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If you want to enjoy your special occasion, dine at Picholine! Our 49th anniversary was top notch all the way around. Jason and the waitstaff couldn't do enough for us. Everything was "first-class". The food was superb and the rabbit certainly a luxurious treat we didn't expect. The desserts were a work of art not to be missed!

We really enjoyed our visit to Picholine. The service is incredible. The amuse bouches are unique. The food was good, some items were hit or miss but all in all a great experience. Highly recommend.

Picholine looks a little formal as you enter through the heavy doorway, but any suggestion of stuffiness vanishes at the warm, welcoming greeting by the front-staff. Thereafter, the restaurant perfectly maintains the atmosphere of pleasant, cheerful, engaged attention - never lapsing into "familiarity". The food is artfully presented and delicious, the wine list is well chosen and not unreasonably priced, and the cheeses were all perfectly ripened and well matched in an interesting progression. We had a lovely evening and would return with our most demanding friends

A short walk from Lincoln Center , Picholine proved to be "the icing on the cake" after a superb opera performance. The wine selection was exceptional, and service was excellent. Portions were parsimnious, but unsurpassed in flavor especially, the loin of lamb, which was presented in a Moroccan-style plate, withspectacular sides, the aromas of which instantanously transported me to Casablanca, or Rabat. The cheese selection and the exceptional advcie afforded by Max, a pleasant, soft-spoken, and knowledgable fromagiere was without a doubt the piece de resistance. The cheese degustation will forever remain with me!

As noted it is not inexpensive yet a very special meal. We had the tasting menu (not game) and enjoyed everything although I found the roasted bass to be the least exciting of the 7+ courses. Everything is beautifully plated, perfect temperature, wonderfully served and nicely paced. We had a comfortable banquette (how often do you find that these days) and fantastic imput on wine and cheese from 2 experts. The Lamb in particular with Indian spices was mouth watering. I changed the set apple dessert to something chocolate with no problem. And yes there are many extras given so one feels very satiated by the end.

Yes, not inexpensive but if you consider a Per Se, for instance, this is a true bargain for the creative food and warm, attentive service. You get a three part amuse bouche, and chocolates and candies with dessert, so it's really more than a set-course prix fixe. Our waiter, as on past occasions, was incredibly knowledgeable about foods and very helpful with some not-too-in-depth questions about the wines (we didn't ask to go to the sommelier level on this occasion). It is a truly elegant room, good table spacing, almost every seat with a full view of the dining area. The wild mushroom risotto was truly special, and for fun we did the Chicken Kiev (which they will serve as a separate "split course" if you like), which was just what it was supposed to be, melts in the mouth. Don't miss the cheese selection, they are rightly famous for it and our cheese server was very willingly helpful in matching to our stated preferences for tastes and textures. Go, enjoy, and appreciate affordable luxury while it's still available.

Before last night, I had not been to Picholine for many, many years. But a friend was coming into town who wanted to to eat at a very good restaurant on the Upper West Side, and I remembered hearing that Picholine had spruced up and even improved its menu. Well, it has indeed been "sprucified": the decor is quite lovely, in a sort of Art Deco way: huge chandeliers, striking mirrors on the walls, etc. The food, however, has gone waaaaaay downhill, if my dinner was any indication. My sea urchin panna cotta gave no hint whatsoever that its ingredients had ever been near a wave, much less the sea it had no flavor at all. And my salmon entree arrived lukewarm (as did that of one of my dining companions) I hesitated to send it back only because I had ordered it rare, and it was cooked as I had requested. The "caviar pearls" that accompanied it (according to our waiter, Israeli couscous cooked in squid ink) were also totally lacking in flavor. The only thing that saved the dish was the promised chorizo aioli, which was quite tasty. The cheese, on the other hand, was very good, although the [select]ion was not as large as it had been in the past. Service varied wildly while our waiter was fairly attentive, our before-dinner drinks took a long time to come my cheese plate arrived 15 minutes after my companions' desserts (and only after considerable prodding on my part). All in all, not worth the high prices that this restaurant charges.