It’s here!!!!!!!!!!!!! New York City restaurant week starts today! In honor of this much anticipated occasion, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on an amazing restaurant oparticipating in this special event: Le Cirque, one of NYC’s landmark restaurants.
While I would normally refrain from commenting about a restaurant unless I have dined there on multiple occasions, Le Cirque was so enchanting that I simply have to have my say about it now.   Named one of the Top 40 Restaurants in the world, Le Cirque has been in business since 1974. It has thrived at three separate locations and most recently made its home at the Bloomberg Tower on 58th St. Owned and operated by Cirio Maccioni and his family, Le Cirque has gained a reputation for being one of the best restaurants in the world and has been frequented by political dignitaries, celebrities, and New York’s social elite. Former President Bill Clinton, the late Jacquelin Kennedy Onasis, Rudy Giuliani, Robert Di Niro, Billy Joel, Henry Kissinger, Regis Philbin, Vera Wang, and Martha Stewart are just some of the influential people who have dined here.
Le Cirque even has its own HBO documentary, created by filmmaker Andrew Rossi. The film, “Le Cique: a Table in Heaven,” chonicles restaurant’s transition to its present location. The film gets its name from a conversation between Sirio Maccioni and the pope, who actually phoned the restaurant to see if he needed to make a reservation three months in advance. Maccioni reportedly replied, “What about making me a reservation for a table in heaven?”
While dining at Le Cirque, I certainly felt like I was in heaven.  We arrived drenched and without a reservation.  It was a miserable night in Manhattan complete with monsoon rains and tropical hurricane force winds and we came upon the place purely by accident, enticed the warm glow of its decor and the faint smell of France tainting the rainsoaked and misty NYC streets.  While we had never dined at Le Cirque before, we were well aware of its renowned reputation and hesitant to venture inside.  When we did, we were immediately greeted with open arms.
  
Being the starving young professionals that we are, we requested the Cafe and were seated promptly.  Our table was oversized and comfortable, a rarity in the NYC restaurant world, and I felt as if the staff were genuinely happy to accomodate us.  When our server arrived she was more than happy to answer our questions and succinctly describe almost all of the options on the menu as well as the nightly specials.  She was happy to make her own suggestions and we trusted her.  The salmon and the croque monsieur, pictured below, were among our choices.  The salmon, our pick healthy of the night was succulent and juicy, medium rare but warm.  The croque monsieur was the perfect comfort for patrons seeking relief from the stormy weather and a must have in any French dining establishment, including this one.

But the highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the dessert.   Le Cirque is famous for its creme brulee, and after tasting it, I found out why. Picture below, the creme brulee was the best I ever had and the good news is that for those who finish it (who wouldn’t?), the recipe is painted into the porcelain at the bottom.  We were also positively delighted when our server brought out another dessert for us to sample, a brownie with peanut butter creme and vanilla ice cream. The result? A dining experience one can only dream about.

 
While it did not take us long to devour our little plates of heaven, we spent almost three hours dining in Le Cirque for one reason: we felt like we were at home.  I will fondly remember my trip to Le Cirque as one of those rare Manhattan dining experiences where everything the ambience, the service and the food  turned out to be perfect and fit for a fairytale.
When I received a holiday card from the Maccioni Family offering Season’s Greetings from everyone at Le Cirque and it’s sister restaurant, Osteria del Circo, I was reminded of this dining experience fit for a queen. What a perfect touch for impeccable service.
I highly recommend giving Le Cirque a try, especially while their restaurant week menu, when a three course meal at this world renowned restaurant is a mere $35.  With items like Cannellini Bean Soup and Venison and Pistachio Sausage as appetizers and  Diver Sea Scallops and Berkshire Pork Belly, as entrees, this menu looks TOO good to pass up.  And don’t worry, the famous creme brulee IS on the menu! The best part? Le Cirque will be offering this menu until February 27th!
One thing I know is that I will be saving up for my next stop in 2010: Osteria del Circo!
Enjoy! 🙂

1 thought on “A French Fairytale – Le Cirque

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>