561 Restaurant

01/08/09

What a great experience!

by afoodie at Citysearch

I view myself as a fairly savy diner and dine out often. If you are looking for an experience in dining this is your kind of place. You need to go in understanding that this is a classroom for the students, once you understand this you will be blown away with the quality and creativity of the food. Granted the service is not 5 star but it is a great opportunity to spend time with aspiring chefs and restaurateurs!

Go there to have fun and enjoy the experience. Zagat and Michelin have also rated this restaurant.

02/02/08

Worst dining experience ever!

by oooogatz at Citysearch

My husband and I love good food and have eaten at some of the best restaurants, including the Culinary Institute of New York which was fabulous. This was one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had. Aside from the fact that it took over one hour to get our food, what finally came was more than disappointing. The bouillabaisse was a lukewarm tiny portion of two little clams, one very small piece of fish and a few spoons of what tasted like tomato paste. It was also to include mussels but they ran out. My husband's very small portion of fish was cold by the time it arrived and tough.We had a bottle of wine so our grand total was over $200. Stay away from this place!

• Pros: none
• Cons: Bad service, horrible food, overpriced

08/25/07

They obviously don't teach service at the CCIA

by jllevin at Citysearch

I had made reservations to go to Resaurant 561 for my son's birthday, as we had gone there several years ago and had a very nice time. Keep in mind, that I had informed the restaurant in advance that we were celebrating a special occasion. However, until last night, I have NEVER walked out on a restaurant before in my life. After being seated with my wife and 2 children, we sat for a full 10 minutes during which NOONE came by to take our drink order, or even give us a glass of water. Meanwhile, at least 5 or 6 waiters and waitresses stood idly by in plain view near the open kitchen. I don't know about you, but when a restaurant charges $28 for a New York Steak, and touts itself as an upscale dining restaurant of the world class California School of Culinary Arts, I expect not only world class food, but world class service as well. In my mind, leaving a customer sitting there for 10 minutes basically ignoring you completely is far from world class. Suffice it to say we will not be dining there ever again. I understand that this is a teaching restaurant, but I also understand that when a customer is treated as if they are not even there, then the quality of the food no longer matters.