AZ

Is it closed or isn’t it? Well, it should be. Wasting a cool space like this with overwrought Asian fusion cuisine should be a crime. Mrs. Hipster had been anxious to try out AZ, but we were completely unaware that celeb chef, Patricia Yeo, had moved on some time before and left the restaurant in the hands of some dude who decided experimentation equals a good time. Not that Yeo’s track record has been stellar of late, with closing of her second failed attempt at Mediterranean cooking, Pazo, going down the tubes a while ago. We ordered the tasting menu accompanied by the wine tasting menu and, unfortunately, most of what we were tasting was somewhere between mildly tasty and post-nasal drip. Despite the dining room being half-empty, our servers seemed in a big hurry to get the hell out of there. Maybe they knew the end was nigh and decided slaving away for waiter wages wasn’t worth it that night. It doesn’t really matter at this point, but it was one of the more disappointing dining experiences we’ve had in the city in terms of expectations vs. results. Oh, and the lounge downstairs was packed with a waitstaff who, despite it being about three nights before the place “closed,” were about as rude as possible. It was as if they didn’t want the business. Way to run a place into the ground! [MF]

21 W. 17th St. (bet. 5th & 6h Aves.)
212/691-8888