David Burke Townhouse

Wait, this place s closed? Why? I just recommended it to a friend. I hope it will reopen. I’ve been there a couple times & food & service was amazing. As is true for David Burke Fishtail and Kitchen, which thankfully are still open!

Had Thanksgiving dinner on 11÷29÷13 and had a horrible experience. Place was overbooked and overcrowded and extremely noisy. Tables are cramped and barely any elbow rooms. Food tasted precooked and heated before served. We felt rushed while we were dining. Definitely overrated, expensive, and not worth the time & money.

This place needs to open back up ASAP! The ambiance, décor and most importantly, the food is wonderful! I came here with a friend of mine one evening for a girls night out. We had reservations and arrived prior to our scheduled time. The night started off a little shaky because we had to wait at the bar area for about 45 minutes prior to being seated.
Since we had more than enough time to peruse the menu, we knew exactly what we wanted by the time we were seated. We both ordered the angry lobster which is a very popular item on the menu. So much so, that they ran out of it that evening! We attempted to order another item and that was also unavailable. Talking about being totally disappointed, we almost lost our desire to order anything else on the menu. The manager came to our table, explained that the head chef felt very sorry that they did not have enough of the ingredients to make our meal, however, he wanted to make us a special dish which included a mini version of the angry lobster.
Normally with so many negative experiences, I would have deducted several stars, however, I must say that the head chef and the staff at DB Townhouse really made up for the not so great start of our dining experience. The meal was AMAZING and they even comped us for a portion of our meal. Talking about great customer service. We also enjoyed the ever so popular cheesecake lollipop tree. Luckily for us, that WAS still available and we truly enjoyed it.

This is one of my favorite spots to come for brunch when we come to the city. We arrived a bit early however they were able to accommodate us. It is always amazingly good. The wait staff is always friendly. The specialty cocktails are always good.

So we came for the Cheesecake Lollipop Tree. My friend told me about it, and it was also featured on «Best Thing I Ever Ate.» We’ve eaten here now at least four times, and since our first visit to David Burke’s Townhouse, we’ve made sure to eat here on each subsequent NY trip.
First, the venue. The décor is beautiful whimsy. The decorator has a sense of humor and taste — think an elegant version of Alice in Wonderland. (We liked it so much we bought a piece from one of the artists featured in the main dining room.) And this same attitude is reflected in the food.
We get the prix fixe lunch which is a great deal at $ 39. For the appetizers at our last meal, my husband chose the lobster scramble which is served in a giant cracked egg bowl, and I had the salmon tartare. Both are fantastic. For our main, we both chose the chilled Maine lobster salad, which is good, but not particularly interesting (e.g., the dressing and flavors did not stand out).
However, the Cheesecake Lollipop Tree is spectacular-​looking, inventive, and delicious. There are three types of cheesecake: strawberry, chocolate and coffee, and it’s served with bubblegum whipped cream and berries. It embodies the tone of the meal and is super fun to eat.
Service is very good, and you can’t beat the price, ambience and food. A definite must-​meal on every NY trip.

