One if by Land, Two if by Sea

I have wanted to go to this restaurant for a while, and I decided I would make reservations for our first wedding anniversary. We loved the atmosphere! We had an awesome table on the first floor by a window looking into the courtyard, and were not bothered by other tables? conversations. We deiced to do the tasting menu along with the wine pairing. This was a great choice! The wine pours were very generous! What is so funny is that I HATE fois gras, but I ate it as part of our appetizers and I did not even know what it was. I was telling my husband I loved whatever I just ate, and he laughed, and called the waiter over to confirm what I had just eaten. For my main course I did get the Beef Wellington and to be honest this dish has never blown me away. For some reason I associate it with Vegas Buffets, but WOW it was awesome. Every part of it was great!! My husband did get the lamb and that was also good. Our waiter was so great! We were not rushed and were there for hours. They brought our dessert course out with a candle and had written ?Happy 1st Anniversary? in chocolate around the plate. What a great ending to a wonderful night. I really think this was one of the best NYC overall dining experiences I have ever had. Everything was good from the atmosphere to the food and the staff! I was scared this was going to be one of those over hyped Manhattan restaurants that do not have actual substance, but everything about it was wonderful. For sure we will be going back!! Pros: Great Service! Cons: Hard to get reservations! more

This is a cozy restaurant in the village -- the last time I was there, they had a crackling fire and it was such a romantic place. \r \r The food is amazing, The seafood dishes are superb and the service is terrific as well. It don't know how easy it is to get in there on the weekends. The last Saturday night I was there, it was packed and it was during a snow storm. more

I went to this restaurant for the first time at the beginning of restaurant week. The portions were certainly scaled down in size, but they were excellent. The scallops were WAY too scaled down (you only got 2), but my hangar steak was a good portion. The citrus baba was fabulous, and the appetizers were very good. The waiter was excellent - the best service I've had in the city. They let us sit for 30 minutes and finish our bottle of wine between the main course and dessert - there was absolutely no rush and our waiter was very attentive at bringing out food or the check when we requested in. We sat upstairs which was not as quaint as the main rooms below, but it was still a very romantic setting. Pros: Service, Ambience, Location, Wine List more

I recently tried this restaurant twice after reading Frank Bruni's review in the New York Times. more

Last night I was beyond excited to get the chance to visit this raved about restaurant. To my dismay, the food was sub par. I took advantage of the restaurant week, prix fix menu. The pasta just didn't taste good, and the salmon as a main course was just a little too undercooked for my liking. Overall the food was bland. The chocolate souffle dessert was great, but I also feel like I would have gotten that anywhere. The idea behind the restaurant was great, very enchanting decor. I was extremely disappointed. At least I tried it, but I wouldn't go back. Pros: Ambience. Cons: Food. more

Very nice ambiance. Food ok. More of an experience. We went for our 2 year anniversary and were very satisfied. The desserts came decorated with candles and ""happy anniversary"" written on the plates: incredibly nice touch. Pros: Ambience. Cons: Food not too impressive. more

I've lived in the city for years and have always heard what a fantastically romantic restaurant this was so I thought I'd finally check it out and take my boyfriend for his birthday. Cons: Bad Service, Atrocious Food more

My fiance and I arrived to the restaurant for our 'annual Christmas dinner' and were greeted by an unwelcoming hostess who made us feel like we had to 'prove' our reservation. Once seated at our table I found myself looking around for something to support this restaurant's rating as most romantic of 2007. But never saw anything to make me want to come back or recommend this place. The appetizers we had (ham consomme and quail) were interesting but not delicious. The venison I had was delicious but the beef wellington was so so, as the meat looked gray and was smothered in liver. Desserts were okay. Overall atmosphere (waitress/service, food) was snooty. My money would be better spent at a nice, warm romantic steakhouse than here at this pretencious, snooty place which lacks the romantic ambiance associated with it. Pros: In the village, lots of hype Cons: Snooty atmosphere, Expensive, Average atmosphere, Hoity Toity menu more

