French Cuisines
Q & A with Rotisserie Georgette’s Georgette Farkas
Rotisserie Georgette’s owner, Georgette Farkas, is very well known in the restaurant industry — but not for, well, running restaurants. That’s because the New York native has spent the last 20 years as Director of Marketing for Daniel Boulud, helping launch his seminal flagship, Daniel, in 1993. So how did such a media powerhouse end up opening a high-end, rotisserie spot?
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Daniel
Some restaurants never get old. They just get better. Daniel is proof of that. After 20 years, you’d think Daniel Boulud’s eponymous flagship on the Upper East Side would seem tired, especially nowadays when a hot, new restaurant opens daily. Not Daniel. The service is as is impeccable as ever, the menu as exciting, and the room even better than the original thanks to a very chic makeover by Adam Tihany, who installed elegant glass light boxes, wrought iron wall sconces reminiscent of tree branches, and silk wall panels. But that’s all just icing on the cake when you consider how phenomenal the food is, which is really a feat considering just how big the Boulud empire has grown. Where to begin? Imagine the most decadent ingredients packed into one glorious meal. Daniel is fancy without being...
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Rotisserie Georgette – Reviewed
God knows New York could always use a few more great restaurants north of 57th Street on the east side. I know, I know; solid progress has been made over the years (The Mark, Salumeria Rosi, & The East Pole), but nonetheless there remains a culinary no man’s land between uptown and midtown. Aside from Fred’s at Barney’s, Rouge Tomate and the famously overpriced Nello, there ain’t a lot of choices. But things have been looking up since Rotisserie Georgette flung open its doors on 60th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Who would have thought you could get a killer Roast Chicken in these parts? Or better yet, a Roast Chicken for Two…
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Restaurant Letdowns: Pagani & Villard
If you’re a foodie, there’s nothing more exciting than discovering a great, new restaurant. And there’s nothing worse than wasting an evening at a mediocre or awful, new eatery, especially if you’ve dragged a group of friends along with you. Something about it being “new” makes it all the more depressing when hopes of a potentially fantastic find are dashed and calories wasted. But the truth is it happens all the time…
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Dish Spotting: The French Onion Soup Burger at Little Prince
Chef at the family-owned Le Rivage, which has wooed Hells Kitchen with garlicky Escargots and buttery Sole Meuniere since 1982, Paul Denamiel is essentially French food royalty. So it only made sense that the scion should open his own charming bistro called Little Prince… even if it’s just named after the SoHo street, and not actually a tongue-in-cheek reference to his culinary lineage.
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Le Philosophe
Le Philosophe doesn’t look like the new “It” restaurant, but it’s as nearly impossible to get a reservation right now. So what’s all the fuss about? It could be their wondrously plump Bouchot Mussels, basking in an addictive broth that’s flavored with aleppo peppers, leeks, potatoes, creme fraiche and god knows what else, but it’s excellent. (And there’s plenty of bread to soak up any leftover broth with!) It’s a dish rivaled only by the Cured Foie Gras Terrine, sided by Quince Jam and thick, Toasted Brioche to smear the wonderfully unctuous, salt-cured paté on. You could easily make a meal of these two dishes alone, but pace yourself there’s more to come.
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Le Philosophe – Reviewed
Le Philosophe doesn’t look much like a French bistro. Aside from the French food lingo printed on the walls, like “Plat Du Jour” and “Bouillabaisse,” there’s nothing particularly French about this spot, located on a chic stretch of Bond Street in NoHo. Instead of tin ceilings, tiles and red banquettes, there’s black ceilings, a sea of twinkling little votives to light up the dimly lit space, and an open kitchen with a teeny bar in the rear. (It ain’t no Balthazar.) The crowd is interesting and eclectic.
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French Culinary Institute
You do know you don’t have to go to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, right? You could take a cooking class together. That’s romantic and useful. And there are plenty of classes to choose from at the French Culinary Institute around the 14th. This year, they’ve got a Artisanal Bread Baking class, and a Wine Class for beginners. If you’re not looking to get your hands dirty, you could book a table in the Monte Bello Dining Room inside the school, where FCI students will prepare a meal just for the occasion with wine pairings to...