While the Upper East Side may not have the best reputation for its dining options, David Burke Townhouse is a clear exception. Located a short walk from the Columbus Street lines on the East side, this restaurant is housed in a former townhouse, which explains the origins of its name. My friends and I had made plans far in advance for a Restaurant Week dinner, and arrived promptly for our 8PM reservation. The interior is an eclectic mix of modern and traditional; the walls are decorated with works of art you might find at MOMA, yet the tables and dining area itself are set in a traditional manner. The room is dim, but with sufficient lighting, and while the tables are placed rather tightly together, there is always enough space to prevent a collision with your neighbor.
Unlike other restaurants, David Burke Townhouse doesn’t decide to completely revamp the menu for Restaurant Week. The menus we were presented with had at least four options per course from the original menu, and many other options were available at an additional $ 5 or $ 10 supplement. Thankfully, I had come with a larger group, which allowed me to see and sample a greater of variety of dishes in just one visit.
We were first presented with individual servings of bread and sliced vegetables, in addition to a small amuse bouche — a watermelon and tomato gazpacho, topped with a blue cheese froth. This was promptly followed by our main courses, which, for me, was the the Watermelon and Asparagus Salad. The watermelon slices and asparagus were neatly placed on the edge of the plate, and the romaine salad was topped with a few slices of prosciutto and drizzled with balsamic. It was a simple, but refreshing start to the meal.
The Cavatelli with Short Ribs was placed in front of me, and in hindsight, I can say that it was amazing. The short ribs had been cooked to the perfect tenderness, so that the meat nearly fell off at the prodding of the fork. The waiter had given each of us a spoonful of truffle butter on top of our meats, and this addition nearly pushed the dish over the top. The pasta was just as, if not more, amazing. The cavatelli had been cooked with mushrooms in a savory cream sauce, which was an almost unnecessary compliment. To finish off the plate, a side of lightly fried mushroom chips were added for a little texture and crunch.
The dessert that followed was a slight disappointment after the success of the prior course. I had gotten the Blueberry Crumb Cake, which was served with a small scoop of Buttermilk Ice Cream. I’m pretty sure it had been sitting at room temperature for a few minutes as the ice cream had already begun to melt, making it a difficult dish to consume. While this plate wasn’t too memorable, the Cheesecake Lollipop Tree certainly was. I was able to sample a Bubblegum-​flavored pop dipped in whipped cream, and it was certainly a testament to the whimsical genius of Chef David Burke.
A final note must be made about the service. It was really the small things throughout the night — not being pushed to order even though our last party was almost half an hour late, having our napkins folded for us when we left to use the bathroom, and the genuine sense of welcome we all felt — that made the evening unforgettable. It’s this point, combined with well-​executed plates, that made for a wonderful dinner.

Food is incredible. It’s so hard to choose and requires careful consideration and negotiating with your fellow diners (because of course you can’t order the same things!!) Staff is very informed and love to share their knowledge with you.
Dining with friends and family is ideal because you want to try a bite of everything! So maximize your experience by stealing a bite from everyone’s plate! What’s particularly a joy is the precision with which the seafood is prepared. Absolute perfection on the execution! The first course menu is hard to put down because everything is just so tempting! Still, the second course offers a number of dishes that sent forks flying to one another’s plates. Lobster «steak,» short ribs, a really interesting Bavarian take on salmon, even the fun side of tater tots are all fantastic. Speaking of fun – dessert is a must. The playful, artistic execution of dessert is something not to be missed!
Lovely special occasion or «Treat Yo Self!» restaurant!

Great lunch choice! Two prix fixe options, at $ 27 and $ 39, plus the ability to order a la carte makes for a ton of delicious options at whatever price point you’re seeking. I enjoyed the creamy tomato soup with delicious cheddar cheese crackers, and then the succulent chicken and dumplings — just scrumptious, both of them. My lunch date loved her Farm Egg Ravioli «BLT» and then scallops — gave rave reviews for both.
The real star at DBT, however, is clearly the dessert creations of Chef Zac Young. I can’t even articulate the yumminess… see my two pics. Cheesecake lollipop tree, sure, cute and great — but frozen pumpkin macaron? Are you even kidding me?! I was on the floor. We did not leave any dessert behind, that’s for sure.
I would’ve given DBT 5 stars had I not started my lunch date at the bar where I paid SIX DOLLARS for an iced tea. Come on. I get that it’s a nice restaurant on the UES but that’s not even movie theatre prices — that’s just stupid and offensive. Given the deliciousness of the rest of the meal, however, I’ll just be more cognizant next time.

Cheesecake lollipop tree!!! Oh. My. Goodness.
It was absolutely adorable and pretty delicious even the bubble gym flavored whipped cream was good!
I also had the short ribs which fell off the bone delicious.
For appetizer, I had the angry lobster which had a great spicy kick that I appreciated!!! I wish they have you a whole lobster but I bet the price would sky rocket.
Great service and prompt. Definitely would go back!

