<a target="_blank" href="https://www.425parkrestaurant.com/">Four Twenty Five</a>

425 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Tel. +1 (212)
751-6921

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | SEPTEMBER 5, 2025

The Food:

Kampachi; Aji Amarillo, Lime, Cilantro, Crushed Corn Nut

Heirloom Tomatoes; Sweet Onion, Pistachio, Red Wine
Vinaigrette, Basil

Ricotta Ravioli; Vine Ripe Tomato Sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano

Corn Agnolotti; Australian Black Truffle, Hazelnut

Charred Marinated Jurgielewicz Duck Breast; Caraflex
Cabbage, Thai Salad, Chili-Lime Broth

Cherry Tiramisu; Red Cherries, Coffee-Soaked Savoiardi,
Kirsch Mascarpone Cream, Sour Cherry Sorbet

The Wines:
<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>NV Vilmart Brut
Cuvée Rubis (base 2022)</td>
 <td>92</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2012 Marcassin
Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2009 Soldera Toscana Sangiovese</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2015 Roagna Barbaresco
Crichët Pajé</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr></tbody></table>

Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, chef Jean-Georges
Vongerichten’s Four Twenty Five is a welcome addition to New York City’s
vibrant dining scene. For his latest venture, Vongerichten partnered with chef
Jonathan Benno, a culinary star in his own right. I have admired Benno’s
cooking back to the days when he helmed Lincoln Ristorante, where we ate many
times and hosted Vinous events back in its heyday.

A long, elegant bar is the centerpiece of the ground floor.
Stairs lead up to the main dining room. High ceilings convey old-school New
York City grandeur, but the appointments are decidedly modern. The room is
buzzing with youthful energy. Dramatic glass windows looking into the kitchen
add to a feeling of spaciousness and light while also drawing guests into the
dining experience. It’s a fabulous vibe.

There is plenty to choose from on the menu. Some of the
dishes show the Asian influences that are such a signature of Vongerichten’s
cuisine, while others are more closely rooted in Benno’s roots. We start with
the Kampachi Crudo, which is meant to be wrapped in the accompanying shiso
leaves and eaten by hand. It’s a spicy dish, not easy to pair with wine, that
ideally calls for very different bottles from those we have. Food and wine
pairing is not our objective on this night, so I just enjoy the Kampachi on its
own. It’s brilliant. The Heirloom Tomatoes are an ode to simplicity and
ingredient-driven cuisine. Perfectly ripe tomatoes are topped with sweet onion,
pistachios and a light red wine vinaigrette ideal for summer. That’s it.
Nothing more is needed.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757090081505-Tomatoes_VT.jpg">Heirloom Tomatoes; Sweet Onion, Pistachio, Red Wine
Vinaigrette, Basil. 

I can’t fathom eating in a Jonathan Benno restaurant and
skipping pasta. The Corn Agnolotti, generously topped with black truffle and a sprinkling
of hazelnut, is a delicious late-summer dish that looks ahead to fall. Sublime.
The Ricotta Ravioli, from the special Restaurant Week menu offered during our
visit, is a familiar favorite, comfort food as opposed to something that
stretches culinary horizons. Regardless, those ravioli disappear off the plate
in an instant. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757103361587-agnolotti_VT.jpg">Corn Agnolotti; Australian Black Truffle, Hazelnut. 

The Duck Breast is fabulous. So often these days, duck on a
restaurant menu consists of a tiny slice of breast meat. Not here. The portion
is generous without being over the top, while the accompaniments are classic
Jean-Georges. Moreover, the duck is a great wine dish. When dessert time comes,
the Cherry Tiramisu is right up my alley. It’s a wonderful summer play on one
of the most classic dishes of the Italian kitchen. I loved it.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757090103683-Duck_VT.jpg">Charred Marinated Jurgielewicz Duck Breast; Caraflex
Cabbage, Thai Salad, Chili-Lime Broth. 

The wine list is impressive. I especially admire the thought
given to the by-the-glass selections. There’s plenty to like. Delving further,
guests will find a dizzying array of options, starting with Champagne, where
several reference-point wines are offered across multiple vintages. It’s very
much a big city list. Iconic wines are priced commensurately with the overall
vibe, and yet there are plenty of relative values to be found in off-the-beaten-track
Burgundy, Alto Adige, the Loire, Piedmont and some parts of California. 

