Le Cirque in Manhattan - Summer Restaurant Week

My husband and I always look forward to the biannual "Restaurant Week" promotion held every Winter and Summer in New York City, as we enjoy dining in establishments we never tried before, or re-visiting favorite restaurants, in order to take advantage of the promotional price of $24.07 for a three course prixe fixe lunch, or $35.00 three course prixe fixe dinner.  A record 275 restaurants are participating in NYC Restaurant Week this summer, which runs from July 12 to the 25, excluding Saturdays, and Sundays optional.

We decided to try the new Le Cirque location at One Beacon Court (151 East 58th Street), between Lexington and Third Avenue, in the elliptical glass portion of the Bloomberg Tower building. Since 1974, the restaurant has been renowned as a super-upscale site for fine dining and celebrity sightings. This is the third location for Le Cirque. Its first stood for 22 years on East 65th Street where it built its reputation as one of new York's finest restaurants. In 2006 it reopened in this location so that, according to a HBO documentary about the restaurant, owner Sirio Maccioni’s three sons could continue to attract a younger generation of rich famous patrons with the fresh new look and menu when the senior Maccioni retires.

photo source

The new 16,000 square foot space is visually pleasing with a tall ceiling intended to evoke a circus tent.

We invited our daughter and her boyfriend to accompany us for dinner, and as it turned out we all decided to try different selections for appetizer and main course.  That was a plus for me as a blogger as I could photograph each selection of the beautiful entrees! All photos will enlarge when clicked on once, and then clicked on again when they open in a new window.

Appetizers

 Top left: Chicken and Ramp Tortelli with a hazelnut brodo

Top right: Sweet Corn Soup with wood ear mushrooms and basil

Bottom left: Country Style Pork Terrine with vegetable salad à la grecque

Bottom right: Watermelon and Tuna Bacon with mint and lime-scented yogurt

Main Entrees

Top right: Salmon Fillet with tomato and fennel chutney, tomato–horseradish broth

Top left: Pistachio Crusted Lamb Filet with peas, mint and goat cheese

Bottom left: Sauteed Beef Medallions with portabello ‘fine tart,’ and arugula–pecorino salad

Bottom left: Brook Trout with summer beans, pickled peach and almonds

The menu was wonderful! We enjoyed each and every selection. They were perfectly presented and the flavor combinations were superb. I thought the portions were generous considering this was a prixe fixe menu, and the wait staff was very attentive even though the dining room was full. 

Desserts

This was the only course that we did not get all four selections. My daughter and her boyfriend chose the Chocolate Fondant, served with caramelized banana, and salted caramel ice cream, which can be seen in the upper left of this montage. My husband and I chose the Coconut Mint Pannacotta, served with summer berries, and strawberry foam, seen in the lower right.  The other dessert selections available were Crème Brûlée Le Cirque, and Rice Pudding with apricot marmalade and almond crunch.

Of course the regular Le Cirque menu was available if desired, and prixe fixe selections may vary.  Le Cirque has extended their participation in the Restaurant Week promotion until September 3rd, and they said on their web site that they will be rotating selectons to keep patrons entertained.

We were delighted with our dinner and the total experience of Le Circque and would not hesitate to return.  If you are looking for a gold standard restaurant experience in New York City the Executive Chef of Le Cirque, Craig Hopson adds a nouvelle cuisine flair to the classical French style that won't disappoint.

I'm adding this post to Michael's "Foodie Friday" event of her blog Designs By Gollum.  Please visit her today to see her wonderful post and the links to participating blogs with all their culinary delights!