THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW A PRIVATE EVENT SPACE Gallery at Villard Michel Richard

THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW A PRIVATE EVENT SPACE Gallery at Villard Michel Richard Restaurant Review:

Until this ultra-elegant destination opened in The New York Palace in autumn 2013, chef Michel Richard had taken a 40-year reprieve from cooking in New York. After an inaugural stint in NYC, the Brittany-born toque took a detour to Los Angeles, opening his first elite pâtisserie in 1977, leading to the subsequent success of his celebrated Citrus (since closed) in that same city almost a decade later. At his flagship Michel Richard Citronelle in the nation's capital he continued to charm guests until the restaurant shuttered in 2012. Now in residence in The New York Palace, Richard runs three establishments --- a 110-seat bistro; the more stylish 50-seat Gallery; and Pommes Palais bakery and café. (It should be noted that he has no affiliation with room service at the hotel.) Gallery at Villard Michel Richard occupies the ornate space in the Villard Mansion that was most recently home to Gilt (and Le Cirque 2000 before that). Architect and designer Jeffrey Beers put his mark on this landmark room by installing large photos of famous actresses. The substantial frames are propped up against the walls and may feel a bit overbearing to diners seated adjacently. Richard serves a four-course prix-fixe ($150), a four-course vegetarian tasting ($140), and an eight-course tasting ($185), which includes his signature lobster pasta that comes in a tin can, and what looks like caviar are actually pasta pearls. There’s a fried egg on top that mingles with cuttlefish ink and chunks of rich lobster. Richard elicits an abundance of flavor from three tender morsels of Colorado lamb. The meal concludes with a dessert selection plus foie gras brûlée. The wine list, under the domain of The New York Palace’s wine and beverage director Justin Lorenz, is extensive and expensive. (The same program is available at the bistro.) Gallery at Villard Michel Richard will have you wondering why the chef took so long to once again grace the Big Apple.