Turns Out Thomas Keller Basically Copied His Miami Menu for NYC

Lots of details are out about Thomas Aloysius Keller’s new Hudson Yards restaurant TAK Room, but what it actually served has heretofore been a mystery. No longer: Yelpers have descended upon the “fun-dining” retro American spot and helpfully uploaded photos of the Continental fare — and it’s nearly identical to Keller’s Miami venue Surf Club, even in price.

A snack section includes $8 olives and $10 potato chips and french onion dip, while appetizers range from $16 clam chowder and $18 iceberg salad all the way up to $32 steak tartare and $46 soft-boiled eggs with caviar. The cheapest option in a section of pasta is $30 bucatini pomodoro, while fettucine alfredo with truffles fetches $46. Then there are the entrees, of which the most affordable is $30 eggplant parmesan. Ballers can opt for $85 Dover sole, filet mignon, or lobster thermidor. All desserts, like a slice of cheesecake, are $18.

As promised, there is plenty of tableside service and entertainment. Servers cut roast chicken and toss Caesar in front of diners, and there’s live music in the lounge area. As for the decor, tables have white tablecloths and emerald green leather chairs, as well as personal lamps. Fruit trees line the windows, which overlook the shawarma-like Vessel.

Out of the two reviews so far on Yelp, one is a total Keller enthusiast, writing, “What can you say when a living legend opens his first new Manhattan restaurant in 15 years?! Thank you!” Obviously that review is accompanied by five stars.

But prolific Yelper Mike Chau, more commonly known in Instagram circles as Food Baby, wasn’t as charmed. His three-star review — in which he calls the food “surprisingly unremarkable” — is especially shocking considering that out of his last 100 reviews, only 12 were not five stars. He rated TAK Room the same level as American chain Westville’s new bakery.

Like Eater NY has done, Chau compared TAK Room to the Grill, where prices are comparable — but he noted that the tableside prep here was “all really unnecessary,” whereas the Grill’s tableside theatrics are “fun.” “Everything’s just not as good as it should be, especially for these prices,” he writes.