CaVa

I am staying at the hotel as I write this. Went downtairs to Todd English’s Ca Va. People there are complete snobs, unfriendly, and did not even acknowlwdge our presence.
I will not go there or to any of Todd English’s establishments anymore, eg Bouchon, French Laundry, adHoc, Addendum in Yountville, and his las vegas locations.
Bistro Jeanty in Yountville is better anyway.

I’ve been sitting here 20 minutes or so. Got water only when a man sat down next to me; otherwise no one has been by to ask if I want a drink, an appetizer. Great place — if you’re male.
Update — the food is no better than the service. I suppose it makes sense: in the theater district the emphasis isn’t on repeat business, but what a disappointment.

Absolutely must MUST review Ça Va Brasserie by Todd English on 44^th 8/9Ave’s. Went last night for my boyfriends birthday dinner — wow! How amazingly intimate & beautiful the place is — very sexy! The staff was so accommodating & made us feel almost like celebrities ourselves. Live DJ was a cool touch as well. However the highlight was most def the food, I mean wow!!! One of the best meals I had in Manhattan without a doubt.

Four of us were headed to the theater so we decided to stay in this neighborhood for dinner, close to the theater. CaVa, which is located in a a hotel, was a typical overpriced restaurant in a hotel in NYC. The food was okay, it certainly wasn’t bad, but in New York, there are 1000’s of wonderful restaurants. This wasn’t worth the high prices for small portions and mediocre food.
At least the show we saw was very good.

Great food, great atmosphere and friendly service.
I came here with my husband and one other friend. We ordered:
— Avocado toast with crab meat: it was delicious, and inspired us to do something similar at home.
— Grilled octopus: It was seasoned beautifully, though I didn’t really get the grilled texture.
— Truffle Mac & Cheese: This is probably the best or second best mac & cheese I’ve ever had. The cheese was perfectly creamy and not too heavy, and you can definitely taste the truffle. And yes, that crumble top was perfect!
— Duck Confit: My husband devoured this.
— Scallops over rissoto: My friend ordered this and I had a taste of risotto, it was so good. Next time, I want to order that.
— Lamb Shank: Also delicious.
It was a lot of food, my friend and I had to pack most of our meals for lunch the next day. The bill came to about $ 210 with tax and tip, we thought it was very reasonable since we got such great food and decent portions.

Horrible service– had to chase down server multiple times. We ordered plenty of drinks and food too so I would think she’d be pleased we weren’t just sitting there wasting her table. The only time she came to us on her own was when her shift was ending and they were changing over servers– she wanted us to close out so she could get the tip that she didn’t work for. Second server also not helpful/​on it. Everyone looked like they were pained to have to deal with their tables. Ridiculous for a place with Todd English’s name attached to it.

The tequila cocktail is bangin! I say tequila drink, rather then margarita because its what every margarita SHOULD taste like. Someone next to me ordered the truffle fries, it took everything in my being to resist taking one, they smelt so damn good.

Came here with my siblings (all of us from out of town). Each of us ordered something different and we all agreed ~ our meal was excellent. Casual atmosphere, good service plus constant reminders via phone call/​email confirming reservations. We’d surely come back.

Wonderful service and classic décor. Menu was executed to perfection. I would highly recommend this establishment and will attend again.

If you’re a new Yorker, stay away from this place. While the place looks nice on the web site, the food, service was just bad. I had the mushroom soup that was bland, Campbell’s makes better mushroom soup. I shared the avocado toast which was very good. My filet mignon was under cooked and wasn’t worth the price. I asked for the steak to be medium which usually means red in the middle and it came out raw and cold. I sent it back and waiting 15 minutes for it’s return while my potatoes and asparagus got cold sitting on my plate. The waiter needs to be retrained. He was tapping a spoon in his hand, then on the back of a chair before giving it to a customer at the table next to me. When he took my order, he licked his finger to get to the page in the order book, then wiped his nose with his finger. I spent $ 128.00 for dinner without drinks or dessert and would never return to that place or ever recommend it to anyone.

