Artisanal - Review - Aramis

Intro
Artisanal - Highly Recommended
2 Park Ave, New York 10016
At 32nd St, btwn Madison & Park Ave
Phone: 212-725-8585

I've always wanted to check out Artisanal, but never had the opportunity to do so. Artisanal is a solid bistro that is also a phenomenal cheese shop. The food here is consistently very good, which is very rare. Every single dish was slightly better than the previous dish. Overall, I give the restaurant an 85/100.

My Menu
Not sure what the cod and salmon dish were, since we did not order it. Thanks D'Artagnan for the ordering.

1) Onion Soup Artisanal - Recommended
2) Stilton Fondue - Highly Recommended
3) Cod Dish - Highly Recommended
4) Salmon (special of the day) - Recommended
5) Macaroni and Cheese - Highly Recommended
6) Cheese Plate - Highly Recommended
7) Cheesecake - Highly Recommended
8) Panna Cotta - Recommended

Dish Comments
1) A very good Onion Soup. At first the flavors are spectacular, but as you taste more the bold flavors dissipate slightly. Great thick cheese layer though.
2) Great blue cheese flavor and great melted cheese consistency. Perfect with apples.
3) Cod was perfectly cooked - flaky and moist. Very flavorful and matched perfectly with the chorizo, peppers, and onions. Fried potato was spectacular...crispy on the outside, smooth and creamy on the inside.
4) Salmon, sauce, and some type of fried concoction were decent by themselves. But, combining the three components it was a perfect match . Like the cod, the salmon was cooked perfectly.
5) Macaroni and cheese was spectacular, maybe one of the best that I've ever had. Perfectly cooked noodle, goat cheese bechamel sauce, and perfect crispy panko/parmesan topping. You know a dish is phenomenal when you want to recreate it at home...i will be posting a mac and cheese recipe soon.
6) The cheese is insane here. Someone picked 6 cheeses and they were spectacular. I heard Artisanal has better cheeses than Murray's Cheese Shop, but I had to see for myself. I definitely agree now - definitely coming back just for the cheeses.
7) One of the best cheesecakes I've ever had. Perfect flavor and texture. Junior's Cheesecake is great, but it really can't compare to Artisanal's cheesecake.
8) Panna cotta is pretty good here, but the rhubarb and strawberry soup was spectacular.

Overall Restaurant Experience (85/100)

• Food 8.5/10 - Very odd that every single dish was very good to great. Solid food.
  
• Service 8.8/10 - Service was very good for us dudes on a Monday night.
  
• Atmosphere 7.7/10 - Place is packed and we went on a Monday. I can't imagine how this place is on th weekend. Also, tables are very cramped together. Crowd is a mixture of tourists, families, business people, and the young crowd.
  
• Price 8/10 - Price is a little pricey for a bistro ($26 for the cod dish), but comparable to other mid-range restaurants in Manhattan. Regardless, every single dish was consistently good that it was well worth the price.
  

Closing Comments
Probably the best bistro in Manhattan that I've been to. Again, it's very rare to have that many dishes to be so solid. Actually, the next dish was alway slightly better than the previous. Fancier food than the average bistro - Artisanal is definitely better than Les Halles. Great stuff and can't wait to go back.