Well I have been putting this off for a while now because I wasn't sure how I should approach this review.  Here goes...

Nish formerly March was intended to be a scaled down, more 'hip' restaurant with more visibility than its original outstanding, but less well-known, March Restaurant in terms of both price and food. Anyone who had read my review of March knows how highly I regarded it, but I went into Nish with an open mind.

The new menu is mainly an a la carte menu with classic French, Middle Eastern, Italian, Chinese-Japanese and Indian influenced cuisine, which while interesting, did not validate the pricing of the new menu. Previously, dinner or the tasting menu and wine or wine pairings for 2 with gratuity would run around $400-$500. Our bill for the meal we had at Nish came out to about $350-$400 dollars somehow anyway.

The wine list has been changed and pared down, and is not nearly as far-reaching as it was when the restaurant was March, and choosing a wine or champagne was very difficult, especially as they don't do wine pairings with dinner or the tasting menu (tasting menu: $59/person) anymore, also a let down.  The wine that our server helped us choose was very good, but did not blend well with the entire meal. I will say that the list is priced very well, even if it didn't have too much of an impact on the evening's final bill.

I understand that Wayne Nish wanted to change the concept and menu of the restaurant, to get it back into the sight of diners who didn't know or patronize March, to make it more appealing to the younger, 'hipper' crowd - but the restaurant has made a complete 180, with a menu that is interesting but far less so than the its predecessors' well put together, always inspired and changing menu.  While the food at Nish is quite good, I can patronize several other restaurants in town and experience similar fare at far less a price-tag.

The decor has changed also, which is both a blessing and a curse. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful old townhouse in Sutton Place, complete with fireplace as you enter into the reception area.  While I will say the previous 80's-style decor needed some updating, it was coherent and cozy. Now, it feels garish and unsettling. Our server did explain that they hadn't completed the interior yet, so I will let that go. One thing I did like about the new space was the artwork - which Nish plans to change frequently.  The bright white walls, though, are something I hope will be changed with the new design plan.

As far as the new 'hipper' crowd that Nish wanted to attract, I would call it more of a touristy and obnoxious crowd, with no real interest or love for good and innovative food. The previous patrons were refined, food loving experienced diners. What I witnessed were loud patrons who obviously have no appreciation for good food.  When I say loud, I mean extremely loud. I didn't need to 'overhear' one shrill patron who yelled 'you know, this place was famous', as if that were the only reason for dining there.

Well, I believe the reason for choosing a restaurant of this caliber is the food, not the clout of the previous restaurant. Nish doesn't come near to the dining experience that was March.  I believe he and his partner would have been better off keeping 'off the radar' of main-stream diners and continuing to serve an interesting, creative, more food-centered menu, which was a true dining experience. With an updated interior, of course.

Additionally, the staff isn't as well informed about the menu offerings as they were previously, nor as attentive. That is except for the fabulous cheese selection on the new menu. Our server was very well-versed in that area, and I wasn't disappointed with the selection of cheeses I asked him to make for us. Cow, goat and sheep are all represented, and I didn't taste one cheese that I wouldn't be happy to have again.  I wish I could say the same about my meal, which for me wasn't anything I would write home about, or here either for that matter.

For those who have not been, I recommend going - at least once. I just won't be going back. I expect places with 'celebrity' chefs like David Burke or Tom Colicchio to have a crowd such as the one I found at Nish - but that was part of what made March so fabulous. Don't get me wrong - I love both of the aforementioned chef's restaurants and their creative and well thought-out menus, preparation and presentation.  But that wasn't all that March was about. I believe it was 'off the radar' for a reason. A good reason. It wasn't trendy or a 'place to be seen' - it was a place to enjoy a good meal in a lovely, romantic, old-world style atmosphere, undisturbed by loud 'scenesters' wanting to be seen in what was a 'hip' spot. 

A changing of the guard, so to speak, has occurred. And not for the better.

But go, try it out. Who knows, maybe Nish will become the next 'hip' spot and they will have achieved their new goal. But then again, many 'hip' spots can be short lived. 

This reviewer wishes that they had simply changed the decor.

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