We are frequent diners at the many great restaurants of NYC and really enjoy a wonderful and innovative food. It had been years since we had gone to Chanterelle, so went their for my birthday tonight. The restaurant was half full and very somber, but the decor and flower arrangements were still beautiful as we remembered. We ordered a glass of champagne and then ordered a bottle of wine. The wine list had a few bottles at $40 and them jumped up significantly from there (which we know is common in many restaurants). We told our waitress we wanted a medium-body red around $60. We got a French pinot that was below average. The food came out. I had ordered the scallops and foie gras with chive oil--to my disappointment I was given what I could only call a scallop shumai with a foie gras mousse and chive oil squirted around the plate. For my main I had a poached chicken breast that was good, but not incredible. The dessert was actually quite good--a prune armagnac souffle. My boyfriend's meal was average: squash ravioli with ox ragout as the starter and lamb for the main. It was ok. The service was fine but when the bill came we were shocked to see that the 2 glasses of champagne were $50 and the bottle of pinot (2004, Louis Jadot) was $75. I feel as though there should have been some discussion about the prices of the wine. I know that at a $75 price point you can have an excellent bottle of wine at a top restaurant. SKIP this and go to Le Bernadin, Per Se or Bouley for a better dining experience at this price range.
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