Paris in New York
1. Zucco: Le French Diner
This tiny restaurant has so far survived the LES as the neighborhood gets more and more like Soho - and with good reason. I'm in no way exaggerating when I say that this place does not seat 20 people, and is - unsurprisingly - always packed. Amazing escargot.
2. Athom Cafe
This (inexpensive) sandwich shop is something of an anomaly, especially considering its location. But the food is amazingly fresh - the owner closes shop on Mondays in order to hand pick his ingredients - and this cafe is a charming outpost on the Bed-Stuy side of Broadway. Way off the beaten track, yes, but worth a trek for lovers of French baguettes.
3. Per Se
This upscale dining experience - and a visit here is most definitely an experience - may not be incredibly recession friendly, but is still delicious and worth an incredibly rare night out. The chefs here create two nine-course tasting menus each night, so that any given night is different than the one before it. Super expensive, but worth it.
4. La Sirene
This Soho eatery offers a wallet-friendly prix-fixe meal (1 appetizer, 1 entree and 1 dessert) for $28.95. The menu is seasonal, just as a menu should be.
5. Patisserie Claude (via Uraniumfish)
6. Artisanal Bistro (via uptowngirl)
7. Restaurant Daniel (via JVS)
Check out a great review in the New York Times: http://events.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/dining/reviews/21rest.html
8. Le Bernardin (via JVS)
9. L'Ecole: top notch French cuisine at an affordable rate, compliments of students at the French Culinary Institute.
16 Comments
Patisserie Claude
187 West 4th Street (between 6th & 7th Avenues)
Coincidentally owned by a taciturn man named Claude, reportedly French people make a beeline for the place because they claim it's difficult to get croissants that good in Paris any more.
@uraniumfish Sounds amazing, I am there....
I'm not into foreign foods that much, but Athom Cafe sounds very interesting. So I think I will check it out soon. Thanks for the list.
@hhusted I actually went there today and had the roasted chicken with fontina and roasted tomatoes on a fresh onion baguette. It was sooo delicious!
Athom also has fresh orange and grapefruit juice, which happens to be something I was searching my neighborhood for....
Maybe the French Culinary Institute belongs on the list?
http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole.htm
And they say: "Serving the best in classic and contemporary French cuisine and grooming tomorrow’s top chefs today." $28 for a prix-fixe menu sounds pretty decent for a taste of avant-garde french cuisine, no?
@BroadwayBK: I am allergic to tomatoes. But the roasted chicken sounds great. I rather have pineapples on top of my chicken.
@Uraniumfish Have you dined at L'Ecole?
Lunch there is $28 but the dinner prix-fixe is $42 (includes an app, fish course, meat course, salad and dessert). Still not too shabby of a deal, though.
Agh, pity. No I haven't tried them but pass by there so often that now I don't know why I haven't. Is the dinner high enough in quality to justify the price?
It looks that way, though $42 isn't bad for a five course meal in New York. Even at a relatively inexpensive restaurant you'd be spending at least that for all of those dishes. I imagine that the courses are on the small side, though, in the tradition of French cuisine?
If the food is great, the service is superb, and the company is tremendous, I don't mind going to a fancy restaurant once in a while. Even if the price is on the high side.
I love Artisanal Bistro on Park Avenue South for their brunch, excellent cassoulet and of course their fromagerie.I am not a huge fan of French cuisine though I do love this restaurant. However aside from these excellent french restaurant , the city unfortunately also has several wannabe French places like Cafe Parigot which is located in Soho. I had read all its enthusiastic reviews on Yelp and made a reservation for a romantic meal a deux for the better half and me on Valentine's day. Unfortunately it failed to live up to my expectations as it was nothing more than a run of the mill dive which was trying to masquerade as a French cafe.. oh well at least we managed a to consume decent bottle of brut..at not so astronomical prices...
I've been to restaurant Daniel on the Upper East Side and it is amazing - I had white truffles which are always incredibly exotic (and expensive). Daniel's is at 60 East 65th Street.
The other world renowned is Le Bernardin which has 3 Michelin Stars, it's at 155 West 51st Street. (I have not been there but it has a great reputation.)
Update the list!
I can see I don't get out much. So many restaurants to go to and so little time to do it. Wow.
I updated the list; I believe I included everyone's suggestions. Thanks everybody!
Suggestion: Bistro Paris (or whatever it's now called - the former Bistro du Nord on 93rd and Madison). It may have changed name, but it's as much of a charming boite as ever. Absolutely tiny space, but fantastic crepes, mesclun salads, crocque monsieurs, etc...a little more expensive than a Parisian brasserie, but much less so than a Daniel or a Le Bernardin.
Like I said, there are so many restaurants to go to in the city. It is hard to keep track of them. At least you have one for whatever taste in food you have.
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