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We were in New York celebrating a birthday and wedding anniversary, and after following Jonathan Waxman on TV for years and admiring his cooking, we decided it was the perfect occasion to finally visit his restaurant.
On arrival, the restaurant presents itself beautifully, a clean, lively, and contemporary space with a fresh energy. The front-of-house team were exceptional throughout: warm, attentive, and genuinely on the ball without ever feeling intrusive. The cocktail list also set a strong tone for the evening; well-made, balanced, and enjoyable.
For starters and mains, we ordered a selection of dishes beginning with the Tagliatelle al Astice which was fresh pasta with lobster in a lobster cream sauce. Visually, it was appealing, but unfortunately the lobster itself felt undercooked, with an overly soft, almost jelly-like texture that made it difficult to enjoy, and the flavour didn’t sit comfortably.
My husband chose the Lasagne al Funghi, which unfortunately didn’t deliver either. It arrived quite dark around the edges, with a dense, almost overly solid structure to the layers. The wild mushroom and leek flavour was muted, lacking depth, while the cheese seemed to have disappeared into an oily pool of lemon butter rather than binding the dish together.
We also ordered a side of asparagus, which sadly arrived cold and didn’t feel like it had just come from the kitchen.
To their credit, the staff were extremely apologetic and attentive throughout, and handled our feedback with professionalism. I later ordered the halibut with nettle purée, which came after my appetite had somewhat waned, but it was actually the standout dish of the evening, well cooked, nicely balanced, and something I would likely order again.
Overall, it was a disappointing experience from the kitchen, especially given the reputation and expectations we had. However, the front-of-house team were genuinely excellent and made the evening as pleasant as possible under the circumstances.
