jean george has gotten a bit tired over the years. actually the whole hotel has that dated 90s feel to it. le cirque is nice to see once, but the flavors and menu are blah. daniel's a bit too stodgy and stuffy for my taste. eleven madison has a fresh airy interior and spectacular, albeit lengthy 3.5hr dinner. can also recommend la grenouille
I actually really liked Jean Georges. I was very impressed by their service in particular. Their sommelier was fantastic -- I usually put them through the ringer as I am a big wine guy myself, and I asked her to make a special wine pairing for my meal, and she did a fantastic job on that. So I give her credit there. She actually nearly moved to Houston to take a role in a new restaurant by the folks from Mockingbird bistro, but decided to stay in NYC. She complimented Houston's dining scene while at the same time saying it was much better than Dallas', so I liked her...
what's really funny is on one visit about 11yrs ago a colleague of mine got drunk after dinner and started yelling at the sommelier who was there at the time... "i'm going to come back tomorrow and buy this place, and then hire a new wine guy!" :grin:
I'll second Pecan Lodge. Better go EARLY, though. If you get there too late or you don't wan tto wait in line, just walk around the the Old World Sausage Company for Italian beef. Regardless, save room for a cake from Ain't No Mo' Butter Cakes.
