Adour

Roy Buttencamp is a wonderful manger of this beautiful restaurant. My daughter and I were guests of the St. Regis and decided to dine at Adour's. We did not believe we could get a reservation on such short notice, however, we were successful. The lounge is small and intimate, but the dining room is very intimate and probably one of the most beautiful dining rooms I have ever dined in.\r We ordered the Filet Mignon, which was cooked as we requested and served on WARMED plates.\r So often great restaurants do not warm the plates. The service was splendid, not overbearing, but attentive.\r I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a lovely experience in NY.\r Pros: The ambience, the service and the food! more

There have been so many French and French-influenced NYC restaurants who've ""thrown in the toque"" in the past decade (La Cote Basque, La Regence, now Cafe Gray, the old Bouley, the old Le Cirque, Lespinasse) that I'm beginning to think that New Yorkers are really not as Francophile as they think they are. Adour is one last example of this insidious, if assiduous, attack. Why the so many negative comments? I've been to ADOUR twice since it opened. There was A Ducasse at the Essex where I've dined about a half dozen times. Compared to the Essex, Adour is much leaner, trimmer, and ""modern"". Gone are the hundred or so amuse bouches and take home goody bags. But what's been whittled down at Adour is purely elemental -- much like a Bach fugue, not a note too many. I couldn't explain that last 4 one-star comments on this site as the service I got was as seamless as they get these days (bar Per Se and and the now defunct Cafe Gray standards). The food was as sensuous and appetizing as A Ducasse can get, be it his restaurant in Monte Carlo or at the Plaza Athenee in Paris. What is most unique I believe in Adour, as testament to the chef, is the restarant's dedication to flavor, freshness, and simplicity. I'll go to Adour any day and I particularly delect in how this new venue had paired down its prices compared to Duasse at the Essex. Kudos! Pros: What's not to delight in an A Ducasse establishment? Cons: Why are there so many negative reviews? Are New Yorkers Francophobes? more

totally agree with Robino below. had exactly the same dining experience...sat at the center table...the appetizers were uneven. sweetbreads and zucchini ravioli were subtle and worked well. the lobster, foie gras and gnocchi were lackluster. the entrees were extremely boring and didn't make much sense. I ordered the lamb and came with two medallions and one bone poked in the center of one of the medallions. That was just strange. the peanutbutter tasting quiona didn't make any sense as a side dish. The other entrees were horrible. snapper was unedible and pork was over cooked. The duck was okay but nothing to write about. At $200+ a person, it was a huge disappointment...then again it would've been a disappointment at $100 a person. For those looking for an exciting restaurant experience I would recommend Dovetail. Pros: interactive wine menu at the bar Cons: food more

With all the expectation and even a 3-star rating review from the New York Times, despite of the tasting menu (NO COFFEE, TEA OR DESSERT) and being seated at the center table, it was a total disappointment. As others, the courses started with a peak and then went downhill. The food was boring and had no challenge to my tast buds what-so-ever. For the entire tasting menu courses, we got information on two courses only; they just dropped the food and that's it.\r The most disappointment was that The NY Times gave Adour a 3-star rating the day before of our dinner; afterward, I really wonder how did the NY Times give a 3-star rating to this restaurant. the most is a 2-star.\r My wife and I gave up to see my 6-year-old and 13 -month-old boys that night for Adour, it was a DISAPPOINTMENT; I would rather go to Daniel or even Luppa or even a bowl of instant noodle at home. Mr. Alan Duccase, you failed me. Pros: innovative idea of the interacitve wine menu at the bar Cons: every single thing more

We were promptly seated exactly where we wanted to be in the beautiful center of the dining room. Both the Atlantic salmon,( that was my appetizer) and the poached lobster ,(my entree) were superb. The service was fine, and we never felt rushed. The organic coffee was delicious, as were the desserts. The desserts were not described well on the menu, but we tried 4 of them and each one was truely a masterpeice presentation and tasted amazing.\r All four of us would highly reccomend this dining experience! Pros: service,food quality and presentation, and ambience more

For the money, this is one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. I will focus this review on the service, as I found it to be the most disappointing aspect of my experience.\r \r The service was slow, frazzled, and sloppy. The staff did not seem to know if they were coming or going. There were so many people fussing around us that it was impossible to identify who played what role, nor did they offer any assistance in identifying themselves. One gentleman in particular was extremely unkempt in attire and was sweating. He did not maintain eye contact as he waited on us and seemed more preoccupied with what was happening at another table. Long after we finished our first bottle of wine, no one asked if we would like another. When we finally had the chance to order a second bottle, halfway through our entrees, it did not appear until dessert. One dining companion explicitly told the restaurant we were celebrating two birthdays. This was completely ignored. Considering this is a relatively new restaurant, I found these to be Adour's least offensive transgressions.\r \r At it's most offensive, the staff was rude and unprofessional about accommodating simple requests like additional menus for the table. When someone in our party politely stated we were finished with our food, the waiter huffed and said in an aggravated tone, ""I'm getting to it."" Another waiter snickered when we questioned the $10 coffee choices. Overall, I felt as though I was more of a burden to the staff than a welcomed customer. \r \r To me, Adour personifies every negative stereotype about ""fancy-pants French restaurants,"" as one food journalist called it, without the quality to back it up. If Adour were a person, it would be Kanye West, only without the talent. Having dined at four out of five of the four-star restaurants in New York, I had high expectations for Adour. In comparison, it is laughably inadequate, and I mean that quite literally, as we were laughing when we left. more

Having dined at Per Se, Le Bernardin, Daniel, and Jean Georges, my dining companions and I had high expectations for Adour. We were expecting an etheral meal. Much to our disappointment, however, Adour utterly failed to meet our expectations this past Saturday night. We sat in one of the ""secluded"" side rooms off of the main dining room, which was awful. Seated in the room with us was another party of four in that was perhaps the most obnoxious family in Manhattan, and we were subjected to their rudeness for 2+ hours. If you decide to eat at Adour, be sure to request to sit in the main dining room. The service was dreadful. The wait staff appeared frazzled, confused, and yet was standoffish. The waiter presented 2 menus to another guest and me while our two other guests were in the bathroom. Despite having four guests we had three wine glasses on the table for the longest time. The sommelier never appeared to discuss the wine list and instead we took recommendations from the gentlemen who ultimately cleared our table. Likewise, the food was below average. The lobster, roasted fennel and grapefruit appetizer was above average but probably not worth $26. My entree, the pork tenderloin, was horrible. Three small pieces of undercooked pork together with other bland items was not good. The other guests had the beef tenderloin and braised short ribs, which were fatty and luke warm. Our desserts were good. The creme brulee was delicious and the dark chocoloate sorbet was extremely rich. The pastry chef did his or her best to salvage an memorably poor meal. By that time, however, the damage had been done. The space, in the St. Regis, is beautiful, although it is bizarre that they couldn't build bathrooms inside the restaurant; instead, guests must walk through the hotel and down two flights of stairs to the restrooms. Simply put, neither my dining companions nor I liked Adour. Don't waste your time or money. more