Dante NYC — Restaurant in New York

Let's be perfectly clear, Dante is a great bar. The drinks are delicious, the selection is first rate, the bartenders are knowledgeable and creative, the space is very attractive & the lighting is flattering. It's rated the 6th best bar in North America ! In 2022 they were rated the 36th best bar in the world. They know what they're doing.

But have they lost their mojo? Some observations from our last visit:

The menu must now be accessed via QR code. In my estimation this eliminates dialogue with your server or bartender. QR codes are fine for airport restaurants but not for a bar of this stature. We were seated on a banquette on the bar side. The seat must have experienced a rather large tear in the leather because there was duct tape or some form of covering tape on the seat. It was peeling at the edges. Not an appealing place to sit for a woman with bare legs or with tights that would stick to the peeling tape. We mentioned it to the floor manager as we departed & he completely agreed. He said that if it was his choice he would have it repaired immediately. Now I know that you cannot control who comes through the door. I know that all guests are treated equally. However on our visit there was a rather high percentage of a certain demographic who spent the whole night taking selfies, taking photos of their cocktail & walking around the room taking videos. They were definitely not in the moment and I fully concede this is not the fault of Dante. It's just a bit of a buzz kill. As I had a sip or two left in my cocktail one of the bussers walked by and grabbed my glass to remove it from the table. I informed him that I was not finished. Had he not been trained properly or maybe it was too dark?

I really want to like this place. I just fear that they have become a victim of...

How unbelievably disappointing. Never in my life have I been rushed out of a restaurant for being a 2-top with our server actively trying to get us to leave the establishment as soon as he could make us leave so he could turn the table over in hopes of a larger party. It was obvious with how he repeatedly hounded us every ten minutes after we were seated asking us if we wanted to order something, comparatively to the 3-top and 5-top on either side of us who kept being told, “Oh! Take your time.” Never did he make recommendations, ask what we liked, or even attempt to make us feel appreciated as patrons.

After finishing my dirty martini our server made no effort to ask me if I wanted a second. Again, never have I seen a server actively working to not make the business money and I really wonder the reason. I had to flag our server down and ask for a second dirty martini. At this point we had finished our appetizers and were waiting for our main meals. By the time I received my second martini, not only had my pappardelle arrived — I had finished the whole meal. The restaurant was so loud I couldn’t hear my partner speaking to me from across the table. Considering Dante is a very tight cramped space with dim lighting, it’s remarkable to me just how loud the space was.

This is the classic NYC haunt that’s elevated itself because of its history instead of anything to do with its service or food. While the food was tasty it certainly wasn’t worth the six week reservation made in advance, the bill, or the attitude from our server. Tonight was a lot from a restaurant with an alleged mice problem (see review from other patron posted here on Google three weeks ago).

And all of this on my birthday. What a massive...

Went to have drinks. Service - excellent from hostess to waiter to bartender to server. Everyone was on point that night. Ambiance was lovely and good mix of groups of different types. Definitely has the vibe of an establishment that’s been around for a long time. Extra bonus point for having a totally 80s pop playlist blasting. Ok minus a half for actually blasting it. I haven’t heard that many Genesis/Phil Collins in one sitting since high school. Drinks were absolutely solid. Old Fashioned was clean with very clear flavors. It was served with the upper class ice (eg one big solid cube) elevated even higher because the cube had “Dante” branded on a side which clearly was placed in the glass facing up to appeal to the discerning consumer. My friend’s Manhattan was served as a 2-part drink plus the extra leftover that made you feel … extra (and me jealous of the extra hooch). We ordered a cheese plate (3-cheese option). It came with some mini sliced figs, nuts (almonds in some kind of subtle glaze), Melba toast with raisins crackers, and a small bowl of honeycomb (are you not l supposed to eat that? Because we did and I’m still alive to write about it). The waiter even offer to refill the crackers. Terrific. We got round two of drinks - Gin and tonic for me and the Brooklyn something for my buddy. That G&T looked so innocent served with fruit slices but either it was just straight up G with no T or that Fords gin is private label for US Air Force fighter jet fuel. Fire. The buddy’s Brooklyn thing was kind of like a lighter Manhattan (like in real life) but still good. Sometimes older establishments age poorly but it’s great to find ones that are still going strong for the...