I was gone in a New York minute when I sat for 20 minutes and not one server approached me. It is sad that this is the Intercontinental restaurant because I am staying here for two nights. The weather is bitterly cold out and I wasn’t feeling like venturing out on the streets.
I was going to order a drink and some food to munch on. In this case NOTHING, not even water. Sitting, waiting, sitting, watching other people sip their drinks and eat. I am starving. The bartender has quite the bunch huddled around the bar and I like the table where I am at. I don’t want to move.
A couple came to sit down at the table across from me and within minutes, a server comes and takes their order for hot tea. Am I invisible? I pinch myself. Still here. Maybe I have to wave my «Spire Elite» IHG rewards card to get service. Nope. That didn’t work.
Someone else approaches a server and says they have been sitting for a long time. The server yells back, «CAN I SET UP THIS TABLE? UGH.» I hope they left. Because I am leaving too.
Chipotle is on the opposite corner. You will get better service.

On a recent trip to the city, I decided to treat myself to a nice meal between a matinée and evening performance, and settled here. I had no reservation when arriving at 530 ish, but the place looked relatively empty. Regardless, I dined at the bar as I was alone anyway.
Service was initially lackluster, but once the bartenders realized I was going to partake in multiple courses with wine pairings it was brought up to an acceptable level.
To start I had the foie gras (small plate) with the recommended Riesling wine pairing. It was decadent, but tasty. The Fuji apples and accompanying wine helped cut the richness. Even so, it was too much for one. For my main, I had the filet mignon, medium rare. It was cooked perfectly, thank goodness. Not the best filet I’ve had, but certainly not bad. The grilled asparagus was wonderful, still had crispness and a great smoky flavor from the grill marks. The other side, Yukon gold potatoes with goat cheese-​was amazing. I need to replicate that recipe :) The bartender provided a choice of reds, the recommended pairing and one he preferred-​I went with his suggestion. It was just right.
After a heavy meal I decided on a lighter dessert-​a trio of sorbets. I’m not a huge fan of raspberry, but they were happy to double up on the pineapple for me. With a glass of ice wine this was a great end.
Except I had espresso before leaving. Wanted to make sure I’d be awake for my evening show.
Overall it was a very pleasant experience. I wouldn’t tell people to not dine there, although I’m not sure I will for some time. Not because it was bad, but because NYC has so much to offer and variety is the spice of life, right?

The two couples to our right had awful service. The espresso machine was broken when we were there. French resto with broken espresso machine? Really Todd? Spending too much time in Vegas?

This restaurant is appropriately named ca va, French for okay/​alight. It is okay but nothing more. It’s ca va if you’re looking for a solidly mediocre dining experience. Frost bitten desserts? Ca va. Inedible chocolate madeleines? Ca va. Waitstaff who might have left to explore times square during your meal? Ca va. Worth $ 50+ per person? Ca né va pas. The food was mostly okay but nothing worth going back for. The truffle mac and cheese was pretty good but nothing too impressive. It’s pretty hard to mess up cheese and noodles, ca va bien on that one Mr. English. Ca va bien.

I have been wanting to go here for lunch for a while and finally had the opportunity. A friend and I stopped in and were seated immediately. It was a Saturday afternoon and we ordered from the brunch menu both getting the brunch burger-​I got the burger medium well and my friend ordered one medium rare. The burgers arrived with an English muffin type bottom but no top bun on the burger. The burger had avocado, carmelized onions, tomato, cheese but you had to eat it with a knife and fork. The burger was very good but the waitstaff left much to be desired. We got our bill and were in the process of getting our money together and no soon did we get the bill, the waitperson wanted to swipe our cards. I said that we were not ready yet and to give us a chance. The coffee I ordered with my meal was $ 5.00/cup and I was asked if I wanted a cup to go; since I didn’t know how much it was going to cost me and I had just had a cup, I declined. The abruptness of the waitstaff cast an egregious tone to the meal. I enjoyed the food but would think twice about returning. I also noted that the staff in general were more attentive to people who were drinking.

