Well, Le Cirque, you’ve put up a great fight but it’s time to pack up your knives and go.
Le Cirque opened up in 1974 and, while you can tell they’ve attempted to stay relevant, they’re more like a once popular band that continues to release new albums. No one wants to hear that shit. It’s time to retire and maybe go play a few state fairs or casinos when you can no longer afford the rent on your North Hollywood studio apartment.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE old restaurants. I’m all for classic deli’s and diners or old school Italian joints staying open for all eternity. I love it when places have been slinging pastrami since 1903! Never clean those grills!
But snooty, upscale eateries that charge too much for boring food? Sorry, not interested. These kinds of places were huge in the 80’s when everyone was high on cocaine and no one really had an appetite anyways. Who cares what the food tasted like?!
Now, the food at Le Cirque wasn’t awful. I actually ate every bite. But it was just SO BORING. I feel like these recipes were originally created during a time when salt and pepper were the only seasonings available. It does seem like some new chef had come in and tried to modernize the menu, thrown a few trendy ingredients our way. But it didn’t help.
And the worst part? Both the chicken and the salmon were overcooked. If meat is perfectly cooked, you don’t need a lot of seasoning. But this was not the case.
We arrived for lunch during NYC’s Restaurant Week.
Restaurant Week is sneaky. It’s basically a way for restaurants to serve their most uninteresting menu items for maybe $1.50 less than the original price. You don’t want dessert? Too bad, you’re getting it and you’re also probably paying full price for it. The deals during restaurant week are seldom a good deal, at all.
I am glad I got to check out Le Cirque, as it is and has been quite the institution. And the place was still packed with tourists and corporate diners. But I would much rather go see Debbie Gibson or Chicago at the Mohegan Sun Casino than ever return here.
151 E 58th St
New York, NY 10022
b/t Lexington Ave & 3rd Ave
Midtown East
(212) 644-0202
lecirque.com
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