Restaurant Review: Montrachet and Church Lounge

As promised, I'm posting my review for Montrachet .

I had high expectations, since it’s where David Bouley first started in New York and it’s owned by the same group responsible for Nobu, Tribeca Grill and Layla (the award-winning Myriad Restaurant Group with Drew Nieporent and Robert DeNiro).

When we first arrived, the snooty maitre’d gave us a hard time since my friend didn’t call to confirm the reservation and apparently gave our table away. Why do we have to call twice for a reservation? Isn’t that what exactly reservations are for -to actually RESERVE the table?

Then, he slyly pretends to look at his book and tells us he has a table available but in TWO hours. At this point I was already pissed off and was about to leave. But then he quips, “Let me see what I can do.” He went in to the dining room and quickly comes back. Well what do you know, low and behold, he shows us to our table. But I could see right through his ploy, which was an obvious attempt to get a hefty tip. I wasn’t gonna fall for it- especially since the restaurant was half EMPTY!

Anyway, moving on to the review. Since it was restaurant week, I ordered from the prix fixe menu- not that I could afford any of the items from the regular menu in any case. I chose the escargot for appetizer, the pork loin for entrée, and the warm chocolate cake for dessert.

The escargot was a bit chewy and tasted average at best. The grilled pork loin was dry and the sauce (if you can call it that) was mediocre and nothing to rave about. Although the chocolate cake was good, any decent restaurant wouldn’t mess that up. I know it may sound that I expected too much from a prix fixe menu, but if you want to attract new customers, shouldn’t they at the least try to make the dishes a bit exceptional?

What was exceptional was their extensive wine list- it was thicker than a phone book! The sommelier was quite knowledgeable and friendly. I picked a bottle of Burgundy, naturally, since the restaurant was evidently named after it. The wine was bold but not too dry, unlike what I am used to-surprisingly excellent.

The service was above average, especially for a French restaurant. The waiters were very prompt and never left our glasses empty.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with the food. I may have ordered the lesser items in the menu- but it wasn’t convincing enough for a return visit. I give Montrachet a 2 out of 5.



We headed over to Church Lounge at the Tribeca Grand Hotel for a nightcap. Not too many places in the city impress me anymore, but Church Lounge was an exception. The hotel’s enclosed common courtyard with the balconies overlooking the lounge (ala Luxor in Vegas) is a site to behold. The plush furniture and couches were very comfortable and chic along with the artistic accent lighting. The drinks were also excellent. I tried the perfect 10, tartini, and air mail which were alittle pricey at $12 a pop- but unfortunately standard fare for NYC. If you’re ever down in the Tribeca area I recommend you pay a visit. I give Church Lounge a 4 out of 5.