The Ellington — Restaurant in New York

Wow this was a horrible disastrous and expensive scam of a thanksgiving, extremely disappointing.

Tldr: I had family from out of state wanting to spend thanksgiving at a fine dining restaurant. Due to reservation issues we were going to the world trade center restaurant, (that place not only is beautiful and cool but, the food is not only inexpensive for Manhattan but really good), we last minute got a reservation at the Ellington. By last minute I mean weeks before thanksgiving as the Ellington you really need to book months in advanced.

Now before I trash it I will give it a reasonable context of the situation. It was thanksgiving and it was very busy but not like super booked with a line outside.

Here goes the cons. The restaurant is not a fancy or high end looking place at all. It looks like most Manhattan corner diners or cafe with the awnings and your average seating arrangements.

We were not only on time but when we arrived first they couldn't find our reservation. when found we had to wait outside in the 40 degrees and below weather because they were not ready although we had the booking for a while at that point. When they said they were ready they gave us the worst table and the service was horrible. Our table was basically near the entrance of the kitchen but we couldn't get anyone's attention or service. In other words service was just horrible.

So as soon as we sit we have the waiter give us the menu and before we could even look at it, they already pushed to order. When food was sent out they literally threw the food on the table. I had better service at McDonald's when they have the table service option.

I personally had the ravioli and the rest had turkey plate while the 2 kids had other things. My ravioli were only 4 squares as although the cheese and seasoning was good for 70 dollars per head you have to be kidding me. Gordon Ramsay would probably throw that in the trash and call the owner a stupid donkey. The appetizer was however pretty good, it was chicken dumplings and we had mostly the pumpkin cheese cake which was probably the best tasting dish but it was small as hell with like a dot of ice cream and overall it wasn't worth the money.

Aside from that we had to fight to get service. My family are not from NYC so they politely tried to flag down a waiter one because the didn't give my little niece a steak knife when she ordered steak? , didnt give my cousin pepper and my cousin in law had asked for a drink she literally had to wait 30 minutes or more. So because I'm from NYC I went to the kitchen and had them give me a knife and made a waiter bring us pepper. It became so ridiculous my cousin had to talk to the manager who finally had his wife get her drink via the manager.

They also were prioritizing a table behind us because they were 10 people which had the 90 dollar per head special. However due to drinks and other orders we paid over $700 for subpar food and horrible service. My cousin was really disappointed because supposedly the Ellington was the best restaurant for a thanksgiving day dinner, but tbh a Chinese buffet would have been better and it is far from fine dining.

I don't know maybe the last owners had the top notch food and reputation but this place is horrible for what you get. Granted the food was ok at best but I would definitely look elsewhere for fine dining.It was so bad the manager gave us a voucher but like after spending over 700 bucks a hundred bucks voucher stings on top of it all.

I'm not a chef but I wouldn't be surprised if my ravioli were frozen aka fresh frozen and not home made fresh or I have been watching too much kitchen nightmares. (Had to make a joke after our...

Holidays in Manhattan means a stop in at The Ellington. We do not come often and this was our first time since they moved from The Amsterdam location. What an Upgrade!

We went there on a Sunday and was rewarded with a Brunch Menu. What a treat. The atmosphere was casual but "Manhattan Elegant" softly in the background with a piano and conversations from around the restaurant. Still, it was easy to have our own intimate time just my wife and me. We just concluded a wonderful family Christmas and had a few hours alone.

First thing our waiter, Nahid, noticed we were holding hands. He shared stories with us of other customers, painting a lovely picture of romantic afternoons at the restaurant. Nahid was great letting us have a quiet brunch but also never feeling neglected.

The menu was terrific. Just the right number of selections to keep the selection process to a minimum. Each option was described well and the chef delivered on each of these promises. The picture below does not begin to describe what the chef prepared. The flatiron steak was cooked perfectly and delivered at an equal temperature to the table. Eggs are hard to cook to order but I could not have done better myself. My meal came with fries. I could pass them up except there was a vessel of gravy that needed to be eaten. No way would I put it over my perfectly prepared flatiron. The gravy was drinkable, but my wife would have frowned on that so french fries to the rescue.

My wife chose the short rib blue cheese benedict. I am not fond of blue cheese but I so enjoyed the bite I was able to negotiate from her. Highly recommended even if blue cheese is not your bag.

We accompanied our meal with a bottle of prosecco with juice from an orange and cranberries. Ordinarily we would not mix juice with sparkling wine but why wouldn't you spruce up prosecco!

Back to the atmosphere. There were decorations of the season artistically arranged around the piano but taking away, somewhat, the view of The Ellington's magnificent bar. Friendly people tending the bar with a menagerie of bottles, glasses and bows (stealing a bit from Dr. Seuss) at the ready for "Season's Greeting" or a "Seasonal Beverage". The piano player brought everything together with familiar melodies reminding me of other great times with my wife and family and of course in this great city.

Come one, come all (plagiarizing again) to The Ellington. You will not be...

Very tasty food and awesome service. Shoutout to our waiter Fernando! We visited for brunch on a Saturday **Long review alert... --Food: I had the Nova with scrambled eggs (instead of the poached egg... I'm not a fan of poached eggs) and it was delicious. My fiance had the steak and eggs-also amazing. Flavorful and cooked as requested. I recommend the sweet potato fries. We had had them as an appetizer. --Drinks: lots of unique options at a very reasonable price, specially for Manhattan ($14 for cocktails). I had the Duke, which was a perfectly balanced with the right amount of sweet and slightly bubbly. It was beautifully pink and girly. My fiance had some classics (vodka club, Jack and diet) which were also great. We got a nice extra, Irish coffee... delicious. --Service: Our waiter, Fernando, was awesome! Attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, ready with recommendations. The manager Maggie and owner Glenda are super welcoming and kind. We are considering this location for our wedding and they kindly showed us around. --Ambiance: romantic decor, with a touch of industrial modern. Large windows, great lighting, lots of flowers, with red highlights. Perfect for pictures, on any season. --Music: We visited on a Saturday for Brunch. They had a Dj and the music was popping with classic 80s. I'm talking Prince and Queens kinds of vibe. Music level was perfect. Loud enough to hear, low enough to comfortably have a conversation. We were told that live jazz happens on Sundays, and I'm willing to bet it's probably awesome. ---Overall: do yourself a favor and visit. You...