Madison Bistro
“We ate the Prix Fixe lunches and we ooooohed and ahhhhhed throughout our entire meals!”
“The chef and manager of the Madison Bistro is Claude Godard, a highly regarded chef from Burgundy.”
“Oh and the crème brûlée was amazing – a quote from my dinner partner, "wow, this place is legit.”
Madison Bistro
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I came here intoxicated…….so that's where I'll start. Madison Bistro is a small restaurant with a small bar area in front and a few steps down is a small dining area very typical of most Manhattan restaurants. You can't go wrong with steak frites at a French cafe and that's exactly what I ordered. The steak was cooked perfectly to a medium rare, awesome grill lines, and perfectly salted. The bartender was friendly and I had a good time here.
I dined here again the other night and I think that my experience warranted an update. The prices on the prix fix menu have gone up since I've been going there, from 35-37-40, however the quality of the appetizers has increased markedly. The tuna and the goat cheese appetizers were phenomenal.
I love this place.
Went here today for lunch with a publisher. The service is totally weird. We opted for the $27 three-course pre fixe of a starter, a main, and dessert. And of course day drank.
First drink: Old fashioned. It arrived bright pink, tasting like maraschino cherry slush with jim beam. Worst ever, super sweet, and super icy.
Second: I asked for a Balvenie, neat. The server told me they didn't have it, and offered Grey Goose as a substitute. What? Those are not the same. Turns out he thought I wanted Belvedere. How about something sweet? He asked. Maybe he was thinking of my last "old fashioned"
SMH. Vodka is like sharpie juice.
I settled with a Manhattan.
My friend asked for a Dark & Stormy. The waiter did not know what that was and said we don't have that kind of wine.
Okay, so onto the food. It was alright. I liked the bourbon vanilla creme brulee (even though I couldn't taste any bourbon) with a cookie spoon (even though the cookie spoon is too brittle to be actually used as a spoon).
Also had "steak tartare" which was spicy (?) … It was formed in the shape of a burger patty and really just tasted like … a raw 5" burger patty. It was served with a single 3" toast point. Oh well, I got my iron fix.
The crab & avocado crostini thing was pretty tasty.
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We didn't make reservations, so we relied on Yelp to find us a nice dinner place that we could just walk in. People have been very kind to this restaurant based on my experience here. It's almost as if paying a lot of money somehow equals a better review. Like they don't want to feel duped for paying the money by pretending that everything was better than it was.
Supposedly a French wine bar…. but when our waiter came by, he knew absolutely nothing about wine. I'm not a wine sommelier. It seems to me that you should have someone at the restaurant who can answer questions about $75 dollar bottles. When asked by a coworker in French, "Where is it from?" The obviously French person's response was, "France." No joke.
We tried to give him an out. Can you tell us anything about it? "It's very good." And sure, it was okay. However, we were there with at least one individual who DID know wines. He wasn't impressed.
The second bottle we ordered they were out of. When asked what the replacement should be, our waiter just picked the next closest one in price range. Maybe it was comparable in flavor… of course, his previous responses didn't give any of us much confidence.
The food was good… but nothing special. We had a cheese platter and a meat platter. I had the gnocchi (sans shrimp), followed by a Grand Marnier soufflé. My coworker's chocolate soufflé was better.
There are a bunch of other places in the area.
Simply amazing bartender. Its worth a visit for a drink or two for that reason alone. Didn't eat here this time.
Not the same without Sade 🙁 . I've been going to MB for over six years mostly becasue of Sade, secondly because of Andriana and lastly because it was a block from my office. The food had gotten better over the past few years but this last go around the food was not very inspiring. First I ordered the grilled tuna Nicoise salad to which the very courteous waiter informed me that they didn't have tuna but oferred salmon instead. I skipped the Nicoise opting instead for their fabulous charchuterie and the salmon main over a tri-color salad. The hockey puck of a piece of salmon atop of the salad was overcooked, dry and way too fishy. MB is suposed to be a French bistro but the food was divey braserrie. At least poach the damn salmon, cut it thicker than a piece of paper and chill it with an olive-oil, lemon/dijon and dill sauce. Worst of all I was told that Sade didn't work there anymore eliminating one of two remaining reasons to return.
I had business lunch at Madison Bistro. The place was quiet and clean. I had Nicoise Salad with Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna and cappuccino. Service was good.
I would definitely come back.
Great location, reasonable prices, family atmosphere, and quality food if you know what to order. I have always wished for a larger menu here. The wine choices are the best value here. I like the short ribs. The French Onion soup is mediocre at best. This is a comfortable place if you are in the area. Like most family places you are better off if you are regular. They just opened a new restaurant in Chelsea!