovers, please must give it a try of their «Bittersweet Chocolate Sphere», it is one of the best dessert I’ve ever experience. Yes I said Experienced, you will see it when you order it. Its sensational!

Experimentell und kreativ, sehr lecker und stimmig! Ist auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert, langweilig ist anders! Daumen hoch! Ambiente passt auch! Sehr netter Abend.

Décor sympa et bien place