Aine

Any recommendations for a very romantic restaurant with a garden, pref downtown for a special occassion?

Thank you
Sorry, I meant to post that under NY, Thanks.

Ryan

Provence on MacDougal Street, hands down. Great restaurant with really solid food and a nice wine list. Although a bit late for this year, they have the BEST Bastille Day party in NY.

MFNYC

i agree re: Provence. Another for a real Tuscan experience, is I Coppi on E. 9th St between 1st Av and Av A.

mclaurie

I agree that Provence is a lovely restaurant but it's not really an outdoor garden. It's indoors made to look/feel like a garden (unless I've never seen the garden).

Verbena on Irving Place is very nice but pricey. Gascogne on 8th ave betw 17-18th is charming french. As I recall, the garden is quite small but lovely.

Grove on Bleecker & Grove is nice but I think someone mentioned it may be closed.

Midtown, the garden at Barbetta (restaurant row) is beautiful.

Ryan

McLaurie, you've not seen the garden. I've eaten there on a few occassions and it does exist.

mclaurie

Thanks Ryan. I'll have to go check it out

Aine

Thanks everyone. Provence it is, I had actually already looked on their website and it looks lovely.

Aine

I looked on http://gascogne.citysearch.com

The garden in Gascogne is just gorgeous, just what I was looking for and as long as they have foie gras I am happy. Thank you again, its perfect!

mclaurie

Thought I should post a follow up on this subject.

I recently had occassion to take my own advice & went to Gascogne (I hadn't been in a while). I was very disappointed. Unless you have the pre-theater ($27) where choices are limited, the prices are outrageous ($25 for all entrees). The garden is nice but the food is just average(although I didn't have the foie gras!) I wish I'd taken Ryan's advise & gone to Provence!

Aine, are you listening??

cigalechanta

Barbetta's has the most beautiful I have seen. But I liked the food at Provence, tho not really a garden, more of a courtyard.

Gekko

Provence's rear-seating area is covered, with a fountain in the center. It is beautiful, but it's not exactly "outdoor dining" by any means.

Great area to walk after your meal.

GoTravel

I Coppi has an pseudo garden and very good food. The back of the restaurant is a glass enclosed area with a lot of plants that envokes that garden outdoor feel. The big plus is that the food is excellent and inexpensive.

Aine

Hi guys, well, sorry to say we did go to Gascogne! Even though we had a lovely time together and the garden is cute, I was very dissapointed. The service was extremely rushed, food passable, and my own personal pet hate, they gave us cheap thick rimmed little bar wine glasses with our expensive bottle of wine. We checked out AZ nearby and their upstairs garden looks cool, the roof retracts and the menu looks nice. Provence is definitely next! Thanks. PS we stayed in Soho in 60 Thompson, nice boutique hotel but I thought misses the super luxury they promise. I guess Im hard to please this week.

mclaurie

Oh Aine, I'm really sorry. In addition to my other complaints, I too found the service very rushed (thought it might be because we went early when many others were doing a pre theater for the Joyce across the street.)

Next time go to AZ & tell US how it is. PS chowhound.com is a good place to check out restaurants >-

Aine

mclaurie, dont be personally sorry whatever you do! I really appreciate everyone's input here, thats how we find the little gems, and if once in a awhile we have to experience a deterioration like you and I did, then that will save somebody else and vice versa, its all part of the experience. It is a pity that the restaurant is slipping, it really is a lovely setting, we were saying even inside must be so cozy and romantic in the winter. Maybe try AZ sometime next week.