A friend and I decided to visit David Burke Townhouse on a Friday evening for restaurant week. I’m glad we went early because it got crowded towards the end. Initially, the place looks tiny and narrow. As you walk towards the back into the lower area, you realize the main dining area is a decent size. Luckily, we had a great, spacious seat in the back.
We started off with bread which comes warm with butter shaped in a cute design. Too bad the butter was a bit hard. We ordered the egg ravioli, braised short ribs, scallops, lollipop and passion fruit trifle. Service wasn’t bad and we were attended to at a decent pace. The food arrived in a nice order. We also received complimentary tiny spoon on hummus with a tiny cracker. Nice gesture thanks to the chef.
The appetizer of egg ravioli wasn’t bad. I wasn’t crazy about how the egg oozed out after I cut into it. The braised short ribs was good and tender. There were some fatty pieces that I had to cut out; wasn’t too crazy about that. The scallops were mediocre. The lollipop dessert was cool and comes in about 8 – 9 lollipop styles of cheesecake. I didn’t like the bubblegum flavored thing they provided. If you like sour, then you’ll like the passion fruit trifle as its tart with passion fruit purée and fresh diced mango. Inside is a cake-​like substance.
Overall, if you want to try the place, go ahead. It’s one of those restaurants that you should experience once in a lifetime but I don’t think its worth it. Thank goodness for restaurant week because I wouldn’t have paid full price for this place.

This is my second David Burke restaurant (first is David Burke Kitchen) and I have come to realize the best thing about his restaurants is the lollipop tree.
Thought the décor for the restaurant was a bit dated. Reminded me of Alfredo’s near Rockefeller Center. The service was a bit to be desired. Silver wear tossed on the table. One waitstaff took us by surprise by his rudeness. I am usually not a complainer with service, but some retraining may be needed with some waitstaff. Luckily our server was very accommodating and was more friendlier than some of the others.
To start, our popovers were way too salty. The salmon and tuna tartare was good but I didn’t see why a supplement was necessary for the price. We both thought the pastrami salmon was delicious and inventive.
My lobster salad was yet another option that was not worth the additional supplement added to the price. For 3 wimpy small pieces of lobster? That was a joke. The chicken was recommended and it was just ok. The Mac and cheese was not al dente and tasted like cafeteria Mac and cheese.
Like I said, best thing here is the lollipop tree. I remember ordering these delicious lollipops from the Bloomingdales catalogs years ago when I didn’t live in NY. Loved them then and still do today. I almost single handedly finished off the tree myself. Great crunch from the outter shell and velvety cheesecake in the center.
Our meal was definitely not worth $ 180 for lunch. Definitely not returning and not to any other David Burke restaurant sadly.

Visiting NY from out of town I heard about this restaurant and decided to check it out for lunch. The restaurant is upscale and beautiful. They have a price fixed menu for lunch where I can choose 3 courses for a reasonable price.
I was given a delicious roll in a silver-​plated cup along with butter dressed as an ice sculpture! How cool is that! I decided to try the pretzel crusted crab cake appetizer. It was so good!!! After that I had the lobster salad for lunch and it was delicious! Since I was full from those two courses I settled for fresh fruit with sorbet for dessert.
The staff was very attentive to my needs and made suggestions for me. The dress is business casual for lunch and reservations are not required for lunch.
The Townhouse is located between Park and Lexington Ave near Bloomingdale’s. I most definitely will return here on a future visit and highly recommend it to my friends going to NY.

When playing hooky from the office, ducking into the Townhouse at 2:00PM relaxes and rewards. I was immediately served an über-​chilled glass of champagne before ordering tender, fall-​off-​the-​bone brick chicken over a bed of truffle pasta and blackened broccolini. The bread, grainy and complex, appeared more palatable than it tasted, though the flavor was in fact a standout.
Had the office not called and left 5 voicemails in my short time unplugged, I’d have ordered from the tempting dessert menu. I suppose there’s a 3:00 hideaway in the near future for me.