Last night pre theatre dinner… wonderful! Very attentive server Nick was great… the burger really yummy and the mussels were sublime. I had the half portion and it was a great size. Nice wine selection and very reasonable for great NYC dinner. Steps from the theatre. I highly recommend CaVa… great. nice restroom too. The décor was both modern and intimate. Really enjoyed our meal there.

We had read about some wonderfully lavish breakfast items (poached eggs on Lobster hash, duck confit fries). Unfortunately, they never mentioned the mediocre breakfast buffet that they serve on Saturdays. So after examining the coin-​sized Belgian waffles, glops of oatmeal, and assorted box cereals which are also freely available at your major hotel chains, we paid for $ 5 cup of coffee and $ 6 orange juice to our indifferent wait staff then left and have no intention of coming back. Not that the disorganized and diffident staff at Todd English’s over-​priced eatery will care.

Really enjoyed my croque madame, nice enough place, but lacking on several fronts. Worn out dining tables and immediate environs. Hostess completely forgot we existed while she sat other patrons and we waited, waited, waited. Went up to her, gave a WTF. Her effective response? «Woopsie.» The wait people were nice (although, I got up and served my friend water myself because they took too long, and when she asked for milk for her coffee, we waited again and they brought some kind of weird froth liquid) and the brunch dish was memorable (although the croissant was not… super bland), I was thankful I didn’t recommend the place to meet up with close friends — would have been embarrassed by the treatment that soured the experience. Amazing that a place like that stays open in super-​competitive NYC.

This is a damn shame. We came to this beautiful bar to celebrate my husband conducting a Broadway show for the first time. The service and the drinks were incredible. They called last call, which was fine. We paid and then lingered as we finished our drinks. At about 1 am, we were getting ready to leave and wanted to use the bathroom before we headed back to brooklyn, which is an hour trip from the theater district.
We waited 15 minutes for the bathroom. They were both occupied. We knocked. They didn’t open. We looked for staff to ask them if they locked the bathrooms. Couldn’t find anyone to speak to. One of the other patrons told me that they often have prostitutes in the restaurant at that hour. Geez, I hope that’s not true. The concierge at the hotel couldn’t help us either, as they lock their bathroom. Completely ridiculous.
We ended up having to wait until we got to south central brooklyn to use a toilet. Seriously, if we are spending over $ 60 on 4 cocktails we expect to be able to use your toilets. It’s just sad that a restaurant of this price range isn’t willing to accommodate their customers and that service ends once the check is off the table.

I’m here for restaurant week. Food was good. Kale salad and pasta, dessert was fruit tard.

While in NYC, the family and I ate in the lounge area twice before going to a Broadway show. It’s conveniently located to most of the theaters and you don’t need a reservation.
The lounge menu is limited, but you can fill up on a couple of appetizers. The portions are very fair. The food was tasty. Most of it was elevated bar food, but well executed nonetheless. Both times we had the same server and we let her know when we sat down that we had a time table. She was very accommodating in expediting our food and drink.
Food and drinks here are a tad pricey, but I didn’t mind paying for the convenience.

Once again, I end up in a celebrity chef’s restaurant and find myself utterly disappointed. The trend to not open a restaurant with pride and flair but instead license a name and knock off some inhospitable generic restaurant is really not appreciated. Gordon Ramsay has this problem (at least with my experience in Los Angeles and in Vegas with BRGR) and in this case I looked forward to trying Mr. English’s take on a French bistro but instead got the same bland inattention to good food by riding on the coattails of a brand name.
The five onion soup was no new take on a classic french onion soup but instead was the classic – sans flavor. The roasted baby beet salad was average. Diver scallops sat on a pathetic bed of of mushy and flavorless crab risotto, the half chicken was (once again) an average and typical dish. Finally, the steak frites was good – but nothing special.
English’s «fresh twist on classic French cuisine» just wasn’t. Overpromised and underdelivered.

We worked from the lobby section of the restaurant. Ordered a lobster roll and had an arnold palmer. It was good and actually, for a lobster roll and especially being in this part of town… delicious and not overly priced.

