Benoit

Ich bin hingegangen, da irgendwo erwähnt war, dass es hier ein sehr gutes Cassoulet gäbe.
Dies ist definitiv nicht der Fall, denn ich habe noch ein schlechteres vorgesetzt bekommen. Es war wirklich ziemlich schlimm: wenig Geschmack, einfach nur fett. Knapp 50 USD für das Cassoulet und ein Glas Cola, auch nicht schlecht.
Außerdem gefiel mir das Publikum nicht wirklich. Viel Geld, wenig Stil, typisch Midtown halt.
Ich komme nicht wieder. Der Laden ist eher was für Donald Trump ;-)

Disappointing overall — not what the recent New York Times review led us to expect.
Despite the 3 degree temps outside, four of us went for Valentine’s Day brunch featuring a $ 65 prix fixe menu. It started well. Service was friendly and the restaurant was charming and cozy, just the neighborhood bistro we expected. The bread basket and gougeres came. They were a nice mix of lemon bread, croissants, and rolls, but a little dry and served cold.
We tried three different entrees. The Club Benoit, a multilayered sandwich with slices of chicken breast and smoked salmon, served with salad on the side, was delicious. It turned out to be the best entrée on the menu. Two of us ordered Steak and Fries. The fries were crisp and lovely, but the hanger steaks were tiny, 2“x4″ in size, and under seasoned. They looked lost and lonely on their serving plates. The Scrambled Eggs with Truffles came in a bowl, looking like yellow porridge with dark specks and tasting bland. Adjacent tables complained about the Soufflé with Lobster which looked like inverted bowls of pudding with dollops of lobster on top. One diner said it tasted floury, a bit like a crêpe.
We ordered both dessert options to share. The Ms Berry/​Mr Chocolate were layers of cake and mousse — one raspberry, the other chocolate. They were moist and satisfying although the berry cake was a neon pink that bordered on being garish. The Chocolate Éclair was a mistake. Its passion fruit cream filling didn’t work well with the chocolate and left a vague, unpleasantly sour taste in the mouth. The coffees and lattes, however, were very good.
Yes, we had champagne — a bottle of La Caravelle Brut Rose — to share. Nevertheless, the brunch was not worth the $ 350 tab we were charged at the end.

My partner and I had Sunday brunch here, and unfortunately it was not a pleasant experience. The host had difficulty finding our reservation, and both his omelette and my burger were badly underseasoned, to the point that we were both putting globs of ketchup on everything just to add some flavor. When I expressed our disappointment with our meal to the waitress, she smiled and nodded and made no other response. For what you pay here, you have better food — and service — elsewhere.

1. The hosts couldn’t believe we made a reservation and took several minutes to seat us, even though the restaurant was empty.
2. I paid $ 15 for an omelette that tasted like foam rubber.
3. When I informed my waitress of this, she beamed a wide grin and walked away without saying a word.
Bottom line: flavorless, textureless food served by a smug waitstaff. I lament every cent I paid at this establishment.

Classic French cuisine. Good ingredients, professional service and well prepared food. Restaurant Week dinner was everything I expected-​escargot in garlic butter were juicy and tender, roasted cod was succulent and covered in fried capers, croutons and sun dried tomatoes and the 3 scoops of ice cream I chose Pistachio and chocolate plus an orange ginger sorbet) a perfect finish. Older crowd and can get noisy and cramped but c’est la vie! At least it’s authentic!

Had the opportunity for a brief visit to New York City; who knew it was Restaurant Week!
Made a reservation for dinner at Benoit, ¹⁄₂₆ 8:30.
It was very evident from the start Benoit was not embracing Restaurant Week.
I ordered the salmon; there was no option for medium rare. The food reminded me of banquet fare… prepared and held warm. The flat iron steak was pot roast at best!
Appropriate stems were not provided for the bottle of red wine we ordered.
Service was cool and distant.
We’ve since dined at two other restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, no comparison!

As a French who lives in NYC, finding a good bistro is a question of survival. After reading the negative reviews in Unilocal,I was a bit skeptical about this place, but after going there for restaurant week, I can say with confidence that Benoit is an outstanding bistro. Do not expect a super sophisticated cuisine: all the plates are classic bistro dishes, but they are very well executed and the ingredients used are good. The atmosphere is great, It has the feel of a crowded bistro of the belle époque. The personnel was accomodating and professional. They immediately spoke to me in French. It felt like home.

Benoit was recommended to me by the Concierge at our hotel. It’s very charming inside. I ordered the French onion soup and the bread tasted stale. I did let the waiter know and I didn’t eat it.
It did remain on the bill however.
There are so many fabulous choices in this gorgeous city. Trattoria Dell’Art is about as good as it gets.

