Bar Americain

We dined here this past Thursday and I was shocked with the experience we had! The host stand was rude and judgmental, the server was ok and could tell we were a little annoyed by our greeting at the front door. He tried to fix our attitude but wasn't present at the table long enough to do so. The apps were cold, the entrees took over 40 minutes to arrive and were also cold. My steak was overcooked and my wife's fish was undercooked. We don't send food back to the kitchen, we just dont return to the restaurant and don't recommend it to anyone. I'm sorry this experience was so poor, we are in NYC frequently on business and this location is right where I have my companies east coast office. Too bad.

I have no idea what the attraction is here. The food wasn't even mediocre, is was below mediocre. The mussels were cloudy and bland, the smoked chicken was cold and tough. How do you even make chicken tough? Server was pompous. As a frequent NYC diner, I would never recommend this place.

Went for brunch on Saturday. Got the eggs, sausage biscuit, gravy....was cold - the eggs were sub par...gravy was cold, sausage was almost inedible. Biscuits were hard. Bread in the bread basket almost broke my teeth...save your money - go somewhere else.

Last night, my husband and I dined at Bar Americain NYC. We had eaten there several times before and had always had wonderful experiences. Unfortunately, our experience last night was absolutely disappointing. I had ordered a half bottle of Chardonnay priced around $34. The bottle that was brought to the table was not sufficiently chilled and I refused to accept the wine. The only other half bottle of Chardonnay was a significantly higher price around $54. I spoke to the manager. He did not offer any kind of apology. Rather, he stated that this situation was not his fault because he could not help it if they ran out of this wine the day before and the new bottle only arrived two hours earlier. I found this response to be highly arrogant. Instead of taking responsibility and apologizing for the situation, as any restaurant manager skilled in the art of customer would do (particularly in a restaurant the caliber of Bar Americain), he was simply deflecting blame off himself. At that point, I explained that in a situation like this, I dislike having to take my displeasure out on the server’s tip, so I’d much prefer we work it out. The manager told me to do what I needed to do, but that once again, he was not going to do anything for me. So, not only was his attitude arrogant towards us, he displayed no compassion for his server potentially losing out on tip money. (In the end, we gave our server a generous tip. He was wonderful and the only highlight in an otherwise dreadful evening.

Went for brunch and it was great. The bread basket is amazing! Had the homemade chip and blue cheese dressing, which is addictive. Two had burgers--very nice, an Eggs Benedict and I had the Kentucky Hot Brown which was wonderful, though very rich and filling. Great restaurant.

My husband and I have been here several times and the food is always really good. We've tried the smoked bacon pizza, the grits with shrimp, grilled fish, the sirloin steaks, and of course the fries, and it has all been fantastic. The cocktails are mouthwateringly delicious! The only thing I didn't like last time we were there was the desserts - my husband loved his pumpkin cheesecake but I wasn't blown away. The rest of the meal was so good we didn't mind. Although the hosts/hostesses at the front seem aloof at first, the servers have all been friendly without being phony, paced our meal just right whether we are going to the theater or just enjoying a more leisurely meal, and have been helpful with the wine list. It's not an intimate setting, but rather a fun, warm, lively, energetic one. The quality has been consistent and we would definitely recommend it.

11/29/11..7p.m. seating. Trying to have a relaxing drink at the bar was a joke. Not enough space and tables creep right up to the bar so you're standing at the bar with your behind very close to some poor patron's dinner and waiters bumping into you constantly. We were seated at a nice table, however, and the wait staff were friendly. The food, unfortunately was not. My husband's pork lacked flavor and character while my rabbit in mustard sauce was overpowered by the sauce and very salty, obscuring any other ingredients. Good news was that they removed my entree from the bill. Would not go again....even if Bobby were there.