Vaucluse

A wonderful newish place for the weary of
Le Cirque, Daniel. Etc:
fabulous lighting. Delicious food
Great bar too …

I was there for a work event and rather unimpressed.
Positives
–Space is big and tastefully done
–Drink service was alert
–The fries that came with Steak were amazing we ordered extras
–The Paris-​Brest dessert was quite good
–Bread and butter were delicious
Cons
–I thought the lamb was not great. There was no sear on the rack of lamb. The sides with (some sort of vegetable medley) were not well balanced and not all warm…
–The staff wanted to run a 40 person dinner like a catering hall. A few people had switched seats after ordering and informed the wait staff who said nothing could be done and they would have to switch once the meal arrived (not top tier service)
Overall some good elements, but needs refinement. I think the one star review from the NY times appropriate.

The potato served with the scallops appetizer was as hard as a rock. The side vegetable was hugely over-​salted. The sauce for the gigot d’agneau (leg of lamb) totally missed the mark, not to mention the meat was cold, the bread was cold, we had to wait for butter; when we again asked for butter, we were upbraided for being impatient. The desserts were delicious. Setting is beautiful. How could they be so off-​base, one wonders.
The lobster appetizer was good, but minuscule.

I did’t have high expectations after reading Pete Wells’ review. I have to disagree with him. I may just be easier to please and don’t need food that pushes the envelope or does something interesting beyond being presented well and tasting good.
Vaucluse is an elegant French restaurant. The space is beautiful. The bar looks like a great place to hang around. Our table was nice, with plenty of room. The waitstaff were excellent. There were a couple of hiccups in the service, but they weren’t a big deal. Our group had cocktails and wine by the glass. The prices were fair for this kind of restaurant. We were brought the wrong wine once– but fortunately, the waiter brought the bottle first so that we could taste it. The sommelier took away my glass of wine because the waiter had poured it into the wrong kind of glass. The issue was managed with aplomb. The bread was excellent and we were offered refills a few times. It took a while to attract our waiter’s attention to order drinks. Appetizers were really good. The salad eaters of the group were happy. I loved my pâté. The accompanying cornichons and mustard were really good. We all ordered the evening’s special, beef bourguignon. It was a bit more high concept than usual, with a big chunk of short rib as the centerpiece. It was served with excellent noodles. We had ordered the (amazing) pomme frites to share. They didn’t make it until after we were done with our entrees. The manager was very apologetic and comped us for the frites and for dessert. I didn’t eat dessert, but my friends ordered chocolate mousse, a Napoleon like pastry and a fruit plate. They were all really good. We spent around 2 ½ hours in this restaurant. We were not rushed. It felt more like dinner in a friend’s house than in a restaurant.
Overall, a really nice evening. 4.5 stars. Just a couple of mis-​steps away from perfect. I was particularly impressed with how the staff handled the few (very) minor service issues. I would definitely go back.

Fantastic! Delicious food, great and quiet ambience and 5-​star service. Delicious and delectable. Great hangar steak, oysters, chocolate soufflé. Everyone here makes you feel welcome!

Very upscale. I went with a girl friend for brunch and the crowd was older and well-​dressed (to be expected for the UES). The inside is beautiful, like a smaller version of a banquet hall. The food was delicious, we shared a salmon starter and the lobster ravioli.
Downsides: Service was terribly slow and inattentive. We had to flag down our waiter a couple times. The portions were incredibly small, even for a french restaurant. The Lobster ravioli entrée was only one ravioli about 3 inches across. Literally. Our bill for 2 drinks, an entrée and a starter was over $ 100. I went home and ate some more.

Perfect service & food. Sit in the lower level room to the right of the entrance– beautifully designed and elevates the experience– save the bar or upstairs for a business meeting or a burger. The grilled leeks and the chicken velouté were favorites. Michael White takes pasta to another level. Had the tagliatelle which was at once delicate and rich– want to come back for the epaulettes. Great for a special occasion or a romantic dinner. Leave the kids and their iPads at home please.

