My spouse and I and
two family members visited Park Avenue Autumn/Winter/Spring/Summer for dinner
on a Saturday evening in early December 2018. The restaurant is open for
weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner daily. You can book a spot using the
online Open Table reservation system.
As the restaurant’s
name implies, since 2015, it has occupied a position on Park Avenue (at the
corner of East 26th Street) in Chelsea near Madison Square Park. Prior to that,
for 22 years, the restaurant was located on the Upper East Side. The Quality
Branded Group operates Park Avenue, along with Quality Eats (Upper East Side,
Nomad, West Village), Quality Italian (Midtown East, Denver), Quality Meats
(Midtown East, Miami), Don Angie (West Village), Maloney and Porcelli (Midtown
East), and Smith and Wollensky (multiple locations).
The last part of the
restaurant’s name changes with the season, as does the interior of the
restaurant space, including the server uniforms. Upon entry to the building,
guests encounter a host podium, behind which hangs a piece of unique art. A
coat check is available. Next, patrons walk through the trendy-looking bar area
and a casual dining space. The main dining room (with its adjoining side room)
is the focal point of the restaurant, with high ceilings, large windows, big
chandeliers, and seasonal decorative touches. We were seated in the rearmost
dining room, which has some sliding “windows” that open onto the main dining
floor. At first, we were disappointed not to have been seated in the main area,
but we soon found that the rear dining space (which had some interesting
decorative touches like high ceilings and a faux fireplace) offered us a more
intimate place to dine and converse.
Park Avenue Winter
serves New American cuisine that changes with the seasons (just like the
restaurant decor and attire). As we looked over the menu, our server delivered
some bread and dipping sauce, as well as an amuse bouche that appeared to be a
bowl of small black truffles perched atop rice. As our entrees, we ordered filet,
scallops (which were disappointingly tiny – smaller in diameter than the size
of a dime), chicken, and duck. We shared the latkes, Brussel sprouts, and
broccoli (oddly topped with Cheetos) as sides. For dessert, we shared the
“Broken Ornament” (eggnog mousse, gingerbread, and pear) and the sticky toffee
pudding.
We enjoyed our
dinner at Park Avenue Winter; the space is attractive, and we liked the
changing seasonal decor.
