La Grenouille

[southern girl]

This was the only disappointing meal of my recent trip...and it was very disappointing. La Grenouille is a beautiful restaurant in the style of old haute New York...getlemen...jacket and tie at lunch, captains in tuxedoes, silks and guilding, a beautiful room, with perhaps some of the most gorgeous flower arrangements in town...I admit to being a throwback and loving dining in rooms like this. It is unfortunate the flower arrangements were the high point!

We were a large party (12 seated at one large round table). Our service was very spotty. It almost required a tackle to get our captain's attention...and we were his only table. I inquired about champagnes by the glass...our captain disappeared...I thought to bring a list...surprise, he returns with a glass of very poor champagne...practically flat...I returned it as did two others who had ordered kir royals that must have used the same champagne as a base. WHen the captain returned with the 2nd glasses, I inquired as to what champagne I was imbibing..he had no idea...I asked a couple of more times...but, it is still a mystery as I never received an answer.

Orders were taken for our meal in two parts...our captain disappeared halfway through (with no explanation). There were no amuse offered. Since I was dining at Jean Georges a mere 4 1/2 hours later, I decided to be well behaved (more or less ). The poor preparations of my chosen dishes made this much easier than anticipated. My first course was Crispy Sweetbreads with Sweet and Sour Turnips....very poor... the sweetbreads were in no way shap or form crispy...they were mushy and greasy...served on a very bland brown sauce which I would bet had a commercial sauce base ...the baby turnips...all two of them were okay...a bit overcooked for my tastes though. A very easy plate to ignore.

For my entree course I chose the Frog's Legs Sauteed Provencale...you would think, considering the name of the restaurant, this might be a good choice...wrong again ...After having all the plates land one spot to the right of the person who ordered it (my "neighbor" ordered the dover sole...which appeared to be greasy...and had quite a fishy odor)...the servers did the plate switch...all I can say is...at least my frogs' legs didn't have a foul odor. They were however pan fried instead of sauteed, horrible greasy, and seriously overcooked. I ate about 3 out of a pile of 15 or so petit legs....the captain did inquire about my meal and I replied it was poor...end of discussion..I had also asked for a glass of red burgundy with my meal...a very poor cabernet arrived instead...also anonymous...at this point I didn't even bother trying to get the identity of the wine.

Dessert were ordered by the brave at the table...all still clinging to the hope of finding something interesting (or enjoyable) before we departed. I made my first smart move of the meal...I passed. There were multiple souffles ordered...all lacking in flavor...whether they were grand marnier, chocolate or vanilla. There was also a soggy looking appple tarte tatin (pronounced gummy by the person who ordered it) .A plate a 11 truffles (there were 12 of us, I suppose since I skipped dessert they thought I wouldn't care for one...one of the gentlemen offered me his) was delivered with the check...finally something worth eating...lovely, soft dense and intense with chocolate flavor.

But...what can I say, the flowers were lovely !

[TCD]

Was recently at La Genouille for a closing dinner -- absolutely mundane. Service and ambiance (second and third floor) was nice enough but the food was simply boring. Of course, this may be the host's fault and not the establishment but I was also recently at a similar celebratory event at (the much maligned) La Cote Basque and LCB for the same type of event offerred much more flair in the cuisine and more polished service.

Edited November 20, 2002 by TCD (log)

[lizziee]

How sad. Another bubble burst from the the 60's.

[PaulaJK]

We 'gave up' on this restaurant last year, after 3 adequate,

unexciting and very expensive meals. Their kitchen has failed

to stay courant...although the florist is NYC .

[lamb]

OH NO! Our firm Holiday Dinner is at LG this year on a Friday evening. No spouses, a party of 20 decently well-informed foodies and winers. As our office planner has spent a considerable amount of time planning this event, I won't burst her bubble with the comments here. At least I know not to set my expectations too high. We are bringing some gaming (roulette and blackjack) tables in for our entertainment. That should take the spotlight off the food. I was hoping for an exciting food evening, though.

[MatthewT]

has anyone eaten there or worked at Le Grenouille? how is the food? the decor etc. atmosphere?...i've heard it is a great classic ny french place, but is the clientelle blue haired or younger?

[alacarte]

Pretentious. Silly. Applies both to the food and the clientele.

I've seen all age groups there. Ferociously well-heeled. Decent cheese plates. Surprisingly loud for a place that apparently oozes gentility. Dress up if you go. Bring your status symbols.

