Five Hotel Restaurants to Avoid During NYC Restaurant Week

January 21, 2010 at 11:30 AM | by MsRebecca | Comment (1)

Commodore Grill at the Grand Hyatt

We know it�s January and people are trying to be all healthy, but New York�s Restaurant Week starts on Monday. And since we�re still broke after the holidays, it�s our chance to sample high-end places for a reasonable price. So to hell with new-year fitness! We choose cheap chow over crunches! But where to book? The short list is actually quite long, so to start whittling it down we chose Five Hotel Restaurants To Avoid During Restaurant Week.

First, some basics, if you�re new to this: Restaurant Week is actually two weeks long�from January 25�February 7. Some places only offer lunch or only dinner, Saturdays are not available, and only certain restaurants are doing Sundays. The three-course, prix-fixe meals are $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner, not including beverages, tip or tax. NYCGo has the full list of participating restaurants, but here�s where you won�t find us �

5. 85 West Cocktail Bar at the New York Marriott Downtown
Their lunch menu includes fish tacos and a Buffalo chicken burger. Why would we order bar food when we could hit Le Cirque for lunch at the same price? (Besides, this joint has dollar hot dogs on Saturdays and wings for a quarter on Sundays anyway.) While we did recommend it for last summer�s Restaurant Week, during subsequent visits to the Marriott it looked kind of isolated and sad, or full of foreign tour groups.

4. Maze at the London NYC
It may still boast Gordon Ramsay�s name but the profanity-loving chef sold this baby off�along with the hotel�s more upscale Gordon Ramsay restaurant�last year. Financial troubles and a fleeing famous chef leave a sour after taste.

3. Tanuki Tavern at the Hotel Gansevoort
It opened with the appropriate Meatpacking District hype, but the Gansevoort just ain�t what it used to be. Plus, we can get cheap sushi all over NYC any day of the year.

2. The Breslin at The Ace Hotel
Not because we don�t like it�we loved our meaty brunch there when it first opened. This goes on our list purely because it will be a zoo. This reviewer waited three hours for a table recently, and it wasn�t even Restaurant Week, when the masses come out to eat. Save your cash and visit another day.

1. Commodore Grill at The Grand Hyatt New York
It�s in a generic chain hotel in Grand Central Station. Which tells you everything you need to know.

Do you have Restaurant Week reservations? Let us know your hotel restaurant �musts� and �don�ts� in the comments below. Bon appetit!

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