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Pates et Traditions’ Buckwheat Crepes
This charming Williamsburg creperie has over 24 savory crepe options, but what sets them apart from traditional, white-flour crepes is that they’re made with 100% organic buckwheat flour. That’s the way they make them in Breton, France, where they call them galettes. Ground from buckwheat seeds, they taste bold and slightly bitter, with a dark whisper of mushroom. We haven’t even gotten to fillings, like bacon, onions, eggplant, or potatoes. And with fall options like the Bergere Crepe with goat cheese, swiss, fig, honey, caramelized onions, and rosemary, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll find something to love. Perhaps Trois Fromages with potatoes, camembert, roquefort and goat, or the Sultan with chicken, bacon, cumin and cream. And there’s plenty of sweet buckwheat crepe offerings, so you can get your whole grains for dessert, too. Try the Bananas Flambe Crepe or Orange...
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La Bonne Soupe’s French Onion Soup
“La Bonne Soupe” means the good life, with wishes for wealth, health, and happiness. While the good people over at La Bonne Soupe might not be able to deliver on all of that at this little French bistro, their French Onion Soup comes close.
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Q & A with La Villette’s Chef Christophe Bonnegrace
At age 14, Provence-born chef Christophe Bonnegrace was convinced his cooking career was over before it had started. His first job, as an apprentice, lasted approximately one week, and ended with the head chef thrusting his hands in the fryer. “I got scared, escaped the kitchen and pedaled home as fast as I could to get away from this guy!” Bonnegrace remembers. Luckily his wounds (both literal and figurative) from that grisly first experience eventually healed, setting off a career that’s taken him from celebrity-frequented restaurants and resorts in Beverley Hills (Aristoff Caviar and Fine Food), Maui (The Royal Lahaina) and Las Vegas (Little Buddha), all the way to the far reaches of Africa, where he learned to cook crickets over pit fires with primitive tribes from Cairo and Nairobi. Although his passport may indicate otherwise, at the end...
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Bar Boulud
The great thing about living in America is eating just about anything is patriotic, including French food. That’s right. I said it. Why not have apple tarte tatin instead of apple pie? Or coq au vin instead of turkey? If you’re going to do it, do it right. Daniel Boulud has always set the standard for French in New York, so we suggest you head to Bar Boulud for their three-course, Thanksgiving menu. Just how do the French celebrate? Here, they start with a Peekytoe Crab Salad, or Beef Tartare . As an entrée, Chef Olivier is cooking Roasted Turkey, Ravioli de Champignons, Mediterranean Sea Bass, or Steak Roti. And there’s desserts aplenty, including a selection of glaces, sorbets, and fromage. Not to mention, they’ve got an innovative and expansive wine list, so it won’t be hard...
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Le Comptoir
Le Comptoir’s brunchy riff on Crème Brulée, the French Toast Brulée comes in an oblong soufflé dish and looks like a mass of bread and sugar at first (which, by the way, is perfectly acceptable on its own).
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Balthazar
Balthazar is one of New York’s great French restaurants. People come here for the scene and to eat classic French dishes, like Steak Au Poivre, French Onion Soup, and Apple Tarte Tatin. So where else would you go for a classic French-style Steak Tartare than to Keith McNally’s Paris bistro-inspired masterpiece?
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Rouge et Blanc
If you haven’t been to Rouge et Blanc, the Ceviche is a perfect excuse… to start anyway. But there’s a lot to adore about this French-Vietnamese sleeper in Soho. The small plates menu make it ideal for a date or a light dinner where you can share and sample the scope of the menu, which includes Vietnamese Sausage and Hanoi Chicken.
