THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe at Country Restaurant Review
The Carlton on Madison Avenue
90 Madison Ave. (29th St.) 
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New York, NY 10016
212-889-7100
 After the success of Town, chef-owner Geoffrey Zakarian opened Country at The Carlton on Madison Avenue, one of New York's landmark hotels. The Café is a more casual, yet stylish, version of The Dining Room, located on the second floor. They were both decorated by interior designer David Rockwell with the goal of restoring the grandeur of the 1904 building. The centerpiece of the 28-foot-high room is the snazzy centrally located bar, which is the perfect place to grab a signature cocktail and then leisurely linger in the nearby lounge. Amid dark wood tones, a distinguished ambience permeates this posh Beaux-Arts-styled establishment. But let's not forget that we really came here for Zakarian's French-influenced American cuisine. His talent is based on serious training, which started at Le Cirque and the '21' Club in New York, and continued in France at Pierre Orsay in Lyon, L'Auberge de L'lll in Alsace, Jacques Maximin in Nice and Alain Passard in Paris. Our meal started with pickled carrots, a hand-cut steak tartare served in a canister, a cheesy soupe à l'oignon, some charcuterie and, of course, for an elegant countryside culinary trip, a beautiful foie gras terrine. We continued with hamachi, seared scallops served with fresh corn and frisée, shrimps on an imposing bed of grits, and, the highlight, a fresh peas risotto with onions and shaved Parmesan. Desserts are in the same vein with an apple crumble and tapioca. Honestly, we wish more of our casual meals were as good as this one. In addition to dinner, the Café serves breakfast, lunch and brunch with equally elegant flair.
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