Villard Michel Richard

Service and ambiance: 4
Food: 1.5
The food was not to my liking but the service, ambiance and wine sure were!
I came for restaurant week and was immediately excited upon entering the bar and smaller dining area. The walls and ceilings are plated in gold and decadent artwork, like a less impressive Palace of Versailles. As i waited for my friend at the bar, i enjoyed a highly overpriced glass of red. The wine itself was good, not great; however, the glass was a gorgeous wide rimmed and long stemmed masterpiece that allowed me to really enjoy all of the nodes my nose could pick up. For the quality of the wine, the $ 25 price was absolutely not worth it-​but then again, this restaurant sits in the New York Palace, so its somewhat expected.
Upon being seated, we passed a massively impressive glass structure enclosing the restaurant’s over $ 100,000 valued wine collection (or so we were told). I would easily guess that the collection is upwards of double that amount, because the list is a long and lengthy compilation for which it took my friend and i at least twenty minutes to decide on. To choose a bottle, we wound up finding a page where the highest price wasn’t going to threaten our ability to pay rent for the month as there were many wines that could easily drain my savings. We closed our eyes and let the index finger fall where it may. Even with this randomness (and bit of fun), the delicious red that became the compliment to our meal was simply divine. A full bodied, inky, dry wine served yet again in a perfect high quality glass.
Unfortunately the food did not hold the same prestige as the wine. I went with short ribs that had so much fat i was getting nauseous looking at it. I kept trying to cut some of it away and the waiter (who was such a sweetheart) saw that i didn’t like it and immediately took it away to bring me something else. I kept saying no and that i was just a slow eater (i really hate sending food back), but he didn’t buy into it and brought out a bronzino for me. I looove bronzino, but that too was not very good. I have read alot about the fried chicken that they serve and i suppose i should have ordered this instead, but i just thought it funny to get a KFC option when choosing French Cuisine for the night.

Décor is fancy, curtains, faux gold lined plates, and 12ft tall glass wine cellar. Food was good, but not the best I’ve ever had.
Salmon avacado tar tar (tangy, fresh, but missing something, wish it were smoked).
The scallops in butter nut squash sauce was disappointing and not that fresh. 3 one-​inch diameter scallops, more like 2.5 as one looked half eaten. For a place like this i’d think they’d be a tad better on details.
Crème brûlée definitely saved the meal. Served with mango and Raspberry purée. Very good.

Came here for NYE with my husband and my mother. We all amazed by the ambience and experience. Beautiful décor and course menu were impeccable.
It is very pricy so we can only come here for a once in a life time occasion but that experience was unforgettable. Felt so luxurious and were treated like queens and king.

This is located in the Palace Hotel which has been remodeled. The restaurant maintains the beautiful décor that is no longer in the hotel. I had eggs benedict which I tend to order wherever I go. It did not disappoint. The food, service, and atmosphere were exactly what we were looking for.

Ate breakfast here. Nice interior design. Our server was snobby and short with us. He seemed to be having a bad morning. We felt like we were bothering him to be there. Pretended like he knew what we were ordering but our order came out wrong. Wasn’t too big of a deal as the service was fast. Easy to eat gluten free here for breakfast at least. Offered GF toast. Our food was simple but good. Overpriced mimosas, but hey it’s the Palace in NY.

food: 4
décor: 5
service: 5
overall: 4.5
I’m surprised that this place has not received better reviews. this is one of the few «high roller» places i would come back to without thinking I’ve wasted my money.
first of all the décor is beautiful. the stained glass, the intricate details of the walls. the painted ceiling. even if you’ve never taken an art history class I think you would appreciate it.
there is only one dish you really must get. the famous fried chicken. it is absolutely delicious. you get two pieces of chicken, usually a thigh and drumstick, and it’s fried so perfectly. it’s seasoned well, and the homemade creamy honey mustard sauce is so good. and I love the haricot vert. fried chicken is definitely a must try.
the next necessary item to order here — the napoleon. oh. my. god. i know a good napoleon and this is by far. the best napoleon I’ve had. I like my napoleons with crispy layers between cream and nothing else. and this is like that but better bc they put some sort of sauce at the bottom of the plate either to help you scoop everything or to compliment the dessert. in any case, you have to try it! my mouth is watering just thinking about it again.
I also liked the burrata, you should get that as appetizer.
the staff is great. they are attentive, always refilling your water when it’s low in your glass, and very friendly as well.

