Guastavino's 409 E. 59th St. (1st & York Aves.)
Midtown East
212.980.2455
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Guastavino's:
Below the Queensboro Bridge, Guastavino’s handily snazzes up the usually disparaging term “Bridge and Tunnel.” The architecture is flat-out spectacular—it’s the St. Patrick’s Cathedral of New York City restaurants. But unlike the Midtown cathedral, entrance to Guastavino’s is not free; the French/American cuisine is inventive, delicious, and trés, how do you say, expensive. For the rank and file on a budget, it’s best to visit during New York’s Restaurant Week, or stop in mid-week for a drink or two. For those looking to impress a date, this is the place. In the summer, ask to sit at a table outside and ask for a Flirtini—it was created here.
The event we attended at Guastavino's was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. As a "VIP" ticket holder, I was appalled at having to spend over an hour in sub-freezing weather to gain entrance to the venue. To further the insult, the mandatory coat check did not allow us to warm up once we were finally granted entrance into the venue. Our seats were against the windows which kept the temperature at our seats somewhere in the 50's.
Additionally, we were supposed to have table service as VIP ticket holders. The waiter that was assigned to our table only came by one time the entire evening (when our glasses were already full) to ask if we needed anything. We asked for some hors de'vours which were never delivered. That was the last we saw of him the entire night while he and other waiters worked steadily at tables around us. I had to stand in lines 4 or 5 deep and wait for up to 20 minutes to get a cocktail at the bar while my date sat in the frigid air. I thought that spending over $400 for two tickets would ensure a pleasant experience. We now both completely regret this decision, will never patronize Guastavino's again and will inform everyone we can about this horrible experience!
1/15/2009 1:28:00 AM
Stephanie M. says:
Sooo completely disappointed in this place. I feel like myself and hundreds of other people were totally mislead by the façade of Guastavino's. Gorgeous venue but other than it being aesthetically pleasing you really don't get much else. My friend and I arrived at 9pm when we were told to get there to find that tons of people were already in line and had been for quite awhile. On the coldest night of the year people were forced to undergo cruel and unusual punishment by waiting in line for a good 45 minutes. Thus forcing everyone to practically sacrifice fingers and toes out of justifying paying $120+ for a ticket in. Once our tickets and id's were checked, next came the hassle of dealing with a severely disorganized and understaffed coat check. $5 per item. Seriously, how much more pretentious can it get? Once inside, and attempting to thaw out...we made our way to the bar. When the bartender finally got our drinks right it was good, but other than that nothing to write home about. I think my biggest complaint would have to be the hor' de oeuvres or the lack of them rather. I believe I managed a slice of lunch meat and a wonton noodle. Now imagine all of this...if you were here wouldn't you drink with the intention to get ridiculously drunk? This was the only way for anyone to truly enjoy themselves. And with the majority of people agreeing with me (i took a survey) can you imagine all the drunken debauchery being had? Maybe more hor' de oeuvres would of helped fill the bellies of the easily intoxicated creating a less sloppy atmosphere. Another big disappointment (in favor of my personal tradition)was the fact that there was not a single television screen to catch the ball drop. It felt like new year's for the 2 minutes before and after 12am. No climatic build to the countdown. The confetti burst was a nice surprise, but of course it stood out when compared to the nothingness of everything else. My friend and I finally left around 1:30am. Of course smart like-minded individuals decided to leave around the same time thus bringing back suppressed memory of dealing with coat check. Grateful to have feeling in my hands and feet back, we made our way to a diner and headed home. Clearly we've learned our lessons in that occasionally you really don't get nearly close to what you paid for.
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