Nice french bistro with Very good food and nice service, i tried the veal blanquette as a special it was very tasty
Really recommended

Benoit is the second Alain Ducasse restaurant I’ve sampled on a Christmas day, away from home. The last time was over a decade ago at Spoon in London, a forward thinking and precious restaurant that owed a great debt to Ferran Adria’s refinement of molecular gastronomy.
Benoit, on the other hand, is looking steadfastly backward-​and that is not at all a bad thing. Ducasse is attempting the Keith McNally trick of opening a classic French Bistro that aims to appear as if it had always been there… in Midtown. Ducasse should have gotten McNally’s decorator, because while Benoit is a lovely evocation of a classic haute bistro, it simply looks brand new, more or less. I love that is glowingly gold and beautifully lit and open and my wife and I enjoyed the charming caricatures of (presumably) famous French personalities from another era. The fin de siecle era champagne posters are beautiful, but maybe trying too hard? Ditto for the handsome brass coat racks with «luggage» strewn on top.
As mentioned, Paige and I had Christmas lunch here, so there was a prix fixe menu that offered a decent array of options. My lovely wife started with the VGF consumme’, which was pastry topped mini-​tureen of veal consumme’ enriched with foie gras and duck meat and she loved it-​her new preference for «under-​the –weather-​need-​soup» situations. Her roast organic chicken was enormous and delicious and came with textbook frites that were enough for three hungry people. I started with a lobster salad with fingereling potatos and frisee; perfectly cooked, if a tad bland. My steamed loup de mer, however, was not only silken in texture but redolent of the aromatics and broth that accompanied the tender fish in the cast iron brassier.
My sweet had an upside-​down pineapple tarte that was delicious while my white chocolate opera was overly sweet but otherwise nice.
Service was very friendly and fairly efficient or such a busy day (the place was packed with mostly families with children) and I (as usual) wich Unilocal allowed half stars because I would definitely add one to my rating. Bottom line: there is nothing special but much that is pleasurable at Benoit but the prices keep it from being a «pop in whenever you want some French comfort food» kind of place.

In the past few years, this place has really grown on me. The bar in the front is charming and quiet. The same servers have been there the entire time I’ve gone, and seeing a familiar face is comforting. I usually get a pinot noir or a sparkling white wine when I’m there. They serve these puffy cheese sticks with the wine, which is a nice touch.
For the first time, I recently went into the dining area itself for lunch and was surprised by how large it is. I really loved the warm lighting back there. Nothing outstanding stood out from the lunch menu. But like I said 3 years ago in my first review — I always leave satisfied and happy. Maybe I’ve mellowed out with age, but I value that consistency more now.
Recently, I’ve had the below:
— Country Salad with poached egg
— Charcuterie & pâtés selection
— Cassoulet
— Filet Mignon, medium rare

Saying we enjoyed Thanksgiving Day at Benoit would be like saying New York is just a city. We about FELL OVER ourselves with the whole Benoit Experience which has now become my #1 favorite dining experience in 2015!
The dinner menu and the wine pairing was not only superb but seemed like a reasonable value. Seeing the tiny sommelier hoist a Jeroboam of Mersault, my favorite wine of the pairing, was a real treat. As was seeing a perfect truffle…
For starters, our table tried the Lobster Bisque (exquisite and rich), the Maine Lobster Salad (fresh and cool!) and the Duck Foie Gras Terrine (Oh my god, get-​the-​defibrillator-​charged-​up good!). A second sentence about the Foie Gras is needed to describe how creamy and perfect and absolutely delicious it was.
Main Courses: We all chose the Vermont Turkey with foie gras and chestnut stuffing, cranberry chutney, potatoes, and wild mushrooms. Incredible Perfect gravy, perfect stuffing. Foie gras appears to go with everything!
Finally, a leisurely 2 hours later, we ended with dessert and coffee. I opted for the Black Forest (Swiss roots) and the others had the stunning and unusual Chestnut torte. Rave reviews for dessert and every bite.
A major regret: The server brought out and showed us a fresh white truffle that we could have put on any dish for $ 18/​g. I regret that a teeny bit of that truffle did not go on our foie gras. The Three course dinner was $ 80, and the 4 glass wine pairing was $ 65. Money well spent.
We made reservations well in advance. First we called, and were put on a wait list. When I didn’t hear from them, I open-​tabled about 30 days out. That was the reservation that stuck! The reservation was confirmed multiple times. Pick up your phone, it might be Benoit calling…

Such a pleasant surprise. Dinner here was just right, and I felt that I was in Paris. The manager personally attended to me, which I found impressive. I think his name was Antoine. I didn’t have a reservation, and it was late, but I was welcomed very warmly. Service was polite and respectful. I thought prices were reasonable for what a good experience I had. The lobster salad was so good, and the service impeccable. Everyone around me was speaking in French, so it was kind of a transporting experience, as another reviewer wrote it’s cheaper than buying a ticket overseas.

