Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Petrossian

at the corner of 58th and 6th

Went there for a special celebratory dinner - my husband and I are both licensed professionals now, and our companion couple just got engaged. I picked the restaurant having fantasized about dining in such a beautifully decorated building that Petrossian is housed in. Was glad to have finally gotten the opportunity. It was also Restaurant Week in NYC, in which Petrossian was participating, so we had a nice alternative to the normally extremely pricey entrees.

The place was livelier than I thought it would be, having seen not only it's reputation as a high class French restaurant and the old establishment decor. Perhaps it was the Restaurant Week, because we went on a Tuesday evening and it was loud, lively, and full - but not so full as to make us uncomfortable.

The decor was a muted pink, darkened lighting, Art Deco-style. We sat near the entrance, and so missed the mirrors over the bar that were etched in huge Erte figures. Sad for me as I really like Erte's art. The tables were beautifully and simply set in white, silver and blue and the high fluted champagne glasses insisted we order champagne, which we obliged. A toast of champagne we followed by our order. The female friend and I ordered from the less expensive $35 prix fixe menu with the caviar supplement (additional $16), getting the caviar appetizer, and I got the duck while she ordered the halibut. The men ordered from the other prix fixe menu ($65) which came with its own caviar appetizer, then scallops and foie gras served warm (a surprise), and they both got the same seared coriander-encrusted tuna entree. The desserts were varied, and my comment on my blueberry and citrus dessert was "It tastes like it looks." which unfortunately was not a compliment, more a disappointment. We ordered coffee, cappuccinos and espresso to accompany the desserts. Our reservation was at 7pm, and we did not leave until 11pm, so kudos to the staff for not bothering us as we sat there talking and talking, even as the dishes were cleared and tab was paid.

The service was excellent, marred only when as we were finally ready to order, our waiter was caught up in some snafu and left us waiting more, until a secondary person was sent to take our order. Otherwise, the service was professional, prompt, efficient, and friendly without being overly friendly. The waiters seemed to take pride in their jobs, and made the meal all that much more comfortable.

Additional comments - the bathrooms, located in the basement, were clean and decorated to fit the rest of the restaurant - not huge or overly ambitious but with enough character to be memorable. I've never seen a black commode before. The restaurant's space was surprisingly shallow, but the mirrors situated as such one had to look twice to realize that the room was merely half the size it appeared to be. The other patrons were all dressed well and to the nines, and it was obviously a place for special dining and special occasions.

We went there for an adult feeling, and certainly got it, much more so than your usual hippest of the moment trendy restaurant. No attitude, just class. The food was good, high quality, but I admit to being spoiled enough with great food that it did not knock my socks off. But it was classy, and maybe that was enough so as to not detract from whatever special occasion was being celebrated.