2.5 stars.
«This place feels like Gilt» my friend said as stepping in. However, overtime, I start wondering. Is it really Gilt, or rather Gild?
A 100 years-​old lavish residence inspired by the old Europe surely does not let you indifferent. The perception of magnificence may overwhelm at first. However, expect no other than friendly and accommodating staff. Similarly, there is little chance that you feel a fish out of the water. Not particular attire is required and you will notice a wide range on that regards. While waiting for my friends at the bar, I had a glass of wine. It was a French, not too young not enough mature either (Morgon, Burgundy, France 2011) that I enjoyed enough, even when seems priced on the high-​up side. The cocktails menu seems interesting and most popular, but I was particularly pleased while chatting with the bartenders. Both, moving on classic well-​trained manners, were friendly and created a warm hospitality. Like everyone else later in the dining room.
As a loyal Unilocaler, I do read reviews carefully and so I couldn’t make a conclusion wether I would like it or not. But as a Unilocal cheater I also look at other post. Enter Mr. Wells* and Mr. Platt**. I enjoyed the reading just for the sake of great writing. Again, not easy to have a clear idea.
There is a (theoretical) occasion in which I think Villard Michel Richard Bistro fits perfect. Enter, (serious) business gathering. Where the ambiance around is more important. You need to show, it need to be high-​scale and private. Quiet. I actually enjoyed the feel of intimacy where I can picture serious matters to be discussed with no interruptions, regardless of the food. It was quiet also given by the fact that it was rather empty, even on a Friday evening when I would expect to be burning on activity.
If you look up the dinner menu the most attractive option is their 2 courses menu prix fixe ($ 38); my friends’s choice. I opted however, by just one main entrée a la carte: Steak Tartare with a substitution of mesclun salad instead of Friters. It was accepted with no trouble except that apparently «there is a reason for the fritters». I found the comment unnecessary and non adequate somehow in this kind of place. Nevertheless, once the orders are placed, Bread warm together with butter served at the perfect temperature will welcome to your table. My friends’s dishes looked beautiful, but the hanger steak was served medium rare, just as she dislikes the most. No one ever asked while placing the order. She returned it. And it came back a little after just exactly as before. The steak tartare stands out in quality at first bite. Followed by an strong load on mustard. Heat came right after until there is a point when is not easy to keep eating. I do enjoy quite a bit strong flavors and ate it, but regretted it after. The mesclun salad was not refreshing by any means and was salty. In retrospective, I think of my dish as inedible, as shocking as that conclusion may sound for a place of this caliber. It is also worth to mention that 15% gratuity is automatically included. An action that feels just out of place as well.
2.5 rounded down due to the lack of expected caring for food requirements. It could perhaps be a 3 stars experience if you are aware. My friends’s dishes were apparently ok. And desserts seems to be quite strong option and a must order. And so, I thought about coming back. However, even when my ways during my gild Unilocal age usually follow a report after at least two visits or after tasting a good part of the menu, as I think is the only fair and reliable way to make a critic, I leave that path sometimes. This being one of those due to the experts talk*, **
Thus, back to the initial dissertation. Is it gilt or gild? Is it Wells* or Platt**? In reality, the dichotomy is just apparent if you read carefully. It is Guilty for me too.
*
**

Cool grandiose vibe. Food was good. Not exceptional but good. Hamachi passion fruit sashimi: good but passion fruit sauce was a bit overpowering. House Fried Chicken: good but not the cut was a bit too thick, not as «melt in your mouth» as you’d hope.