An midtown bistro-​brasserie delivered by Alain Ducasse… a French interior of plush, red velvet cushions and the room is steeped with warm candle glow. Monday night and Benoit is filled with an older crowd — all regulars who know to order the Roast Chicken for Two (I didn’t and pretty much stared at the chickens lining out of the kitchen all night).
You spend the first few minutes snacking on Benoit’s gougères and baguette slices served in a floppy, red sack. Peruse the menu but take my advice — The Celery Root Rémoulade, Curried Crab & Apple is refreshing and the curry control is beautifully light. Crispy Pied De Cochon, Tartar Sauce has an addicting, masculine chew to it. The Tarte Flambée is a fun nibble for the table but be wary of getting full off this because other menu items deserve the spotlight. Plan to pack most of it to-​go or share with a party of four or more.
Pâté en Croûte served with a bucket of endless cornichons and pearl onions was memorable. Just a classic, beautiful order worth your time and money, especially if someone at the table is already drinking a red. The Foie de Veau was incredibly rich, but I’d come back to see why every other table was ordering that chicken…
Also, the «White Truffle Experience» lasts until the end of December. Take advantage. There’s nothing like the aroma of seasonally harvested white truffles from Sienna to turn up holiday sensuality at the dinner table.

Top notch service, delicious food, and a great French bistro atmosphere. We really enjoyed the foie gras and the escargot. Expertly prepared, great favors, and generous serving sizes. In addition to all these positive things, the prices were not terrible. Go if you can!

Really a 3.5…
For some reason I expected «high end». That was my bad. Benoit is a typical red banquet NY French bistro.
My recent brunch was good but by no means exceptional. More tourists than New Yorkers… We tried the onion soup, warm chicken salad, and the waffles. All were the same as served in every other French restaurant. Nothing was special or unusual. Nothing on the menu exciting.
Our server also was very average. He did his job but no more than that.
Bottom line: ok to try once but no reason to return.

Benoit is a lovely fancy restaurant located in Mid-​Town NYC very close to the Love Sculpture. One of the best thing’s I ate this past trip was Benoit’s special: Seared foie gras with onion custard and blackberries. Perfectly seared and matched with the onion custard to give a phenomenal taste, so amazing you can’t help but close your eyes to savor each bite. This dish was so good it almost made us want to cry. Thank you «chef» for creating this masterpiece.
We also sampled many appetizers, including pizza, sardines, octopus, and crab cake, all which were very delicious. For the main course I got the slow cooked pork shoulder (4 stars). It came with baked potatoes that I thought even those were amazing. I tried some of my friend’s duck in «cake» and I thought that might’ve been the best dish. For dessert, «chef» let us sample many items, including cake, sorbet, soccer cake. I am lactose intolerant and don’t normally do dessert, but these were too good to pass up. It was worth it!
Our experience at Benoit was fantastic. Nice atmosphere, great service, amazing food. I definitely recommend everyone to try Benoit!

I had brunch with my friend here on a Sunday morning. We split the eggs florentine and decided to splurge on the unlimited dessert. Everything was delicious. Not bad for $ 16 (one dessert a la carte is $ 5). We sampled nearly every sweet!
Service was exceptional here and it wasn’t crowded at all on a Sunday. Extremely polite waitstaff checked on us often and refilled drinks.
Fancy establishment with tasteful interior. They even give you a free macaron on your way out! Menu is a bit on the pricier end but I wouldn’t mind coming back.

The décor at Alain Ducasse’s Benoit’s transports you to a Parisian café or bistro in France with the black and white wall vinyl, dim lighting and marble top tables for two.
From start to finish, our dining experience at Benoit during Restaurant Week was superb. New York’s RW features a 3-​course meal for $ 38/​dinner and we added the cheese plate from the menu to supplement our dining experience. Our wait staff was attentive even bringinh the french cheese puff breads to our table when we quickly inhaled the first servings of these little treats.
Our appetizer selections were assorted – waldorf salad, escargo (6) – didn’t taste like I was eating snails and the cauliflower and onions soups. The table was satisfied and pleased especially with our upcoming entrée selections – mussels in a white wine sauce with frites, roast duck (crispy skin yet tender meat) and salmon. In all, we were pleased and stuffed but dessert soon followed.
The desserts were nothing memorable but decent – a pear tart, assorted sorbets of lemon, mango and pear and a crème brûlée. I will come back to Benoit during NY’s RW but I will definitely compare it to Daniel Boulud on my next French dining excursion.