Vaucluse has tough shoes to fill. It is housed in the former location of the infamous Park Avenue Restaurant. Although the same classy feel still resides, the food is very different. Vaucluse delivers modern, yet classic French fare. Let me start from the beginning:
After being seated and searching the menu, we were served our drinks (dirty martini for me), a selection of breads (the best baguette I’ve ever had), and an amuse bouche (salmon on a cracker, but fancier).
My friend and I started with the beef tartare which was a good portion size. I love the pickle and toasted baguette accompaniments.
As our entrée, we shared the veal tenderloin and the entrecôte, both of which were delicious.
The best part of the meal, however, was the duck fat French fries. They literally melted in your mouth.
We couldn’t decide on just 1 dessert so we got both the Tarte Vaucluse and Soufflé Chaud Chocolat. Both were decadent and rich, in their own way.
Overall a fabulous meal and very tentative, 5 star service.

Proud of been part of building this exceptional restaurant the chefs are humble and greats cooks !!!

I love marea (ricci anyone?) and have been many many times, but hated my one experience at Nicoletta. So it was with mixed feelings that I decided to try out chef Michael White’s new French outpost in the Midtown East. In spite of its not-​exactly-​prime (other than for after work crowd) location, this place was buzzing, and my table for two was unable to score a reservation on a Friday night (admittedly with only a day’s notice). We chose to battle with the masses in the lounge area — it was a bit of a disorganized free-​for-​all, but we managed to score ourselves two seats at the bar after waiting for about twenty minutes. Everything after that went swimmingly.
My bourbon and elderflower cocktail was delicious. I told the bartender that it might have been the best cocktail i’ve ever had. My date also enjoyed her poire fizz (in spite of hesitations of it containing raw egg, she does not appear to have food poisoning today!).
The food was pretty phenomenal. We split a chicken and truffle soup, a duck confit ravioli and a seafood bouillbaise (daily special) with a side of brussel sprouts with lardons. Pretty much everything hit the spot. The soup was rich and delicious (a very generous portion of truffles dominated the flavor profile), and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The duck within the pasta might have been some of the best I’ve tasted. The bouillbaise was a little classed up with the plates arriving with a selection of seafood, and the soup being poured in table side. Brussell sprouts were well done, and the bits of lardon (bacon) never hurts!
Definitely more Marea than Nicoletta; I was very glad to have gone.

I had dinner yesterday there with friends. At the door we met the chef, he was very friendly and sweet. That right away put us into a great mood. We were sat at a cozy dinner in the back of the restaurant. The food was expectedly amazing. Oysters were delicious, lobster was perfect. I really enjoyed the food and ambience. But most of all the signature Vaucluse desert tart blowed my mind. Though I am not big on sweets, I finished this desert in minutes.
I am very happy with my experience and will be recommending the place.

Solid French food. Quite traditional I would say. And formal (service, etc.) Overall great experience but slightly overpriced. Still four stars for their bread and French waiter (do not remember his name. Went for the escargots and veal tenderloin w/​foie gras — good choices.

4.5 stars for Vaucluse (…need just a little more to reach 5 stars). My wife and I plan to go back within the next month, which is a strong endorsement.
The best part is the drink menu: fun cocktails, quality selection of beers (if not diverse), and big wine list. The atmosphere is solid: a contemporary space which gives a slightly cool edge to the often stuffy/​pretentious UES (west of Lex) restaurant crowd.
We had the smoked salmon and beef tartar as apps, striped bass and trout as entrees, and the chocolate tart for dessert. The smoked salmon was solid if simple in execution. The beef tartar was fantastic – perfect mix of creamy and slightly salty. The striped bass was solid – not the super-​flaky/​buttery perfection that bass can be, but good light flavor nonetheless. The trout was tremendous, high quality and very well prepared. The chocolate tart was to die for. Service was fantastic throughout.