I am in love with David Burke restaurants! I brought a friend and her cousin here for dinner the other night. They were visiting from Atlanta. Although we were not immediately greeted at the door, we were in no rush to be seated. We were eventually seated in the back of the restaurant near the fireplace. We also noticed the balloons and thought there was an event going on, but quickly realized it was the norm for the décor. The only other complaint we would have about the décor was that it was rather warm and stuffy inside when the air conditioning was not on. It would have been nicer it was kept on low.
Anyhow, on to the food! I raved to my friends about the pretzel crabcake so we ordered two of those to start along with the zucchini blossoms. Before the appetizers came out, the bread and butter were served. We each got our own personal bread baskets. So cute! The pretzel crabcake is as divine as ever (at his other restaurants) and the zucchini blossoms were warm and cheesey.
For entrees, I ordered the DUCK DUCK DUCK, while my friends each had the salmon. The salmon was perfectly cooked and delicately delicious. The duck was a much bigger portion than I was expecting and I ended up taking half the breast home. The duck breast was also served with a fois gras dumpling and duck meatloaf. I’m not a huge fan of fois gras but I ate that whole dumpling. Delicious! The duck meatloaf was like nothing I have ever had and I shared it with my friends but gobbled up the rest for myself! We also ordered tater tots and asparagus for sides. The tater tots were interesting, they basically shredded up potatoes and made patties out of them and served them with spicy mayo (not spicy to me).
We hardly had room for dessert so we shared the cheesecake pop tree. They were really sweet, but perfect for sharing. I’m not sure how I felt about the bubblegum whipped cream it was served with though. You have to like the flavor of bubblegum to enjoy eating it I guess!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and hope to go back again soon!

Amazing food and service. The ambiance is great and the art and flowers are whimsical and fun!
Notable dishes include (pictures attached!)
1) Pretzel Crusted Crabcake — served with tomato orange chutney. This was really tasty and a different way to serve a crabcake!
2) Crisp & Angry Lobster — SO creative! The presentation was phenomenal — really spicy so if you want some lobster with a kick to it definitely get this.
3) The steak was amazing — it was a special — at least a 20 oz steak. Perfectly cooked!
The desserts are really creative! Our favorite was the Warm Drunken Donuts — they provide you little bottles with caramel and chocolate and you can inject your donuts with them — SO DIVINE! The Cheesecake Lollipop Tree was good too.
Definitely a must visit for a special occasion or fancy and fun night out!