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New York's Best Brasseries & Bistros
It used to be that you had to travel to Paris for good brasserie or bistro cooking. But nowadays, the lines between the bistro and brasserie have blurred and we have plenty of both stateside with top notch food. Whether you’re craving the timeless brasserie setting or something as classic as escargots on a Williamsburg rooftop, the city is your oyster. Bon appétit! Juliette Address: 135 N 5th St between Berry St and Bedford Ave, Brooklyn Phone: (718) 388-9222 Website: www.juliettewilliamsburg.com This charming bistro in Williamsburg has excellent French food and plenty of character. And when the weather permits, guests can dine on a romantic rooftop terrace. The menu features broiled escargots, croque monsieur, salmon tartare, and a butterscotch pot de creme. As you’d expect in this hipster hood, vegetarian options abound, including a wild mushroom strudel and a warm cauliflower salad. I’ve never had...
Read MoreMinetta Tavern
Cuisine: French bistro Occasion: See-and-be-seen dinner, date, group dinner Don’t Miss: Lobster salad, roasted chicken, Minetta burger Price: Appetizers, $14; entrees, $20; dessert, $9 Reservations: Highly recommended Phone: (212) 475-3850 Location: 113 MacDougal St., near Minetta Lane. When did we become so self-conscious about burgers? I’ll bet that back in the 1930s, when someone ordered a burger, they ate it and that was the end of it. They didn’t photograph it or write home about it. These days, chefs compete for burger bragging rights. They battle over exclusive access to butchers, prized cattle and prime cuts. Everybody’s got a burger these days, but Minetta Tavern‘s got two — the $16 Minetta burger and the $26 Black Label burger. For 26 bucks, that had better be a good burger. The patty had a nice, crusty exterior, good sesame brioche bun...
Read MoreLe Cirque
In the lounge, it’s Le Cirque in blue jeans. 151 E. 58th St. (between Lexington and Third Aves) (212) 644-0202 Dinner, Mon.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m.; lunch, 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. CUISINE Modern French VIBE Elegant institution OCCASION Business lunch, romantic date, family affair DON’T-MISS DISHES Tuna with avocado tapenade, duck and green-mango salad, crème brûlée. AVERAGE PRICE Cafe prix fixe, $35; appetizers/entrées, $17; dessert, $12. RESERVATIONS Accepted but not necessary. I wore jeans to Le Cirque. My friend wore jeans and sneakers, and they didn’t throw us out. I felt a little guilty, but no one winced at us. Not even Sirio Maccioni, who still runs the show. What’s Le Cirque without Sirio — the man who wrote the playbook on working the dining room and keeping the rich and famous happy? But these days, Sirio runs the show from a...
Read MoreChez Lucienne
An affordable French bistro in Harlem. 308 Lenox Ave., between 125th and 126th Streets (212) 289-5555 Lunch – 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., M-F.; Dinner – 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thur., 5 p.m.- midnight, Fri.-Sat.; Brunch – 11-3 Sat.-Sun. CUISINE French bistro VIBE Charming haunt OCCASION Group dinner, neighborhood eats DON’T-MISS DISH Foie gras terrine, tuna tartare, nougat glacé PRICE Appetizers $8, entrees $16, desserts $7 RESERVATIONS Recommended This is the way New York works: Something unexpected pops up and it turns out to fill a crying need. In other words, it wasn’t so unexpected after all. I mean, why was I surprised to find a good French bistro at 125th St. and Lenox Ave. —and surprised to find it jammed on a Friday night, so jammed you couldn’t make your way to the bar? The city is full of unexpected restaurants...
Read MoreBar Breton
Brunch is more like it at Bar Breton. 254 Fifth Ave., near 29th St. (212) 213-4999. Dinner: Sun.-Thu., 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 4 p.m.-midnight; brunch: Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. CUISINE: Casual French bistro VIBE: A bit like home OCCASION: Brunch, casual date DON’T MISS DISH: Croquettes de bacalao, Chelsea buckwheat galette, Mont Saint-Michel galette, Red Eye cocktail PRICE: Appetizers $11; entrees $21; desserts $7 RESERVATIONS: Accepted I think Bar Breton should change its name to Brunch Breton. Even Breakfast Breton would make more sense. Because the best dishes on the dinner menu are items you’d order for breakfast. Cyril Renaud, the chef and owner of this new restaurant on Fifth Ave. near 28th St., is from Brittany – or, as the French say, Breton. And Brittany is famous for its galettes. Galettes Breton aren’t dainty or delicate crepes....
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