Romantic ? I would say not. Pros: Great Looking at first Cons: Rude staff, Much to highly priced more

We had dinner here the night we were engaged!! - not a single complaint! - we were seated promptly, the service was excellent and the food was AMAZING! - very tasty, and many good choices for the prix fixed option!, the place is very romantic, nicely decorated, and quiet!, which we really appreciated compared to so many of the very noisy restaurants - will definetly return!! Pros: Great food, very romantic Cons: pricey, but it's fine dining, so to be expected more

i ate dinner @ oibl tibs lastnight on halloween it was mediocre. Nice ambiance nice wine good service very romantic. I love food i love to eat> i ordered the foie gras for my appetizer it was salty but still tasty. We asked them immdeiately to hold off on our entrees for a few minutes so we could digest ,drink a little wine and enjoy conversation> but when my entree did come ,i got the lamb, it tasted salty and like it had been microwaved or something> i understand we asked them to hold off on our entrees but we gave them ample time before we were even done with our appetizers to do so. someone who i was with got the same thing and she agreed that it tasted like catering hall food. So we asked to have our desserts wrapped up since they came with our meal and they were very nice about telling us what travels well and what does not. Instead we ordered the cheeze platter for dessert > it was great! the best part of the whole meal. maybe i should have ordered cheeze as my entree..haha...bill came we paid it but when i woke up this morning i was not satisfied with the experience they gave us for well over 500 dollars not including tip. Pros: good ambiance Cons: not worth the money more

I had dinner there last night with a friend and was surprised to see how many poor reviews were posted here. more

I don't know why this place suppose to be a romantic dining. Pros: live piano music Cons: food more

Their claim to fame is beef Wellington. Here is my recent experience: Pros: Beautiful setting Cons: Mediocre food and service more

We ordered Beef Wellington from the fix menu and it was amazing!. The waiter was attentive and ambiance was very romantic. The Heirloom tomato salad was fresh and flavorful. We could go and on but it you want a true and romantic place just go there. But make reservations. We were so impressed we purchased a $200 gift certificate for our good friend. We loved it! Pros: Gives you everthing you can imagine Cons: Location was a little difficult to find, but worth the search. more

This place was excellent. The food the service is Highly Reccommended by me. The staff was organized and professional. The food was excellent. We went during restaurant week and the menu was perfect. The gentleman on the piano music was so soothing. I would definitely go here again. Pros: food, service, decor Cons: a little pricey. Go during restaurant week. more

Of five years of living and dining in NYC, this is by far my most favorite place I have ever been. The service was the best around, and our meal was great. Hint - they run the restuarant week deal for dinner all summer long. When I heard there was live piano music, I thought that might make it a little stuffy for my liking. But it wasn't put-you-to-sleep piano music, he played Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen for example, but he played it softly so that it wasn't overpowering. The music made the atmosphere perfectly romantic, and not over the top. If I don't go back for dinner right away I will certainly go in for a drink at the bar to listen to the piano guy. Pros: Piano player, friendly service Cons: Expensive outside of Restaurant Week more

My girlfriend and I went here two weeks ago and it made our trip. We stayed at the Ritz, went to a Yankees game (box seats), but I will tell you this was the best part of our trip! The restaurant?s GM Rosanne Martino is a billboard of a quality leader. This restaurant is run better than most military commands. The food was excellent, service was superb and the setting was definitely romantic. Waiter was very knowledgeable of both food and wine and helped us with directions to the Comedy Club. I grew up fine dining and I can tell you this was one of the best. A must go place in NYC. Thanks Rosanne! Pros: Service, food, setting. Cons: Hard to get up and leave. more

Although I was disappointed not to catch a glimpse of Aaron Burr's ghost, the food was excellent and... more

Food is eh. The atmosphere is romantic in an extremely corny way. Service isn't great. I wouldn't return. more