Brasserie Athenee - New York City

Great place for post or pre theater appetizers and people watching while sitting at the bar. Stopped by after seeing Tootsie great musical comedy) had 187 ml French Champagne splits 1 and 1/2 glass) which were a tad expensive at $15. Sam Adams $8) and Brooklyn Lager $6) were ice cold. Nice delicious moist spicy duck meatballs, tender charred octopus and big portion of mussels with crusty bread.

We stopped in on our way to the theater. The service was prompt and had us out within an hour so we weren't late. My husband got the beef noir from the pre-fixe menu and I got got the salad Nicoise. The salad as lightly dressed, the potatoes were a change from my normal salads. The beef was tender and served with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Both entrees were very good. Since he was having a salad, I ordered the mushroom soup as well. It was tasty and went well with the rain outside. His side salad was large and had many olives. The dessert is still a miss. We got the almond cake, took one bite and moved on. They should offer just a scoop of sorbet. The wine was good with a generous pour. I would recommend this spot. It's decor is classic and clean with good service. They are also on Open Table which is a plus if you are headed to a show and don't have time to wait on a table.

As soon as we walked out of our hotel, this was the first restaurant that looked clean with ac so we helped ourselves to the door. The food was ok but was prepared well. My husband ordered the steak and eggs, he wasn 't too pleased. Our kids had pancake, fruit, and steak and eggs. They enjoyed the food. We are a family of 6. The manager Bobby walked around our table the entire time which made us feel rushed and uncomfortable. I 'm sure it was because of our children, who were well-behaved. He should have been excited to see such a big family dine at his nearly empty restaurant in busy NYC on Saturday lunch time. Nevertheless, Myerna helped us and she was pleasant.

TLDR: If you must come here stick with the appetizers (except the duck meatballs). The entrees and Cote de Rhone red wine were mediocre. Not recommended. Overall rating: C+ My party of 4 came here on Saturday at 5pm before The Ferryman play. Easy OpenTable reservation. The restaurant is smaller and intimate with chandeliers. There are 2 single occupancy bathrooms on the same floor. The service was good. Here 's what we got: -Complimentary bread and butter: Not French baguettes but decent. B- -Grilled Octopus, black olive tapenade, aged red wine vinaigrette: This was AMAZING! The octopus was fresh, cooked perfectly, and very flavorful. A+ -Mediterannean Tapas, grape leaves, baba ghannoug, caviar spread, tzatziki, olives, grilled pita: This was a simple dish but good as well. Everything except the pita is served cold BTW. B+ -Duck meatballs with sriracha mayo sauce: Good but pretty dry. Could use more sauce. B- -Mediterranean Lamb Shank: Large portion! Served over couscous. B+ -Duck breast special, served over vegetable mash: Didn 't try it but heard the duck was good. The vegetable mash was odd. Imagine taking leftover cooked vegetables and smashing everything together into a lump. N/A -Boeuf Bourguignon, served with mushrooms and over mashed potatoes: This was a perfectly fine beef stew but it 's definitely NOT a Boeuf Bourguignon. I could not taste the red wine at all in this dish! The other person who ordered this dish too agreed with my assessment. B- -Bottle of Cote de Rhone red wine: I wasn 't impressed. It was fairly mediocre. C Overall the octopus and Mediterannean tapas were the best dishes of the night. The entrees left a lot to be desired. They were all very one note/bland. Stick with the appetizers. Sadly another meh restaurant in the Theater District. I don 't plan on coming back.

The worst...dried out grilled octopus! Fishy tasting pasta. Dried out pork tenderloin.