Le Gratin

"You can experience chef Daniel Boulud in a more casual setting at this restaurant celebrating Lyonnaise cuisine within the Beekman Hotel, where the chef is offering a thre-course holiday menu. The feast kicks off with black truffle gougères; moves on to starters including sea scallop with Perigord truffle vinaigrette, hazelnuts and sunchokes; celery root and chestnut soup; and terrine of foie gras. It includes such entrees as comté-filled ravioli; Dover sole with salsify-Champagne sauce and caviar; and quail stuffed with foie gras and Swiss chard.  Among the desserts are chocolate cake with caramel ice cream; and vacherin with exotic fruit sorbets and meringue." - Eater Staff, Beth Landman

"Within Hyatt, Thomas said the aim has been to have restaurants so good that travelers want to book their stay there while also attracting locals with that same quality. Thomas considers Le Gratin an example of success for its integration into the scene, saying, “people don’t even know that’s part of The Beekman [a Thompson hotel]! And that’s okay!” Bringing in a local chef and team, rather than cooking a concept up in a lab and trying to make it fit into disparate locations, is the clear route to authenticity."

"Le Gratin is a “Wall Street hangout where charm still prevails,” writes Eater critic Robert Sietsema. Here, Daniel Boulud — one of the city’s most prolific providers of French restaurants — focuses on his roots in Lyon, France, in a space once home to Keith McNally’s Augustine. The move here is the restaurant’s namesake dish: the cheesy potato gratin." - Eater Staff

"Daniel Boulud is still good at making food. For proof, check out Le Gratin, a FiDi bistro that pays homage to the chef’s hometown of Lyon. In a big, Belle Epoque-style space with flowers painted on the walls, you can eat a plate of deep-fried escargots accompanied by pig trotter croquettes and foie gras. Lyonnaise specialities like the pike quenelle and gratin dauphinois are always worthwhile, but you can also just get some moules frites or a burger. Despite all the chandeliers, this place is relatively casual, and it’s a great last-minute option for an impressive group meal." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, sonal shah, will hartman

"Le Gratin will remind you why Daniel Boulud became a celebrity in the first place: for cooking French food better than most people on the planet. Modeled after bistros in his hometown of Lyon, this spot serves unforgettable escargots fried in tempura batter, a standout salade Lyonnaise drizzled with chicken jus, and, of course, a creamy and rich gratin made with gruyère and scalloped potatoes. The room, filled with mirrored walls and flowers painted on tiles, feels romantic and casual, and it's a great choice to celebrate a relationship status-related occasion." - kenny yang, neha talreja, hannah albertine