Best Authentic Restaurants in Yorkville

Having experienced Alsatian cuisine many times at its source, my wife and I are delighted with Chef Philippe Roussel’s approach, characterized by lightness and a certain elegance. No comfort food here. One will also find non-Alsatian offerings on the extensive menu. The team out front is both professonal and pleasant and the room is beautifully decorated. Nous sommes tres, tres content.

We booked a Saturday reservation and were seated immediately which was nice. We ordered the dumplings, Branzino and Pas Thai. The dumplings came with truffles on top and were excellent. The sauce could have been a bit more exotic than just the soy sauce and vinegar for a Thai place. the Pad Thai has very good taste with very tender shrimps. The fried Branzino was great with spicy mixture with hot pepper, papaya and other flavors. At $45 maybe it was a bit pricey. Service was great with right amount of taking empty dishes away and asking how the food was. Overall vibe was great because the tight space and antique look of the dining room. The decor is not fancy but has a certain style of its own. We also ordered a Thai iced tea and a beer which were tasty as well. Next time I will try curry dishes and Tom Yom Soup.

We plan our trip to NYC around eating at Carmine’s. This time we ate at the upper West Side location. We usually eat at the Times Square location. But this year it was booked solid for Christmas a month in advance. We were wowed again with an awesome meal at Carmines at 91st Street. We had the garlic bread with cheese. We always ask to add the cheese. So wonderful. We also split the lasagna. It is the best we have ever tasted. We brought over half of it home. I would recommend either Carmine’s to anyone wanting authentic Italian food at its best.

TAO is a great experience very luxury feel if you are looking to impress a date and very nice ambience if you’re just going out with the girls! All though it may not look like it portions are shareable between 2 people. The food is so good and authentic and the staff is lovely.

Food and ambiance were very good-we loved the crudo, and grilled calamari,enjoyed the pasta and desert.Service was timely and helpful.the experience was very nice and we will return.