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Picholine - what to get

Went about a month ago cuz I read about good soft shells there but they didn't have any so we went elsewhere. I'm gonna try it again, what should I get if the crabs are not on the menu?

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  1. The rabbit with snails is an exceptional dish, one of the best I have had there. Those soft-shell crabs were wonderful, but unfortunately I think they are not on the menu now.

    1 Reply
    1. re: rrems

      yeah I just read that rabbit post. That sounds fantastic. I'm psyched to go here.

    2. A little off topic, but I just read that they are giving away $50 gift cards to celebrate their 15th anniversary--I just signed up for mine here: http://www.picholinenyc.com/gift-card...


      5 Replies
        1. re: 2slices

          Oh, the rabbit looks great. Good enough to not get the tasting menu (maybe).

          Would everyone still get the Sea Urchin Panna Cotta as an appetizer (I've never had sea urchin and want to try it). Or what's your favorite appetizer?

          It's also been more than a week since I signed up for the $50 certificate - should I be concerned?

          I would guess the difference between the 3 and 4 courses would be the addition of cheese? A must-do for me.

          1. re: Eujeanie

            I would definitely recommend the sea urchin panna cotta. The fourth course can be cheese or a second appetizer or a smaller portion of a main course (except for a few mains that cannot be made in a small portion). My gift card arrived in a week but as more people request them it may take longer.

            1. re: Eujeanie

              When we did the Royale, I swapped the Panna Cotta for a selection from the a la carte menu because I was concerned the sea urchin would be too fishy for me. My husband stayed with the Panna Cotta, so I was able to taste it. Turns out, I made the right decision. Instead, at the suggestion of our Captain, I had the Tuna "Cru" Napoleon, which was seriously delicious.

              I'm guessing that as word has gotten around about the gift certificate, they've been swamped with requests, so I wouldn't be concerned that it hasn't arrived yet.

          2. re: foodshark73

            Thanks so much, foodshark73. Received mine today. Picholine just moved up on my list and the hounds posts here sound delicious.

          3. When we went we devised our own tasting menu with help from a very good server, Glenn. We split most courses except for the sea urchin.

            Amuse: Goat cheese panna cotta topped with beet gelee, warm cauliflower veloute with chipolte oil and smoked lobster with beet tartare and crème fraiche. A nice beginning with the nod going to the panna cotta and the cauliflower “soup”.

            1st course: Sea Urchin Panna Cotta with chilled aspic of lobster stock consommé, topped with Oscetra caviar. This was served with a potato crisp that was tasteless and unnecessary.

            The dish itself was delicious and definitely worthy of being called a signature dish.

            2nd course:

            [a] Tuna Cru “Napolean” with some sort of “rice crisp” and olive oil ice cream. This just did not work. The tuna was not as good as we get at our local Japanese market and the ice cream was “odd”.

            [b] eggs en cocotte with gruyere cheese— my husband had immediate visions of me making this at home—delicious!!

            3rd course: risotto with squash, crispy duck and black truffle butter, served family style [later dishes were split in the kitchen]. The exceptional component in this dish was the duck which added great texture and taste to the risotto.

            4th course: Crisp sweetbreads with pickled crudite and a raisin mustard emulsion. Excellent.

            5th course: Chicken “Kiev”, chanterelles and liquid foie gras— I was full at this point. My husband loved it. Picholine’s food is not for the faint of heart. It is very very rich.

            6th course: Cheese—Holzige Geiss, a goat milk cheese from Switzerland, Alp Drackloch cows milk cheese from Switzerland and a Vacheron Mandome, cows milk from Switzerland. The first and third were not on the card as they are “illegal” unpasteurized and should not get to the USA, but they do and they were delicious.

            Over-all an excellent experience with very good food. The pricing was fair. We jumped around, did splits and asked for lots of extra services yet the check was only $200 for our food. Their more expensive “chose any 4 dishes” menu is $ 98.00 each so for $2.00 more we got everything we wanted the way we wanted it.

            See pics here:

            2 Replies
            1. re: lizziee

              Whoo hoo it just arrived in the mail!

              Now, need a couple of words of advice...I'm traveling solo, in town for just a few days, and was going to do just one "fancy" meal...it was going to be L'Atelier until this offer came along. This is such a compelling value that I just can't pass it up - agreed?

              Also, I've got a 5 pm reservation and an 8 pm curtain in the theater district...I know not a perfect scenario, but doable? I think so, especially since I'll be dining alone and can ask to have the pace increased a bit if I'm running late - but almost 2 1/2 hours should be enough, no? It looks like the #1 subway will take me right there.

              1. re: Eujeanie

                My sister and I did a 3 course menu + cheese at 6 for an 8pm show at the Met. It worked out fine. We just picked up tickets beforehand.