The food is delicious and all have large portions. Plan to share if want to taste lots of items. The «faux» gras of chicken livers wasw delicious as was the pâté. The french onion soup was cheesy and a meal in itself. The crab cake was all crab and my salad with warm goat cheese was all gone! The place is beautiful. We ate in the bistro.
The service was a little spotty. We were asked by everyone if we were ready to order. Just wanted to sit and enjoy the drinks. Watched more than a couple dishes get sent to the wrong table.
A wonderful evening.

My wife and I celebrated our 10^th anniversary here and it was a wonderful experience. The Palace is exquisite and the restaurant is by far the best I have ever been to. Up on seating us we were comped a bottle of Dom Perigone. Which was only the first of their many great bottles we had.
The food is delicious and the backdrop of paintings are immaculate. I even a little tipsy wondered around the study upstairs. It’s just a beautiful place all together. I’m glad we spent our very important evening together there.

The Villard is a great place for your business meeting luncheons. It’s tastefully located in the courtyard of the Palace Hotel and the inside décor is elegant and upscale.
The lunch prix fixe is only $ 25 per person and consists of both appetizer and entrée. The veloute was tasty– a lick-​your-​bowl clean experience and the short-​rib parmentier was the hearty meal that I desperate needed after the cold front we’ve been experiencing in the northeast.
I would definitely recommend experiencing the Villard at lunch time. You WILL get your money’s worth.
Mark my words, I will be back!

Went for lunch and will return. The lunch menu was well priced but the service was fantastic. They are trained well and bring you whatever you need/​want quickly. The décor was certainly quite interesting but cool. The crowd is mostly business type/​client accounts but still good.

A surprisingly wonderful experience.
After reading the review in the Times and some of the other reviews here, I wanted to see for myself and it was Restaurant Week so that is a perfect time to try.
In fact, my only disappointments were that since it was Restaurant Week, which is about to end, I will not be able to do another Restaurant Week meal here this month, and that the Restaurant Week menu is only served in the Bistro, although the Bistro is more elegant than most restaurants in New York. Another minor quibble is that the restaurant requested credit card guarantees which makes if difficult, especially when planning a work week lunch. I manged to get a last minute reservation so that was not an issue.
I started with the Lentil Soup, Chicken Dumplings which was beautifully presented and served. Extremely flavorful. Truly wonderful.
The Hanger Steak Au Poivre, Pommes Frites came perfectly rare, which is not always the case with Hanger Steak, and was very well seasoned. The french fries were excellent, although they came a bit cool. I considered sending them back but I was enjoying them so much, I did not bother.
Dessert was the Chocolate Verrine, which was very good too. Nicely served as everything else.
The decaf coffee was very good.
Service was professional and accommodating. Sometimes not perfectly attentive, but very good. I might have given this restaurant 4.5 stars but that is not an option.
Given the wonderful time I had here, I go for a 5.

I’m torn about how to rate this place. Hands down the ambiance and service were deserving of five stars. With exorbitantly high, gold embroidered ceilings, decadent chandeliers and elegant wine showcases, I felt like Daisy Buchanan gawking at the Gatsby mansion. The wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable without an air of snobbery, which sometimes come with working at higher end locales. The promise of a culinary masterpiece lingered in the air…
Unfortunately, my exorbitantly high hopes for my meal were unmatched. It was restaurant week and I ordered the salmon tartare, braised short beef ribs and the crème brûlée. The portions were generous and there wasn’t anything that I didn’t like, but still there was no dish that I would be dreaming about later that night.
I left that night wanting the business card of the chief interior designer, but the chef can keep his recipes.

Excelent service. Food came fast. Looking delicious. The music was just a little loud.

Read the BRUTAL @nytimes review! It’s rare that I’ve seen the Times give anyone a Fair! It’s on target! Do NOT waste your money! Atrocious/​clueless service! Over-​priced! Tasteless food! Beautiful old school NY room. If you want to see the room — have a drink. Do NOT eat!

