Lincoln Ristorante is located (surprise!) at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side. The main dining space features floor-to-ceiling windows on every side (although the building has a huge sloped ceiling, so the windows on some sides are multi-story while the windows on others are much smaller), some with great views of the Lincoln Center reflecting pool and the living grass roof. (The stunning glass pavilion was designed by Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro.) Inside, the open kitchen is the focal point of the restaurant. Two private dining areas (one on the lower level and one overlooking Lincoln Center Plaza) can hold 17 to 45 guests. Black tables and modern white leather chairs, as well as high curved booths with interesting navy/beige print are available for dining. Our party of four was seated in one of the booths, which provided great privacy for our group. In the warmer weather, outdoor dining is available overlooking the plaza and the reflecting pool. A coat check is available on the lower level of the restaurant, which also provides a secondary entrance and restrooms. (An elevator is available to travel between the two floors.)
Chef Jonathan Benno has an impressive pedigree, serving as the chef de cuisine at Per Se (Thomas Keller) for several years, as well as working at Aqua in Las Vegas (Michael Mina) and The French Laundry in Napa (Thomas Keller). He attended the Culinary Institute of America. In NYC, Benno has worked at Daniel (Daniel Boulud), the Essex House (Alain Ducasse), and Gramercy Tavern and Craft (Tom Colicchio). In 2006, Chef was named one of ten “Best New Chefs” in the US. We have been trying to dine at Lincoln Ristorante for years because we have heard great things about Chef Benno (plus, Per Se and The French Laundry are two of our all-time favorite restaurants, and Benno claims that Keller was an important influence on his food and dining philosophy).
Lincoln serves upscale, creative, modern Italian cuisine. (Do not expect to find lasagna or veal parmesan listed on their menu!) Local ingredients are used whenever possible, in addition to imported Italian classic ingredients like cheese and tomatoes. The restaurant offers house-made pasta, bread, desserts, and charcuterie. The brunch menu (for $38 per person) consists of two courses, either an appetizer and an entrée, an appetizer and a pasta, or a pasta and an entrée. (At dinner, three courses are available for $65, or four courses for $80.) The lunch, brunch, and dinner menus are nearly identical (with the exception of the prices and the portion size). A square cast-iron skillet filled with focaccia topped with onions and fingerling potatoes was delivered while we perused the menus; although olive oil was available for dipping, the bread was delicious and did not need it. We also received an amuse bouche from the chef, which was a thin crostini slice topped with a sort of cheese and mushroom duxelle. For appetizers, our group ordered the oxtail and foie gras terrine (surrounded by radiccio and atop mustard), the tuna salad (with slices of rare tuna surrounded by red and gold beet slices and radishes and topped with a 5-minute egg), the beef brisket risotto, and the farfalle (with sausage). As entrees, we ordered the beet and goat cheese ravioli (amazing-tasting and beautiful to look at), the chicken (topped with pomegranate), the monkfish (served atop artichokes, corona beans, and castelvetrano olives), and the short rib (served with parsnips and cippolini onions). Everything was delicious! We were too full to partake of dessert, although we each received a tiny crispy chocolate cookie-type dessert, which the restaurant served with a birthday candle and message written in chocolate on the plate. (We are not sure how the restaurant knew we were celebrating a special event; someone may have overheard us offer wishes to one person in our party, which was an astute observation.)
Service was excellent. We had a youngish staff member wait on us, but she offered great observations on the menu and was very knowledgeable about the food, wines, and beverages. Because we could see into the open kitchen from our table, we could see the staff lined up awaiting dishes to deliver to customers, and because of that, our food arrived extremely hot in temperature (which is a welcome experience) and perfectly timed.
Our meal at Lincoln Ristorante was excellent: the food, service, and atmosphere.