I usually don’t do corkage, as I prefer to explore lists,
but our hosts have chosen some very special bottles, a reminder that wine can
be so much more than what is in the bottle, especially when tied to significant
events in life.

Vilmart’s NV Brut Cuvée Rubis (base 2022) is a
wonderful way to start dinner. In some vintages I find the Rubis a touch
ethereal. This release is especially generous and resonant in feel. The Rubis
is the only Champagne at Vilmart that is Pinot Noir-driven. That very much
comes through in this edition, one of my recent favorites. It’s a weeknight, so
I tell myself I’m only going to have a small taste of the Rubis. I fail
miserably. 

The 2012 Marcassin Chardonnay Maracassin Vineyard,
from the estate vineyard in Fort Ross-Seaview, is peaking today. Soft,
open-knit and engaging, the 2012 caresses the palate with hints of dried
apricot, chamomile, crushed flowers and almond. For my palate, the 2012 is a
touch beyond where I find the most pleasure in wine. Specifically, the
mid-palate has started to fade and that in turn pushes the oak forward,
especially texturally, where there is some dryness on the finish. Helen Turley
and John Wetlaufer were pioneers in California. They were way ahead of their
time in understanding of the potential of certain sites, especially in Fort
Ross-Seaview, something that was driven home when I spent several days visiting
vineyards as part of my research for our forthcoming map of the AVA. 

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757090124439-Wines_VT.jpg">The 2009 Soldera Toscana Sangiovese is an absolute
delight. It’s a wine I have tasted infrequently over the years, as production
in this vintage was tiny. Readers may recall the tragic events of late 2012,
when a disgruntled former employee entered the Soldera cellar in the early
hours of the morning and opened the spigots of the casks, sending six years of
Brunello literally down the drain. The Soldera family was able to salvage a bit
of wine that they had off to the side in smaller casks. Mother Nature’s production
rarely aligns exactly with the volumes required to fill large casks, so there
is almost always a bit of wine that is aged separately. Wines from vintages
2007-2012 did not see the standard five to six years of aging in large cask and
are therefore a bit different stylistically from the norm, especially vintages
2007 through 2009, which had already undergone a part of their aging when the
vandalism occurred. Soldera later decided to offer the 2010 only for sale to
benefit charitable entities, while the other vintages in this time span were released
in minuscule quantities. 

Silky and aromatic, with gorgeous balance, the 2009 Toscana
Sangiovese is such a sexy wine. It’s very much a mid-weight Sangiovese, without
the structure or driving intensity of the best years. However, that structure
gives the 2009 a Pinot Noir-like feel that is pure seduction. More importantly,
the 2009 is developing gracefully. At 16 years of age, it is in a gorgeous spot
for enjoying now. Floral accents and soft red-toned fruit caress the palate in
a wine that offers a look a one of the most troubled periods in the estate’s
history. Tasting the 2009 brings back memories of visiting the property just
before harvest. Soldera took out his shears and gave my son, then three, a
bunch of grapes. When he got home to New York, my son asked his mother why the
grapes from the supermarket did not taste the same!

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757090149355-Tart_VT.jpg">Cherry Tiramisu; Red Cherries, Coffee-Soaked Savoiardi,
Kirsch Mascarpone Cream, Sour Cherry Sorbet. 

Luca Roagna’s 2015 Barbaresco Crichët Pajé is
magnificent. A towering wine, the 2015 captivates the intellectual and
hedonistic senses with its dynamic personality. Floral notes meld into
beautifully sculpted fruit as the 2015 gradually opens over time. Although very
much a young wine, the 2015 can be enjoyed now with minimal cellaring. I have
no doubt it will be even better in the future. The 2015 is a great example of
the finesse Luca Roagna has brought to his family’s wines through an increased
focus on farming and, just as importantly, a reduction of the time these wines
spend in oak in favor of more time in cement. Superb.

It’s a school night, so dinner ends on the early side, but
not before we make plans for a return.&nbsp;© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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