Arabelle
“This place was epitome of fine dining!!!”
“My black truffle eggs Benedict was pretty standard.”
Arabelle
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
2 reviews
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Two-stars is, admittedly too harsh, BUT I wouldn't go back or recommend it and I have definitely have had better…
The thing about Arabelle is, it gives off the impression of fine dining with a beautiful (although a little too "UES" for my taste- kind of felt like a "ladies lunching" spot) atmosphere and high prices. But beyond the surface, it is pretty standard and even sub-par in some areas.
Perhaps one of the reason I had such a "bleh" experience was because I went for restaurant week – but let's face it – restaurants don't have to participate if they don't want and sure as hell shouldn't skip out on quality service and food when they do.
Honestly, I was more intrigued by the non-restaurant week menu and asked the waiter if he would suggest me ordering that entree or from the prix fixe menu. He pointed me in the direction of the prix fixe, but upon reflection, I think it had more to do with the fact that the kitchen had prepared those dishes and not the duck-risotto dish I was eyeing and wish I had ordered.
I ordered the tomato-mozzarella-basil salad, hanger steak, and white peach mouse. All of which was perfectly adequate, but honestly nothing special. I didn't need to go to a "fancy" restaurant for any of the things I ordered – and none of it required a chef to come up with or execute. Again, nothing was bad, but nothing was fantastic, creative, or worth going back for.
Also, the service was lacking – they put in the very bare minimum and put the check on the table before they had even taken our dessert plates – they didn't even have tables that were following us so there was no need for the rush. Lastly, since our reservations were for 8pm, my friends and I met at their bar before dinner – the cheapest drink was $15 (eek!). We told the waitress that we had an 8pm reservation so we needed to pay our bill. She informed the hostess – we paid our bill – and sat there chatting for a while. For some reason,we assumed they were going to tell us when our table was ready but no one came. When we realized this, we got up and asked to be seated. It was all just very sub-par for what I expect from a nice dining experience.
I have been to a many restaurant week meals – and I frequently return to those I have good experiences at – so treating restaurant week-ers poorly is a poor business practice…
After reading all the bad Yelp reviews, I was afraid our Sunday brunch reservation was a huge mistake. But it wasn't! Brunch is $49 per person and after having gone to some of the overpriced mediocre brunch places I've been, this one was actually quite worth it. The portions are generous. I couldn't finish any course in its entirety and it wasn't because I was trying to be a lady. My black truffle eggs Benedict was pretty standard. But I was a bit disappointed that there were only 2 eggs when it said there'd be 3 according to the menu. It didn't matter though because I was only able to finish one. The salmon was impressively crispy on all sides and was thoroughly enjoyed. We got tea and were excepting an exorbitant charge after reading about the overpriced coffee, but our pots of earl grey seem to have been included.
The point is, having a bread basket of danish, croissant, scone, and muffin, a pot of tea, 2 lemon ricotta crepes, 2 eggs Benedict with potatoes, and a cheese & fruit plate in what looks like a rich French person's home more than filled me up physically and emotionally.