Dovetail = Disappointed

[harrison]

Living in the neighborhood, DW and I were excited to try Dovetail for our anniversary on a rare night out. Overall, neither of us were impressed.

Our table wasn't ready and they suggested a drink at the bar. Only problem is there really is no bar. 4 seats and a couple of tiny high 2 tops - all full. We pretty much had to wait by the hostess stand and constantly move out of the way.

Onto the food - I went with the crab ravioli w/ chorizo - nothing special and the chorizo was pretty MIA. DW had the grouper ceviche which was ok. Mains, DW went with monkfish which she didn't finish. I went with the pistachio crusted duck - nothing special. Best food on table was the cheddar cornbread.

We skipped dessert and headed to Shake Shack for a concrete - made us both feel better after spending $240 (w/ nice wine).

I think Telepan, which is fairly similar in mission/menu is much much better option.

[Andy T.]

Where did you sit? I'm still wondering if my perception of the food was colored by being seated downstairs ("Siberia", according to the new Zagat). That, and the waitress becoming visibly annoyed when I presented an Opentable voucher. We agree that the food was nothing special, at best, with their "daring" items (dessert item with bacon) better executed at places like Tailor.

[harrison]

We were upstairs - i had requested it on Opentable and then reconfirmed it over the phone since I too heard about the Siberia problem.

I really wanted to like it - and liked Fraser's food at Compass. Maybe I'll go back for another try if someone else is paying!

[erica]

I am wondering if anyone else cares to comment about recent experiences at Dovetail. I have suggested it as a dinner spot for friends that liked Compass in the past, but after reading these reviews, I am feeling anxious about my recommendation.

Any tips on what to order?

Where would the quietest tables be located--in the dreaded downstairs?

Is the food so mediocre, with such a poor price/quality ratio?

Many thanks!

[rrems]

I have been to Dovetail recently, and the food was still very good. If you have seen my earlier posts about it you will know I enjoyed it on previous occasions too. My only complaint is the chef does not change the menu as often as he did at Compass, so we waited a while before returning after our last visit in the summer, but there were a few new dishes on the current menu which we tried and were delightful, particularly the sturgeon. The downstairs would no doubt be quieter, but I have not found the upstairs to be horribly noisy, and personally would not want to be seated downstairs.

[erica]

Rrems: Many thanks! I am anxious because I think our friends are planning to treat us. They had suggested Compass and I mentioned Dovetail as an alternative. Dovetail appears to be quite a bit more expensive so your assurance about the food is most welcome.

What is the story with the downstairs? Why is it so bad to sit there?

[rrems]

Unless you have the prix fixe at Compass, the prices are not significantly less than at Dovetail. As far as food goes, I was very happy with a recent dinner at Compass, so I think either is a good choice. Compass is also quieter, if that matters, although if you were to sit in the dreaded basement room at Dovetail it would probably be quiet too, maybe too quiet. My sense is that it just feels like Siberia, and I am never keen on basement rooms in restaurants.

[uwsgrazer]

I've dined at Dovetail a couple of times - once at the bar for several dishes with friends, another time for a full meal seated in the lower level. I posted earlier about my lukewarm experience (nothing awful, just not as enamored as other Hounds seemed to be). As far eating in the "basement" I actually didn't have such an issue with this. Admittedly, I would just as soon be away from the thick of things so maybe this was part of it. For what it's worth, the friend I dined with seemed to also be fine with the subterranean setting. It's possible he was just being polite since I was treating, but I didn't really get that impression. That said, I can see how all else equal one would prefer to avoid basement dining

[erica]

Thanks! I had thought it was a favorite here, and it (Dovetail) got such a good NYT review; but when I searched here I did not turn up any rave reviews..it is awkward since I already suggested the switch from Compass to Dovetail.

And quiet is definitely important..I am getting the idea that the better seating at Dovetail will come with noise--correct?? (This will be during the week at a fairly early hour. probably 7:30pm dinner)

[cimui]

the complaints about the cramped wait are true (the bar is miniscule) -- but i've never had a problem with the noise level.

agree with rrems that the food at dovetail and compass are of comparable quality. i certainly don't think you traded down.

[piegirl74]

I assume that you mean the main level is the upstairs, and there is additional seating downstairs where the bathrooms are? I didn't even realize there was seating down there. Though, I have been only one time.

I didn't find the noise level distracting in the least bit (we sat on the main/upstairs level). We dined on a Saturday evening, pre-theatre. The dining room was almost empty when we arrived (6:30) but was packed about halfway thru our meal.

I found the space modern and cozy without being cramped.

My only complaint about the meal was being a bit disappointed with dessert. Otherwise, we found everything to be delicious. Seafood seems to be their strength and that is what we both ate.

[financialdistrictresident]

erica, we have only had dinner at Dovetail once (too long ago to be helpful - the end of July). The food was good, not great. I was underwhelmed. At that price point I expected more and their wine mark up was high. Check out this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/525601

[prcentauri]

i too was less than impressed... although the cornbread was yummy and the apps we had were great: sweatbreads, scallop (not the one on the website menu), the dinner didnt holdup after that. the entrees were underwhealming. i had the halibut confit which was beautifully presented but seemed a bit on the dry/overcooked side. the other entree was the pistacchio crusted duck which i was disappointed with, not all that juicy and didnt have a pleasing flavor profile. ended up not getting desserts.

my personal impressions aside, a lot of ppl seem to love the place so i might give them another shot at some point.

[cimui]

i'm wondering if some hounds are having the same reaction to dovetail as i had to telepan. it was ok, but not nearly as good as i'd expected given all the rave reviews. i'd read and heard about telepan so much that i think my expectations were unreasonably high.

the food is NOT revelatory. but in my experience, it is a consistently solid choice. the only less impressive meals i've had there were on sundays at sunday supper, a drop in quality that many restaurants suffer from, since the A-team kitchen staff often gets that day off.

[City Kid]

I agree with your assessment of both as not great. I found Telepan very disappointing, both food and service. The only thing I loved at Dovetail was the cornbread, which they rationed out as if it were gold. I could not nearly finish my entree there (though it was very small), which was some sort of lamb that was minced to the fine texture of baby food and so salty it was practically inedible. In my opinion, there are countless better choices in NYC than these two.

[kelea]

I just revisited dovetail for brunch yesterday and was disappointed. The meal overall was ok but man were our entrees salty! The amuses before and after the meal were amazing. I really enjoyed them.

We started with yogurt and granola parfait, cold parsnip soup, open faced cucumber tea sandwich and a duck meatball. The yogurt was fresh and tart, the honey was a perfect balance of sweet and the granola was just perfect. The parsnip soup was probably the least of my faves. I can't even describe the taste. It was just odd. The tea sandwich and meatball were perfectly seasoned bites.

For the entrees, someone got the mushroom omelet, another for the patty melt and I got the duck goulash. Now everyone really enjoyed the dish but everything was just really really salty. I think I had 3 glasses of water with my dish from the saltiness. I didn't try the other dishes but my goulash was delicious. Shredded duck with cavatelli - both were perfectly cooked with a generous heaping of paprika in the sauce. The hen egg was softly poached. The first 5 bites were great till the salt hit me hard.

Thankfully the desserts were amazing. The apple crumble was moist and not too sweet. The brownie and financier were also delicious. But the winning dessert was the butterscotch pudding. It was heaven in a shotglass. Smooth, rich, creamy....

Anyway, has anyone else experienced oversalted food at dovetail?

[City Kid]

Indeed! See my comment directly above about the salt.