abcV — Restaurant in New York

I wasn't a fan. And I know this is a Michelin starred place, so I'm going to give a more thorough review, especially because the menu is likely to change each season.

Food: either great or good, depending on what you order. Somewhere between 3 stars and 4 stars, with the pine nut cream (hummus adjacent) dish being a 5 star hit. Each item was between 20-40 dollars though, and were small plates. We left full, but we ended up spending about 100$ per person with drinks. We also liked the dosa (the one with chutneys) and the special, which was basically pasta with all the fancy stuff you could find on it (ramps, saffron, etc). It was good, but the special wasn't worth the 35$ price tag in terms of flavor. The dosa maybe, but not nearly enough of it at it's price. Also, a lot more dip for the dishes than there was bread/pita/dosa/etc. Annoying

Drinks: we didn't try the alcoholic drinks, but they have a crazy interesting menu of other drinks, such as milkshakes and "vibrations" (mood drinks). They also have homemade sodas. They were all interesting, in general though not worth the price. I enjoyed the blood orange jewel shake though. And the sodas are only 7 bucks so it's not that bad. I wouldn't get the vibrations unless you are there for the mood altering piece of it.

Atmosphere: fine. I really liked the pink shirt-white apron uniform of the staff, I just think that the place was a little less nice looking than it's connected abc restaurant. When we sat down it felt like we were not super close to people, mostly because we weren't, and that was nice. It didn't particularly have an interesting atmosphere or any interesting smells or other features

Staff: good staff, overly helpful. The people bringing the food seem to be told constantly to "ask if you can get them anything else", and I'm pretty sure the servers are not allowed to tell you what they like, only what a dish is comprised of. Our server changed midway through but both were pretty good and knowledgeable.

Dessert: pretty good. I got the sorbet, which was a sampling of 3 citrus sorbet flavors: a blood orange, a grapefruit, and another type of interesting citrus they said they were going to get back to me on what the term they said meant. It also came with what might be the best snicker doodles I've ever had in my life. It did turn into a soup though so I didn't get to enjoy the sorbet as it was cold. Maybe they could chill the dishes?

Overall: definitely 2 stars. I've had more enjoyment from a late night dollar pizza than I had from this place, even if the food is higher quality and tastes more interesting. I'm not sure if it was worth the atmosphere nor experience to spend 307 plus tip.

If you are the type of person to have coworkers that say stuff like "oh my god, it's a new vegetarian place and it's Michelin starred! And it's vegetarian!" And then they all say some instance of "oh my goodness I've always been meaning to try to eat more vegetarian things! I try to eat better all the time. It's so cool it's a vegetarian place!" then this is the perfect place for you. And I really mean that. You will enjoy it a lot. Oh, and by the way, tips are 25% minimum. Everywhere. No matter what. Okay? Aim for 35%.

Everyone else... Go...

abcV, the vegetarian concept from Jean-Georges, offers a rustic yet stylish ambiance, creating an inviting and cozy dining experience. The decor, with its natural elements and warm lighting, complements the restaurant’s plant-forward philosophy. The atmosphere was lively yet relaxed, and the hospitality was top-notch—the hostess and servers were incredibly welcoming, enhancing the overall experience.

The meal started on a high note with two exceptional dishes. The Market Beets were a standout—fresh, zesty, and bursting with flavor. Their taste showcased the kitchen’s ability to elevate simple ingredients into something special. Following that, the Dosa Chutney was another highlight. This delicate crepe-like dish, served with fermented turmeric sambal, coriander mint chutney, and mango chutney, was a harmonious blend of flavors that felt well-balanced and satisfying. These two dishes set an exciting tone for the meal, raising expectations for what was to come.

Unfortunately, the hot dishes did not live up to the same standard. The Char-Grilled Rainbow Carrots with Seed & Nut Butter were overly heavy. The nut butter created a pasty texture that masked the natural sweetness and smokiness of the grilled carrots, rather than enhancing them. The caviar lime garnish was a nice touch, but ultimately, the dish felt off-balance.

The biggest disappointment of the evening was the Mushroom Walnut Bolognese with Paccheri. The pasta choice did not complement the sauce—the thick paccheri was too rubbery, making each bite feel like a mismatch between the elements. The mushroom walnut bolognese lacked depth, and instead of the pasta absorbing the flavors, I found myself layering the sauce just to create cohesion. A rigatoni or pappardelle would have been a much better choice, allowing the sauce to cling properly and deliver a more satisfying texture.

For a Michelin-starred restaurant, the inconsistency in execution was surprising. While the first courses were bright, flavorful, and innovative, the warm dishes fell flat, leaving me disappointed. In my journey to experience every Michelin-starred restaurant in NYC, abcV, unfortunately, is not one I would recommend. While the service and ambiance were excellent, and some dishes showed real creativity, the overall meal lacked the refinement and balance expected at this level.

Final Rating: 4/5 Would I return? Likely not. Would I recommend it? Only for the lighter, cold dishes—but not for a full...

We were really excited to try this restaurant. Have seen and heard about it for some time. Neither of us are vegetarian but we went trusting the chef/organization to provide a top notch veg experience. To say we were disappointed is an understatement.

The experience right from the beginning set the tone for the rest of the meal. The hostess literally showed us our table "its over there" then walked away. No menus were given; well cause it is 2021. We get on our phones and get the digital menu. About 10 mins later our paper menus were handed to us.....shouldn't this have been done at the seating?

We sat at our table 5:04, our server finally recognized that were were sitting there at a out 5:15 and we ordered drinks which finally arrived at 5:36. Seems to me, for profit, tips and diner's enjoyment the more drinks the better. When you start off waiting 30 mins to get a drink that doesn't happen. So the service was poor, let's chat about the food.

Dates with coconut yogurt: I will admit that this was really good, however when the server describes the menu as "family style meant to share" and the price is $12 we were expecting more than 4 dates

Crunchy Corn Fritter w/Australian Winter Truffles: Truffle fritters? The "Australian winter truffle" had zero truffle flavor at best they were MUSHROOMS. In order to make sure we took mounds of "truffle" and ate them alone to see if the flavor was getting lost. Spoiler, it was not.  The fritter with or without the "truffle" tasted only of fried oil, absolutely no corn flavor and didn't even have a good comfort food mouth feel. The aioli was the perfect accompaniment to this dish as it too had no flavor. We were told that this was a new addition to the menu after it was a popular special.  I wonder if anyone ever ordered a second batch of these? At $39 for them I felt like I get mugged on the subway.

Wood Roasted Beets: were the highlight of the meal. The presentation was gorgeous (see pic but I removed half before taking the pic). The sauces were well balanced and complimentary to each other and the crispy curry leafs were a nice touch.

We decided against dessert given the experience we had in the main meal and instead went to Van Lueeven for some vegan ice cream. That was...