The Early Word on Laurent Manrique's Millesime

Millesime, the seafood brasserie from San Francisco chef Laurent Manrique, opened a few weeks ago in the Carlton Hotel - months after the downstairs Salon welcomed noshing guests. So far, the restaurant seems to be making an impression with its classically French service and technique, but this city has a habit of not being too kind to outsider chefs. Will it strive in this patriotic culinary landscape or will Manrique be rushed out by torch-carrying city folk? To the Early Word:

The Great News: The bivalve aficionados at The Oyster blog liked the overall Frenchiness and hospitality of the place, and found the oyster selection very good and their prep and service mostly flawless. Their takeaway, with a notable service detail: "Millesime adds a wonderful diversity to the New York City French restaurant scene. Its a restaurant fit for a special occasion or a casual evening dinner. Perhaps a bit corny, the Eiffel Tower salt and pepper shakers and opera singing waiter, are relaxing touches to the otherwise elaborate decor and cuisine." [The Oyster Blog]

The Floored News: Marc Shepard (AKA The NY Journal) loved pretty much everything about Millesime, but especially the food: "There's plenty of great cooking in New York, but I am not often floored. I was floored on Friday by the quality of our meal at Millesime." He found the service "eager but not yet quite polished" and when all was said and done, considers it a great value: "The food bill was $90 for two. By a wide margin, this is the best food I've had at under $50 per head, bearing favorable comparisons to restaurants that charge twice that." The wine list, he notes, does not offer the same level of value. [NY Journal]

The ZOMG News: Yelper Elana S.'s meal at Millesime nearly split the world apart. Accommodating service, crazy-good food, awesome room, she loved it all: "There are so many dishes on this menu I cant wait to try next time, clearly the fish is a winner and the tuna tartare is a MUST- HAVE! I only have two questions: When can I come back, and where can I buy those cute salt and pepper shakers?" [Yelp]

The Pretty Good: Yelper Craig B. tried some of the non-seafood fare, and was pleasantly surprised: "The cote de bouef was also delicious. A perfect medium rare (I often find my steak over cooked at places) with the bone marrow presented beside the steak after its carved." He did find the service to be " uneven, but friendly." [Yelp]

The "Hidden Gem" News: NY Magazine commenter sonyhdna checks in with a first-time review and, man, is it a gusher. "The space is amazing. Truly impressive. The downstairs "salon" is gorgeous, and had some very fun music playing. we walked upstairs to the dining room, and were blown away by the decor." But it's not just about the decor as they go on to unabashedly praise the food. "I had the snapper "a la plancha", with this herb sauce (capers, etc). Perfectly cooked, and tasted great. A few of my friends went with the steak, which they raved about." The winner of the night? The dessert. "The hidden gem was the dessert. The Brioche was one of the most amazing "french toast" dishes i;ve ever had. we ordered 2 more for the table. I am a sucker for apple pie, and they had this amazing apple crumble that is a must try." [NYM]

The Twitterific News: @KeishaNatalee tweets, "You gotta love classy places.The Millesime in NY will definitely be on my visit again list. Beautiful atmosphere and live band." @nehedari classes it up for dinner here, tweeting, "caparro ballet flats off, vintage snakeskin pumps on for kumamoto oyster/champagne dinner at millesime at the carlton hotel." @TarajOrtiz poses more of a philosophical question than a review. "At Millesime for friends bday. Why do I always get hungry when I'm out?" [Twitter]
—Zachary Feldman