[UWS-Hell's Kitchen]Lincoln Center - Pre/Post Theater Dinner Recs

[soapgirl]

Looking for consistently good food, nice atmospere, great service for party of three for a birthday dinner. By reading posts, some choices that look promising are:

Compass
Telepan
Per Se
Picholine
Jean-Georges
Asiate

As we currenly can't search by date, I have been sifting recent reviews, but wondering about current quality of these restaurants and if anyone has better ideas???

[soapgirl]

Well, we ended up going to Picoline AND Telepan. We meant to only have the cheese and wine course pre-theater at Picoline, but mmm... it was prix-fixe only on Saturday. So, we ended up with two dinners. Both tasty, but Telepan was so much more casual.

Thank you to all who made recs!

[Epicure]

My top favorite from your list would be Telepan--I would follow Bill Telepan anywhere (though of course I hope he never gets a stupid TV show and some gimmicky restaurant in Las Vegas)--divine food from fabulous ingredients, truly smooth and professional service, gorgeous room (lovely, elegant not a hyped up stage set). I can't imagine a better place for a birthday dinner.
That said, though, I love Cafe Gray as a pre-theater choice. Till 6:30 they have a $62 three course prix fixe from which I recommend the mushroom risotto to start followed by the short ribs. Both of these are obscenely expensive (to me: $26 and $39, respectively) on the regular dinner menu, and they are rich and fabulous. There was some lovely coffee creme brulee thing for dessert that had rote gruetze with it. Divine. The room is a bit too glitzy for me, but it doesn't make you want to linger for hours, as you might wish to at some of the other places (like Telepan, where I'd like to stay overnight...).

[soapgirl]

Thanks for the post! You're making me hungry, I love risotto. While the reviews look good for Cafe Gray, I also have been reading that it is extremely loud?? I can't stand not being able to hear across the table at dinner, so if this is the case, Gray is not the place for us... Any comments?

[Epicure]

Well, I was recently there with my mother on a Saturday evening (post opera matinee), and while virtually all of the seats around us were filled in (obviously to take advantage of that great prix fixe), and I certainly wouldn't describe it as quiet or serene (like a dead night at the old Picholine--can't comment on vibe of "new" renovated one--for example, where you barely want to speak above a whisper), I don't recall having any trouble talking, and my mother, who hates noisy places, definitely would have remarked on a disturbing noise level. It's actually more visually noisy.

[soapgirl]

Thanks!! I don't need serene but I just can't take pounding techno and screaming while I am trying to eat...

[s44]

Whym, Isabella's (less expensive, always good)
Gabriel's (wierdly overlooked)
Cafe Gray ($40+ entrees)

Those are pre-theater.

Compass is great for drinks afterwards.

[comidaqueen]

I've never eaten at Asiate, but all of the others are fabulous! Some are clearly more difficult to get into than the others. Per Se definitely is the hardest, followed by maybe Telepan, Jean Georges or Picholine. Compass is easier to get into, but don't let that fool you, the food is fantastic there too!

[soapgirl]

Thanks... already looked and Per Se is booked solid (all night)!! That's out.

[RGR]

The title of your post indicates that this is a pre-theater dinner. If that's true, even if you were able to get a table at Per Se, it isn't the kind of place where people go pre-theater. Since the menu there is a multi-course tasting dinner, it takes 3-4 hours and so becomes the entertainment for the evening.

We've always liked Compass and have had a number of excellent pre-Lincoln Center dinners there. Chef John Fraser's New American cuisine is delicious. Service is friendly and capable. The large space has attractive contemporary decor and comfortable seating. (We always ask to be seated in one of the cozy booths.)

[soapgirl]

I posted the title pre/post because right now we have the option of doing either...
1. Pre-theater dinner and snack/drinks after
OR
2. Snacks/drinks and post-theater dinner

Trying to get a feeling if there is one pre-theater seating or late night seating that would be better than the rest.
Seems like I keep reading consistent reviews about Compass! Thanks for your post...

[RGR]

We've only done pre-theater at Compass in the dining room. We usually reserve for 5:30 to insure having a leisurely meal. However, if you want to eat more lightly there pre-theater, you can sit in the lounge, which has a different menu.

One caveat about post-theater there. I can't remember which food forum I read this on, but someone posted about popping in there around 9:30 p.m. on a Monday evening with the intention of eating in the lounge only to learn that the kitchen had closed. Could be that there were no performances at Lincoln Center that evening and business was overly slow. But that's no excuse. When a restaurants states its hours, one has every right to presume that means the kitchen remains open until the stated closing time. At Compass, on Mon.-Thurs., it's 11 p.m.; on Fri. & Sat., midnight; and on Sun., 10 p.m.

[soapgirl]

Thanks for the info!!