Rue 57

I dined for the 2nd time tonight at Rue 57. The food was excellent, for me. The Filet Mignon was perfect, my friend's meatloaf was ok...a little spicy...but still very good. My problem here is not the food. The mussels are wonderful and the atmosphere, beautiful It's the waiters. The first time there was Valentine's Day. It was late, about 10:30pm, and although it was a little late...it was Valentine's Day! Come on! I guess the waiter had made such a killing that night, my 25% didn't really matter to him one way or the other to him. But please, don't bring my entree while I'm still eating my appetizer. This restaurant should be better than that. I might expect that at my neighborbood Italian at $10- $15 an entree, but not at Rue 57 , the co owner of Tao!! Tonight was almost no different. We were sat promptly, and at first, the waiter was very polite. However, as the entree arrived, it was time to order more drinks. I opted for an iced tea. Now, at almost every restaurant I've ever been to, including DINERS, they tell you if it is sweetened or not. From my waiter, nothing. My iced tea arrives, it looks fresh brewed... I can't wait. I add some sugar, take a sip, and it tastes like cough medicine. Low and behold it's flavored. I'm not a baby about this, I just send it back. This is where it hit the fan. The waiter took it back without so much as a "sorry" or a "would you like something else." Instead, I got an exhale and abandonment. I did not see him until about 20 minutes later. No concern for my thirst, nor for my friend who barely ate half of her entree...she did take it home for lack of an appetite, but he basically ignored us, and did not walk by once this whole time. I ended up not tipping him, which I never do..but I was just fed up. No, my dinner wasn't ruined by him, and yes he did still serve us. But for all the waiters who take for granted those high checks (I have waited on tables for years), c'mon guys...it was just an iced tea.

Went there with a business group of 35 in the private room downstairs. Appetizers great especially the miniature hamburgers. Service particularly exceptional with a few theater-goers handled on short notice. Had the glazed chilean sea bass which was as good as i have ever had it before; oregon pinot noir served truly fantastic. With delicious creme-broulet dessert, as good and fairly priced as any business dinner in new york city.

We went here for our 5 year anniversary, as it was the place we went on our first date. Even though it is a loud and somewhat cramped place, they treated us wonderfully and we were very impressed. They served us complementary champagne, as well as a tasty chocolate dessert with congratulations written on the plate. It was all very thoughtful of the staff. They were attentive, and the food and drinks were great. The prices are very reasonable and there is really something for everyone.

I was very excited to try this restaurant having passed it a few times. I was let down with the whole experience though. The bread brought to our table was both stale and burned. I ordered a burger as did someone else I was dining with and we were both dissatisfied. What was brought to our table were slabs of meat so thick we cut through them horizontally. Both burgers were extremely burned even though I ordered mine medium. They were dry and bare except for the cheese, so we asked for lettuce and tomato to "liven" up the burgers. That was all fine until we got our bill and were shown that the lettuce and tomato had been added to the bill! Things that are supposed to come on a burger! Our other dining partner got chicken salad and said it was the most bland thing she'd ever eaten. Our wait staff was average, it did take a few minutes too many between bringing things to the table and when we weren't ready to order our waitress was huffy. I do not think I will be going back.

We happenned upon Rue 57 by chance... I ordered the seared tuna appetizer, which was also crusted with black sesame seeds and was quite yummy! Dessert was spectacular, a chocolate Valhrona cake filled with liquid chocolate, and accompanied with a heavenly white chocolate ice cream and a chocolate tuile (somewhat soggy...). Definitely worth a second visit.

Food was good, service was okay, but we had an unbelievable experience. We ordered a bottle of wine, they were out of it, and the waiter just poured a different bottle. I'm not a cheapskate, but I just wanted to know if it was the same price that we had ordered. He said yes. Well, when we got our bill, it was NOT the same price! Upon raising this issue to the manager, he was very short with us and when he finally understood the issue, snapped at the waiter, "Good, then you can pay the difference!!" I have never seen a scene like that in front of customers in my 8 years in the restaurant industry!

We each had a platter of sushi which was way too much - it was all gorgeous though! We accompanied it with the spinach which was also delicious. It was quiet when we were there (Sunday evening) but did see it get lively a few times. Best French martinis too - all round brilliant.