David Burke?! Last minute reservations?! A friend knew the executive chef and was generous enough to extend the invitation to me. How could I not go? Immediately walking into this place, there was wealth, warmth, class, and coziness. It was not pretentious, but just the right level that you’re eating at a fancy restaurant but without the stare-​downs. The first thing you’ll notice are the cute white plates with an egg figurine holding some balloons. Whimsical, enough to take the edge off.
To start, we were treated with a personal variety of breads in a bowl: bread with olives, bread with cheese & fat almost like a croissant, bread sticks, spicy radish, carrot, and an olive. All the bread was fresh and enjoyable each in its own way. The tower of butter sitting on salt cubes were a nice take, adding to the attention to detail.
Next as part of the chef’s compliments, we received a small shot glass of Cream of Cauliflower with 2 – 3 salmon/​trout-​like caviar eggs. The soup was tasty all in its own, but the caviar paired perfectly adding juicy explosions of saltiness.
Then came the plethora of dishes:
— Parfait of Big Eye Tuna & Salmon Tartares ($ 20.00) mixed in a soy glaze then fashioned into a cylindrical shape and topped with spicy mayonnaise and crème fraîche. Served on the side are four pieces of crostini and 3 sauces: a yellow mustard-​like sauce, cilantro pesto, and a salty teriyaki-​like sauce. Not only was the presentation excellent, but the tartar was delicious. The silky texture, saltiness„ then add the three sauces added a contrasting flavor, resulting in an outstanding dish.
— Charred Octopus — sitting on top of a colorful black, green, and orange sauec. The octopus was cooked to firmness yet still maintaining its tenderness. Enjoyable, however nothing to rave about.
— Bone Marrow ($ 18.00) — fatty, gelatinous, just how bone marrow should be. But for some reason it was not my preferred dish. I could have easily gone for some more of the salmon tartar and maybe a glass of white wine.
— Ravioli with braised short ribs — Oh yes! Tender, flavorful, complimented with a ketchup bbq sauce. Enjoy every bit of that ravioli.
— Handmade Cavatelli & Braised Short Ribs ($ 35.00) — wild mushrooms, mushroom chips and truffle mousse. The short ribs were tender, easily ripping apart with the fork. The cavatelli were cooked al dente, then lightly sauteed with mushrooms, and garnished with fried pieces of mushroom chips. I could have easily ignored the truffle mousse, but overall, this was one decadent dish.
— Chicken «Under A Salt Brick» ($ 32.00) — complimented with some greens, cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced squash underneath. The chicken was tender and moist with a crispy skin on the outside. It was slightly salty but in a good way! A simple yet elegant dish.
— Halibut over Quinoa ($ 42.00) which is very similar to barley. If you’re looking for a lighter dish, this dish feels very healthy. The fresh fish was cooked just enough that it was soft and broke apart easily.
— Tater Tots ($ 8.00 each or 3 side dishes for $ 20) — Extremely good with spicy mayo. Crispy on the outside, potatoey on the inside. I couldn’t believe how good they were! A must order dish!
— Chocolate Caramel Bar ($ 14.00) — salted peanuts and «cracker jacks». The truffle bar was soft and almost melty. The caramel popcorn on top was fun adding to the cute presentation.
— David Burke’s Cheesecake Lollipop Tree ($ 18.00) — paired with bubblegum whipped cream and berries. Playful and inventive, fashioned into a lollipop tree. The cheesecake pops were soft, and more cake-​like, as opposed to the cake pops you might expect at bakeries. The outside was fudgy along with a crunchy texture on the outside from the sprinkles and nuts. It’s a very appealing dish, but overall, it’s somewhat underwhelming.
— Warm Drunken Donuts ($ 16.00) presented in a creative ferris wheel-​like metal contraption. Four chocolate covered strawberries joined the party as well, yum! Then came the 3 small plastic squeeze bottles of milk chocolate Baileys, strawberry daiquiri, and salted caramel. The bottles were great in concept but lacked in execution. It was almost impossible to squeeze them, and when you were able to, so little came out with so much effort.
— Coffee ($ 4.00)
The staff were super attentive, one waiter always standing on one side of the room, ready and willing to come over when we beckoned for him. Dishes were cleared efficiently, our waitress came over always at the right time to refill our glasses of wine and making sure everything was going great. Near the end of our meal, we were so lucky to meet the executive chef and David Burke himself. They sat beside us, enjoyed a glass of wine, chatted a little bit, all thanks to one of our friends. A once in a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten.
For our overall experience, I would gladly give it 5 stars but putting my biased experience aside, I’d have to give it 3 stars for its lack of wow factor.

Review for RW Summer 2012
3 of us came for dinner to check out the place during restaurant week. I got a Rasberrtini at the bar as I waited for my friends, looking around admiring the ambiance. I thought the décor was very pretty and the main dining room at the back where we eventually sat was lovely. We were seated promptly. The service was great, very efficient & polite.
The bread was served in quite an interesting manner… an individual soufflé pan with a roll of bread, along with a few olives & baby pickles. We all got the shrimp & fresh corn ravioli appetizer, it was good though slightly on the bland side. For the main course we had a Cioppino (YUM), Ginger crusted Salmon and Cavatelli & short ribs. We all really enjoyed our main course dishes. Last but certainly not the least… dessert…chocolate caramel bars (super rich) and I had the blueberry cake with some nuts & ice cream, very light and just the right amount of sweetness.
Generally, you get what you pay for in the market so it’s not fair to expect to get the regular menu items on restaurant week prices. The whole concept of restaurant week being that fancy/​upscale restaurants serve a sampling menu at an affordable price & you get to check the place out. Half the experience is about the ambiance & the feel of it all. For those who are unhappy about what upscale restaurants offer in general during restaurant week should feel free to pick things from the regular menu and be ready to dish $ 100+ per head. That option is always offered.

I enjoyed my dinner here. Between the three of us, we probably ordered 10 different items. Maybe more. I enjoyed every single thing we ordered — bread, the cheesecake tree, the bone marrow, salmon, foie gras, duck confit, etc.
This is a foodie type restaurant on the Upper East Side, with white tablecloths and a very sophisticated décor, so expect very high prices. The bar area was super chill, and so is the restaurant I suppose.
We were seated by the fireplace in the back. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this place, if you feel like splurging or celebrating.