Lots of buzz surrounding a new elegant midtown New York City restaurant.
Four Twenty Five, a Jean-Georges Restaurant, is bringing sexy back…in dining.
We recently did the unthinkable and walked into a trendy new dining establishment without a reservation…the horror.
We settled at the very attractive bar.
The captivating cocktail lounge and downstairs bar feature 45-foot high ceilings, complemented by a 24-foot painting created by artist Larry Poons.
The stunning staircase leads to the formal mezzanine level dining room, showcasing a grand open kitchen.
The place was mobbed.
The bartender was very accommodating and we sampled several wines ranging from $20-60 a glass.
None were appealing.
I stayed with water and my husband ordered a delicious JG Manhattan with Sazerac rye whiskey, Carpano Antica formula vermouth, Luxardo cherry and old fashioned bitters ($24).
We ended up ordering from the Bar Menu.
We started with Sea Urchin & Black Bread Crostini with salted butter, yuzu and Serrano chilies ($28). It was creamy with delicious Santa Barbara Uni.
We floated up the long staircase and arrived at a very attractive burgundy room with an open kitchen and striking light fixtures.
The 84-seat dining floor is supposedly inspired by the 1930s Art Deco ocean liner SS Normandie and seemingly floats above the ground-floor lounge.
Chef Jonathan Benno handles the kitchen. The experienced chef ran Per Se’s kitchen before striking out on his own with Lincoln at Lincoln Center and Benno in the Evelyn Hotel.
He brings his own style and perspective to the menu.
You can actually order main courses for under $40.
A six-course $188 Tasting Menu as well as a la carte is available.
If you are midtown, the Bar at Four Twenty Five is a lovely choice. The dining room looks fabulous.
I’ll be back.
Four Twenty Five, a Jean-Georges Restaurant 425 Park Avenue New York City. Open Sunday-Wednesday 5-9:30pm and Thursday-Saturday 5-10pm. Reservations on RESY.
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I was there the same evening;
The room and ambiance are beautiful, classic, glamorous. The restaurant holds 84 seats in an uncrowded fashion. The service was good, but honestly not up to the expectation of a Jean-Georges restaurant. The sommelier was outstanding. Friendly, professional and knowledgeable. The lead server was good but did seem to disappear for awhile. We shared our feedback about the food with both the server and the sommelier and they both seemed genuinely interested in what we were saying.
1. The menu (1): It had three glaring typographical errors and the same word is spelled two different ways. How does a Jean-Georges restaurant misspell “prix fixe”? PRE-FIXED! We joked that “pre-fixed” meant that all the food was prepared in advanced, frozen and then microwaved for serving. The som did say some of the typos were noticed before service. I would’ve run to Kinko’s with a corrected menu and done a reprint. This lack of detail flowed through to the meal itself.
2. The menu (2): It was an “interesting” decision to have all the options in the second course include seafood. No one understood why this would be done. It’s limiting to some guests.
3. The food: If there was seasoning on a dish it was applied very heavy-handedly. With the steamed black bass, the fish was prepared perfectly but the flavor was lost as it was in an overly acidic broth. The wagyu beef … the meat was perfect but the crust was a salt lick. The same for the duck … the protein was perfect only to be marred by the sauce.
The veal chop was the winner of the night. Generally the food, like the menu itself showed a lack of attention to detail.
Matthew Schneier of New York Magazine compared Four Twenty-Five with the Grill Restaurant. I ate at the Grill the night before and, based on my experience at Four Twenty-Five, there is no comparison.