NYCReview
photo credit: Aya Kishimoto
L'Abeille
Included In
Tasting menus can be cumbersome. Sometimes, you sit for a few hours, drop a bunch of cash, and eat a parade of dishes that look a lot better than they taste. The whole experience can make you feel like you’re in an exhausting meeting about Q3 earnings that’s only halfway over. You won't feel that way at L’Abeille.
This Tribeca restaurant has an elegant space with standout service that’s attentive, but never overbearing. But the innovative Japanese-influenced French food is the main reason why you should come here. L'Abeille has an à la carte menu, but we recommend surrendering yourself to the $185 tasting menu—each of the six courses gives you a dog-eats-peanut-butter-for-the-first-time feeling of discovery. By the time the last dish arrives, you won’t want your meal to end.
By combining different temperatures and textures in most dishes, it seem like the chef took the ingenious concept of dipping hot fries in a shake and ran with it—albeit in a more highbrow way. A foie gras crème brûlée is brilliantly paired with onion ice cream, and the scallop crudo comes with a beet sorbet and a flaky piece of pastry that’s like the outside of a turnover. The miso-glazed roasted squab would be successful even without the crispy bits of charred, salted quinoa—but their addition makes the dish even better.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
The food alone warrants an immediate visit, but the atmosphere will make you want to stay for hours. There are green velvet banquettes and brass accents, and the sheer white curtain-covered windows make the well-spaced dining room feel intimate. Although the staff wears jackets and ties, the service doesn’t feel stuffy. The person checking in on you every few minutes is more likely to ask about your plans this weekend than start a question with “sir” or “madam.”
L’Abeille proves tasting menu places aren’t always just about pomp. Does this place serve tweezer food? Yeah, it definitely does, but the dishes are imaginative and satisfying (a rare combination), and the portions aren’t minuscule. If you’ve been avoiding tasting menus due to a string of disappointing experiences, this spot will restore your faith in the format. A meal here might even encourage you to start checking out new tasting menus around the city, but you’ll naturally weigh each one against L’Abeille’s, and few will measure up.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Foie Gras Crème Brûlée, Glace À l’Oignon
photo credit: Aya Kishimoto
St-Jacque Carpaccio, Betterave Gaspacho Sorbet, Huile De Combava
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Pigeon Rôti Et Laqué Au Miso, Sauce Au Bourbon
photo credit: Kenny Yang
Homard De Maine, Morille Farcie Au Madère, Petit Pois, Crème De Morille
photo credit: Emily Schindler