KenScale: 8.0÷10
Michael White has already produced several Italian winners in NYC, from the ethereal Marea to the pasta temple Osteria Morini to underrated Ristorante Morini. Recently, he and his Altamarea Group decided to try a new French venture in Upper East Side showcasing elevated brasserie-​style food. Obviously, I had to explore what the kitchen at this new restaurant was turning out; overall, the experience was quite satisfactory and there were a lot of dishes to like.
As my dining companions and I showed up for a dinner of four on a Sunday evening, we were able to sample a variety of dishes. All Michael White restaurants have displayed strength in the pasta department, and the epaulettes (rabbit and reblochon cheese ravioli with black truffle) was another winner that displayed wonderful balance of flavor. Beef tartare was also expertly prepared, with very nice texture. I haven’t had escargots (snails) in a while, and the one at Vaucluse, which comes with red carmargue rice, feta and garlic-​parsley butter was solid, although the butter could’ve been toned down a little. Chilled Maine lobster with celery root and green apple was also alright, but the portion was a bit too small. For the main dishes, there were more mixed results. Pan sautéed trout with lemon brown butter and capers was nicely cooked, but the seasoning could’ve been slightly toned down. The roasted duck l’orange for two, which seems to be quickly become a signature dish here (also gaining a bit of notoriety with whopping $ 46 per person), was also juicy and tender, but not to the level that I think would justify the price tag. On the other hand, entrecôte (aged prime center cut ribeye) was fabulously cooked, and the fries that came with it were also very delicious. Don’t skip the desserts at Vaucluse. Millefeuille with milk ice cream here was one of the best desserts I’ve had this year (not only does it look beautiful, but the rich and decadent flavor was simply mind-​blowing), and the Paris-​Brest with caramelized white chocolate and praline croquant was wonderful as well.
Presumably due to its location, getting a reservation wasn’t particularly difficult and the restaurant definitely seems to cater more to older crowds and the dining area seems a bit more on the formal side. The restaurant has a full bar with extensive French wine selections. Vaucluse is a nice addition to Altamarea Group’s growing empire and will offer you solid French, brasserie-​style dining experience, especially with desserts.

I took my wife here for her 30^th birthday last night. When Vaucluse called to confirm our reservations i mentioned this to them.
The food was fabulous. Apps: Oysters (saltier than I’m used to but still good), smoked salmon. Entrees: lamb, lobster ravioli sides: mushrooms, brussel sprouts. Desert: chocolate moose.
Service was top notch. Everything from cleaning the table off between ea. phase of dinner to making sure that our glasses stayed toped off. When we ordered desert they had a candle in the desert and wished my wife a happy birthday. We are not the singing happy birthday, creating a scene type o this was a classy way to acknowledge her birthday. We will be back for sure.

This restaurant has all the right ingredients to become an institution in Upper east side, and their corner location is unbeatable.
Their concept is French high end brasserie, with all the great classics that you would find. Like Duck a l’Orange, Entrecôte, Foie Gras and many more. The décor is really beautiful and they have two different rooms, one which is larger with high ceilings, and another one in the mezzanine which is more intimate.
As far as the execution of the menu by their chef, the plating is precise and immaculately prepared. Some dishes I found were a bit lackluster, but for the most part the rest were pleasurable. Simplicity and flavors are keys in the french brasserie concept and in this case it is well interpreted.
They have sommeliers that would give you some great suggestions and waitstaff is helpful and accomodating. My only comments is that their service needs to be more polished and some of their staff seem inexperienced. .
Instances that I observed slightly bothered me
like women didn’t get served first, few misses in utensils course set up, frazzled servers that congregate
But once their kinks would be worked out, this restaurant has great potential to be part of a top New York dining destinations.

Upper echelon NY eatery right out of the gate. I went for the lunch so it wasn’t the full tour of offerings but it was still excellent. They did a fantastic job on the room. It’s both elegant and comfortable with many decorative details that were evident during the daytime visit. Food wise, as you may expect, the pasta was the highlight. The rabbit ravioli was scrumptious. The sea bass entrée was also excellent. The chicken entrée and leek appetizer were both very good but not overwhelmingly memorable. Dessert was fabulous and the service was superb.

This beautiful place has delicious food but nothing to be overly excited about except the snails, which were delicious. I can see this place getting one Michelin star for 2017.
Snails: delicious but the rice was a little too salty; must get this
Endive salad: looked artsy and pretty good
Lobster: pretty good
Cassoulet: this has white beans and pork and was not a soup/​stew
Tagliatelle: delicious; Michael White restaurants have the best pasta
Paris-​Best: very good

What a great addition to the UES, especially for lunch. Since I’m a burger lover, I had to try this fabulous blend of short rib and beef. What a great choice & the fries were perfect as well. Service was good. There’s alot of support staff, so you always feel catered to. Very nice experience.

First class restaurant with beautiful décor … Love that new smell… Like all new restaurants they are overstaffed and still getting their systems right. You can tell with the waiter’s waiting around but no one attending to us for a while. Everyone was super friendly so we were forgiving.
— Casio Royale cocktail — too too sweet. I couldn’t drink it.
–Bread; amazing, my partner had to get a second serving
— lobster raviolo entrée size; the lobster was a little over cooked and tough and over priced.
–white label Burger; the best my partner had ever had!
— dessert — vaucluse tart AMAZING. THE HERO.
All in all, a good experience. Will be back!