E-​Scale: ⁸⁄₁₀
Just finished my dinner at Benoits. Ordered the restaurant week menu.
Escargot was very hot and could use a bit more garlic, but otherwise it was good.
The daurade fish with fennel and grapefruit was perfect. If you just eat the fish it is a bit greasy but the grapefruit cut it perfectly flavors worked well together.
The other entrée was the mussels. These were not seasoned enough and fishy. Needed more garlic and salt.
French fries came with the mussels. They were not greasy and just thin enough. I enjoyed the fries a lot.
The dessert was the biggest disappointment. I ordered the soufflé and instead of a fluffy baked cake, I got a giant hunk of cheese cake frozen solid with no crust. Way too rich to even finish.
The lemon tart on the other hand was excellent. The filling was not too sour or sweet.
Overall the service was fantastic. Waiters and bussers were all friendly and food came up in a timely manner.
³⁄₅ for food
⁵⁄₅ for service

The service here was horrible!!! Our server Alfredo kept giving us attitude from our arrival! The busboy was kind enough to take over his job… And in the end jean francois was nice of him to take our dessert order! And he was pretty friendly!
Food wise: the menu was very limited!
I’ve had hanger steak, my friend got mussels both were just ok.
Wine! Was pretty expensive I got a glass of wine for $ 20
I was excited to see on their dessert menu chocolate soufflé. So I ordered one but it wasn’t cooked and I had to return it!
Décor was pretty nice! It feels like you were somewhere in France!
I do not recommend this place! This is NYC and there are plenty of good French restaurant! Just skip this one!

Dans la 55ème rue vous avez deux restaurants issue de la cuisine d’Alain Ducasse (
) :
Benoît au numéro 60 et Adour au numéro 2.
Benoît existe aussi à Paris et à Tokyo.
Plusieurs sites internet existent. Tout d’abord :
qui regroupe plusieurs bistrots appartenant à A. Ducasse.
Et
Benoît en France :

Benoît à New-​York :

Benoît à Tokyo :

Maintenant abordons la mise en bouche, découvrons le bouquet et la chair de ce bistrot qui doit ses origines à un boucher qui ouvrit un bouchon lyonnais en plein Paris en 1912.
Deux sympathiques personnes, un jeune homme et une jeune fille nous accueillent et nous débarrassent de nos vestes.
Un deuxième jeune homme nous accompagne à notre table. Le lieux est peu fréquenté, 3 couples et une table de 10.
Nous voilà plongée en plein coeur de Paris. Des photos en noir et blanc.
La décoration de table continue sur le thème bistrot.
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Avec mon anglais un peu hésitant, le serveur comprend de suite que nous sommes français et me voilà plus à l’aise à fin de lui commander un verre de vin.
Du pain de campagne, du beurre salé et des petits pains au fromage en apéritif le tout, pour accompagner un verre de vin blanc et un kyr.
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
A l’aide d’un petit crayon vous pouvez choisir en 3 ou 5 hors d’oeuvres
— 3 pour 12 $
— 5 pour 16 $
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Ma femme a choisi la soupe du jour et 3 hors d’oeuvres.
J’ai oublié de photographier la soupe mais j’ai juste eu le temps de saisir l’instant de l’artichauts à la barigoule, et le repos de l’oeuf mayo en plein méditation et le troisième à vous de deviner, je m’en souviens plus.
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Pour ma part j’ai pris l’option 2 courses, 2 plats pour 22 $. Si vous voulez lire la carte, c’est ICI (
)
Le Boeuf bourguignon
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Une bûche de Noêl
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
La soupe était généreuse et les hors d’œuvre c’était pas assez mais un délice.
Pour ma part, le boeuf était succulent à souhait et la bûche de Noêl j’en rêve encore.
J’ai même vu à l’entrée sa grande soeur (pour 6 à 8 personnes 25 $.
Pendant le repas nous avons pu voir les pâtisseries françaises présentées sur un vieux chariot d’époque en bois.
Et pour Noêl et le Jour de l’an Benoit vous propose un «Special Menu». Si vous êtes à New-​York, profitez de l’Offre spéciale QYPE: New Year’s Eve Five-​Course Menu.
Pour en savoir plus c’est ICI (
)
Il y aura peut-​être une Dinde de Noêl au menu…