Four Twenty Five
The foie gras terrine is a brick of it worked with leek ash beside fluffy spiced madeleines, and Bryan Kim calls it one of the best terrines in town.1 Jonathan Benno cooks it for Jean-Georges Vongerichten in the tower at 425 Park. Kim rated the room 7.6 in April 2024 and called it
a tame, fancy place for tame, fancy dinners.1
Why go
The menu runs France and Italy through Asia, which is Vongerichten's habit, and the technique is not in question. The inspector picks out kampachi with aji amarillo, lime and crushed corn nuts, handmade rabbit agnolotti, and steamed black bass in a mushroom broth.2 Kim ate the same kind of cooking and found it pleasant rather than surprising, which is why the fluke tartare with shiso and sea beans is where he tells you to start.1 The room is bi-level with a ground-floor lounge, a carpeted mezzanine and a glass-enclosed kitchen, and it is built for a table where the conversation matters more than the food.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the foie gras terrine. Kim:
One of the best terrines in town gets a solid A+.
1 - Order: the fluke tartare to start, kept lively by shiso wraps and crunchy sea beans.1
- Order: the duck breast, which Kim picks as the best main, under a lemongrass and coconut sauce.1
- Avoid: the organic chicken breast in black truffle crumbs. Kim:
Serving an inevitably dry chicken breast for $40+ is a very bold move.
1
What locals & experts say
- Bryan Kim, The Infatuation (12 April 2024), rating it 7.6:
Shiso, sauerkraut, aji amarillo—in true Jean-Georges fashion, the place does it all. And yet, polished as it is, it's still kind of boring.
1 - MICHELIN Guide New York, 2025: in the selection, and the inspector on the kitchen's restraint,
Delicate kampachi with aji amarillo, lime and crushed corn nuts highlights the kitchen's restrained touch, while beautifully handmade rabbit agnolotti showcases refined pasta-making.
2 - Ruth Reichl, via The Relisher (19 March 2024), naming it weeks after it opened, and she had not been:
Jean-Georges new restaurant, Four Twenty Five that opened a few weeks ago.
Her assessment was that she was sure the food would be wonderful, which is anticipation.3
Good to know
- Timing: the guide prints service from 7:30am, so breakfast is on the table here as well as dinner.2
- Who it suits: Kim's own framing is a room for a board or an out-of-towner, where nothing on the plate will interrupt the conversation.1
Verdict
could-visit — Ruth Reichl named this weeks after it opened and had not eaten here, so she never judged the food. The only review of the cooking I have found is Bryan Kim's, from April 2024. Benno is still the chef, so that review still describes this kitchen.