Tocqueville Restaurant

Nice restaurant, great food, but not so great service.
My husband and I went for dinner on a Friday evening. It was our first time there and we were impressed by the restaurant’s upscale, elegant, intimate and cozy setting. We had some appertif at the bar and had dinner in the main dining room.
The service was very mediocre, it was not that the staff did anything wrong. It was just that the staff overall were not very polished for a restaurant of that caliber and price range. The wait staff in the restaurant were not knowledgable about their wine list. In fact, they have no value add except bringing our food. They were not even personable and just plainly not sophisticated.
With that said, the food was truly excellent, very on par for a restaurant of that caliber and price range.

The Union Square area is sure lucky to have this gem. As my dining partner and I entered, we were warmly greeted, our coats were taken, and we were brought to the precious dining room. The neat, clean, classy interior made us feel fancy even during the lunch hour.
The menu appeared impressive with both a la carte items as well as prix fixe items. We were initially eyeing the $ 29 prix fixe lunch which was a 3 course meal (appetizer, main, and dessert) but we were attracted to the individual entrees more so. We started off with the house made bread that was offered graciously and not your typical offering. I chose the rosemary and olive bread and my dining partner chose another buttery and flaky bread. They were served with butter in a dish and we were offered more but we declined since we wanted to save room to savor our entrees. We were then brought a mushroom amuse bouche which was delicate and flavor packed, with a smoky flavor to accentuate the mushroom on a crispy toast like foundation. I had the duck breast with bok choy and pears and it was extremely juicy and tender. I was amazed with the crispness of the skin and how well the consommé complemented the duck. The foie gras and seared scallops were also delectable and well executed. The foie gras was the perfect amount one person would have as an entrée without feeling too overwhelmed by the richness. The seared scallops were so fresh and balanced the creaminess of foie gras. Lastly, we shared the baked alaska for dessert. Not only did its presentation wow us, but so did the taste. The raspberry sorbet and meringue were so delicious that we wished we had ordered two.
From start to finish, it was a joyful experience and if I were around the area more often I’d become a regular! There were many regulars that were dining at the time and the servers seemed to know their guests well. I’m planning a next time as I’m not opposed to trying their prix fixe options.

When the L train went out of service as i was on my way to happy hour, my feet led me to Tocqueville upon the recommendation of my drinking buddy for the evening. She said something about carbonara and i was like ok whatever lets grab a bite.
We werent really dressed up or anything so we got cozy at the bar while Walter took great care of us. I started the evening with a dirty vodka martini. It was just the right amount of dirty! and Extra olives!
My friend and I decided to make our own tasting by sharing a few plates. The complimentary bread was delicious and I helped myself to several. We also enjoyed an amuse bouche of sorts– something with a foie gras mousse. Delicious. (I’m pretty fancy, eh?)
For our entrees we split the angel hair Pasta carbonara with uni as well as the diver scallops and foie gras. GOOD LORD. The scallops were perfectly seared and the foie gras melted in my mouth! But the real winner of the night was the carbonara. My biggest regret was not ordering my own! Extremly flavorful and creamy without that heavy feeling of cream and butter. it was so… LIGHT! how they manage to make carbonara light is a mystery to me.
I am not ashamed to admit that I used a spoon to drink every but of the sauce that remained. I could go for a bowl right now.
After our entrees we werent really in the mood for something sweet so we ordered the cheese plate. My favorite element was the raw honey comb! just so very good!
Our bartender made some drinks with huckleberry sorbet, st. germain, tequila, and triple sec– it was like a frosty sangria. Quite delicious.
Overall, it was a fantastic dinner with great company and great service. I am very glad the L train went out of service… otherwise i would have missed out on that delicious Carbonara!
Cant wait to come back for the tasting menu.

$ 24 Prixe Fixe Lunch… Love it!

A few friends and I had planned a fancy dinner night at this restaurant near Union Square for a special Prix Fixe selection. They started off with the Lobster Bisque while I opened up with the Truffle Parmesan Grits and Egg over easy minus the veal bacon. Both were delicious! It immediately had me filling up. After this, we both enjoyed the Turkey dinner with sweet potato-​maple Mousseline and chestnut sage stuffing, baby Brussels sprouts, glazed carrots and Cranberry Compote.
For dessert, I finished off with a Pumpkin Panna Cotta and Pumpkin Ice Cream while they shared a Crustless Pie trio of Pumpkin Mousse, Cranberry Crumble and Pecan Pie. We dined on this while enjoying a Pear Bellini, A Tocqueville Toddy of mulled warm apple cider with Calvados Château du Breuil.
It doesn’t get any better than that!