I had a lunch meeting at Ça Va before checking out of the Intercontinental. The location was convenient, the service was very good, unfortunately the food was a disappointment. The onion soup was overly salty and greasy with little onion flavor, the soft shell crab was heavily breaded yet soggy because of the highly acidic and wet slaw. You can’t taste the crab at all. The croque madame was more like an egg benedict on a piece of white bread and completely missed the point. On the positive side, it was not crowded, and we got to have a productive conversation.
Overall, it was a good choice for business lunch but not so good if you actually want to have a nice meal.

Horrible experience. If I could give it no stars I would.
Food was OK but overly salted. What was really awful was our experience with the bill. We gave the waiter our credit card after he left us the bill. It came back with an extra $ 20 charged to it. When we pointed it out the waiter tried to make an excuse and tried to take back the check and destroy it but we would not let him. We contacted the manager who apologized but did not act as if this was a serious problem. If there was ever a situation where a meal should have been comped this was it. As we were leaving someone out side the restaurant asked how it was. We told them about our experience and she said, «Yes, I haven’t heard anything good about this place.»

French Foodie
My best friend and I were having a «Sex and the City» girls night out. We were impressed with the superb selections of both Wine and Entrée lists. As an appetizer we decided to go for the 3 cheese platter (in true french fashion). Neither of us were familiar with the list of cheeses so we asked the waiter for suggestions. And oh man did he not let us down!
For dinner we chose Burgundy to pair with Chateaubriand for 2 and Foie gras hollaindaise with haricot verts as the side. Massive amounts of food and should have been for 4 but again did not let us down. Cooked to a perfect Medium rare. The foie gras and hollaindaise was definitely the way to go. Perfect meal before heading to Phantom of the Opera down the street!

An amazing rendition of moules. PEI mussels in an onion broth with cheese melted over mussels and baked into the sliced French bread.
The broth is with garlic and parsley: a meal unto itself.
A tasty Gibson and polite, quick service, a totally worth while place.
There are only two bathrooms available.

When I go to a restaurant with a «name» attached to it, like Todd English, Bobby Flay, Colicchio, Guarnaschelli, or what have you, it comes with a little bit of expectation. Expectation of good service, ambiance, and at the very least, better then average food. The bar is set higher with the name.
I know that generally speaking, when you order soup and salad, the salad comes out first and the soup comes out second. HOWEVER, if there’s two of you and one orders soup and the other orders salad… and that’s it before the main course, then they should be brought out together. It’s understood, generally, that people like to dine together and not sit watching while the other eats. So it’s a little off putting to start your meal off by having to remind the server to bring the other person’s food.
We sat down to eat at 7:15 per our reservation. We were done with our first course by 7:45, and at 8:30 we had to ask for our main course. 45 minutes between courses is a bit much, especially when the couple sitting next to you was sat afterwards and got their food first.
We each ordered meat. My friend the lamb, me the strip steak. We both ordered our respective dishes medium rare. Hers was on the tolerable side of medium and mine was leaning towards medium-​well. I sent mine back.
When I finally got my properly cooked steak, it was under seasoned and underwhelming. I went to culinary school. The sauces are meant to compliment the food. We were taught that «marinating is not the same as seasoning». You still have to put at least salt and pepper on your steak. It draws out the juices.
Dessert. We ordered the Lemongrass Crème Brûlée and the Chocolate Cake. The chocolate cake tasted like rubber, and while the texture on the Crème Brûlée was fantastic; creamy and smooth, it also had very little flavor.
I expected so much more, and was so very disappointed.

I came here with friends to enjoy brunch on Saturday. For 42 $ you can have one plate of food, then up to 6 drinks from a list of about 5 possibilities, provided that you finish within 2 hours.
Here are the highlights:
1. The service is mediocre and impersonal. Drink refills happen slowly. If you can drink more than 2 drinks here over the course of the brunch, good for you!
2. The food is average. My buttery steak was ok, but the fries were cold. Similar sentiments were echoed around the table.
3. The place was ¾ empty at noon on Saturday. Even with this reality, there was a line for the (only) two available toilets in the restaurant that flowed out into the restaurant.
4. The drinks were ok, but not the best.
I would not choose to eat here again. With so many great places to eat in NYC, this was a miss.