Food and service were outstanding.
I went there last night with a rather large group of friends and dined in the bar/​lounge area. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful and has a wonderful vibe about it. The wait staff was very attentive and was Johnny on the spot with pouring us more wine. Food was outstanding. The tuna burgers and fries menu items may sound misplaced for such an exquisite restaurant, but they were absolutely spectacular. Overall, it was a delightful dining experience and is highly recommended.

I had really high hopes for this place after reading about it, but I wasn’t entirely impressed. I originally planned to go for the Lobster Burger, but heard mixed reviews about it and didn’t want to be disappointed. I went with the risotto, which was good. We had a few appetizers, nothing spectacular — watermelon salad — ok, Burrata and Cherry Tomatoes — ok, Cheese Puffs — disappointing. Other members of the group had the Burger and the Roasted Chicken. No one was really blown away by their food. For the prices I’d expect more from the meal, not just an average meal. Atmosphere was nice, but a little stuffy. Don’t think I’ll be headed back here.

KenScale: 8.0÷10
Villard Michel Richard is a new restaurant from acclaimed Washington, D.C.-based chef Michel Richard (with Citronelle fame) at the New York Palace Hotel. The first thing that catches your eyes once you enter the restaurant is an extravagant dining room. I was in complete awe with the huge open space with neon lights on the ceiling; definitely one of the more over-​to-​top dining spaces I’ve been to in the city.
Ironically, the food that I tried at the «Bistro» section (the restaurant also has a smaller space called the «Gallery» where more expensive prix fixe fine dining menus are available) were surprisingly low key. You can find many traditional French dishes at relatively moderate prices considering the opulence of the venue. While none of the dishes blew me away particularly, all of them were well executed. Cheese puff gougeres, «faux graz» terrine and country pâté and proscuitto plate started my meal, and I liked all of them. For main dishes, while I was somewhat underwhelmed by the plain mushroom risotto of pearl pasta, I did like Michel’s fried chicken, which was very well cooked without any of that greasiness that unfortunately too many fried chicken dishes have. Lobster burger was also solid, though it could’ve been bigger. For desserts, I had chocolate bar (which was very delicious and had that rich decadence that you would expect from a French sweet treat) and homemade vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet (which was just alright).
The restaurant’s vibe, despite the décor, is pretty casual, filled seemingly with a lot of hotel guests at the Palace. It has a full bar menu, with expensive cocktails and a large selection of wine, mainly from France. I didn’t have much trouble securing a reservation for a Sunday dinner. I have yet to go try how great the Gallery is, but I do recommend Bistro section of the restaurant as a solid option for a dinner date after shopping spree on the Fifth Street.

It is with great sadness and disappointment that I am writing anything but a raving review about a Michel Richard restaurant. My heart broke when Citronelle closed a month before my husband and I were to return for our annual pilgrimage. It leapt for joy when I learned of Villard. And now this.
We dined in the bar area of Villard — there were maybe 3 other occupied tables. The staff awkwardly stood around, and it was at least 5 minutes before anyone came to greet us. No wine list or cocktail menu at first. For our appetizers, my friend and I ordered the lobster bisque and French onion soup. Both were OK — nothing special. For our entrees, we ordered the lobster burger/​fries, and the mushroom risotto with a side of creamed spinach. My friend spent a considerable amount of time picking lobster shells out of her burger (MICHEL — WHAT HAS HAPPENED?!), and my serving of risotto, while tasty, was barely enough to feed a bird. Enter the creamed spinach. Really, the menu should read «cream with a hint of spinach» — I had to drain the dish to really get much spinach at all. We ordered the famous Kit Kat for dessert — thankfully, Villard has not ruined this Chef Richard trademark.
All in all, this experience was completely unacceptable versus other meals I’ve had at both Central and Citronelle. The automatic 15% gratuity was generous, even for your typically icy NYC restaurant service. The wait staff needs to step it up – we waited an excruciatingly long time for our waiter to refill water glasses, check on our meal, etc. Hopefully these things are all just new restaurant jitters.