Obviously, I'm not a fan. Others may differ...

[Mark Sommelier]

Steve Cuozzo in the New York Post wrote a hysterical review of Le Grenouille a few years ago. In describing the clientele, he slipped into Latin: Nonnulos hic mortuos est (people here appear to be dead).

[emsny]

Has anyone been to La Grenouille in recent times? With the closing of Lutece and La Caravelle, I feel I ought to cross its threshold before it too bites the dust. On the other hand, I don't want to have one of those awful knot-in-the-stomach experiences where one knows one has made a mistake.

[alacarte]

I was there for drinks recently, but not dinner. The dining room was full on what I would have expected to be a slow night. The menu included all the old standards. I saw a server preparing sole muniere at a hot station, and I have to say it looked lovely and smelled appetizing. Everywhere else I looked, I saw diners with plates full of beef, beef, beef. Hopefully someone who has dined there can offer more info.

[oakapple]

Gael Greene had a mini-review in last week's New York. I wouldn't call it a rave:

With Lutèce, La Côte Basque, and La Caravelle all six forks under, it’s thrilling that La Grenouille thrives. Owning the building helps the bottom line, of course, and owner Charles Masson’s youthful makeover—opening up the façade with glass, an all-day bar menu, switching captains from tuxedos into dark suits—leaves the once hoity-toity Frog Pond less forbidding... Alas, the iconic frog’s legs taste exhausted. Burgundy-braised oxtail is much better. And the splendid chicken in champagne sauce recalls what these Gallic temples did best. But I’d need my brain Botoxed not to mind dropping $620 to feed four (including $28 extra for a green salad to replace the too-salty foie gras my guest sent back).

According to Menupages, appetizers are $15-28, and entrées $35-52, making La Grenouille extremely expensive for a three-star restaurant. The frog's legs entrée Gael mentioned is $52, probably making it the most expensive preparation of that dish in America, if not the world. According to the La Grenouille website, the prix fixe dinner menu is $87.50. There's also a theatre menu at $49, offered from 5:30-6:30 and 10:00-11:00pm.

However, by most accounts you'll be pampered at La Grenouille. It and the slightly-less-expensive Le Perigord are the only two restaurants of the kind left in New York.

Edited September 26, 2004 by oakapple (log)

[emsny]

Thanks, all. Oddly, I didn't see Greene's note in NY Mag - maybe it arrived while we were away. I think my question is answered.

[bigal]

Has anyone been to La Grenouille in recent times? With the closing of Lutece and La Caravelle, I feel I ought to cross its threshold before it too bites the dust. On the other hand, I don't want to have one of those awful knot-in-the-stomach experiences where one knows one has made a mistake.

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Went there a few months ago and as delightful and beautiful as ever.And oh so relaxing for a 3* restaurant. Extremely attentive without being overbearing. The food was delicious and for the table d'hote dinner (in the $70 area) well priced for this class of restaurant. Highly recommended from here.

In a posting a few before this someone put Le Perigord in the same class. I can't imagine upgrading Le Perigord to this level.

[Mark Sommelier]

The frog's legs entrée Gael mentioned is $52, probably making it the most expensive preparation of that dish in America, if not the world.

I had a frog's leg appetizer last Fall at Le Bristol in Paris that was 55 euros.

[bigal]

I had a frog's leg appetizer last Fall at Le Bristol in Paris that was 55 euros.

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Of course the price of €55 in Paris also included tax and tip(as per the French law) so you can deduct close to 30% from that price. It would seem that the claim could be accurate. However, in most cases the cost of NY 3* restaurants are much cheaper than those in Paris. But Le Bristol has a rep for being unmerciful in their prices.

[alacarte]

The frog's legs entrée Gael mentioned is $52, probably making it the most expensive preparation of that dish in America, if not the world.

This is slightly off-topic -- but which other NY restaurants serve frog's legs? and what's the pricing like there?

[phaelon56]

Probably more downscale than you're thinking of but many Vietnamese restauirants offer them either as a regular menu item or on a semi-regular basis as a daily special. Expect to pay about $5 - $25 for a dinner with frog's legs as the entree. Up here in the boondocks I presume that what we get is frozen but they may well be able to get them fresh in the NYC area (a bit ironic as there is a place about 15 miles from here that raises frogs for consumption but it's a wholesale operation and their output gets shipped off somewhere).

[emilymarie]

I dined at La Grenouille almost 2 years ago, so this may not qualify as recent, but I was underwhelmed with my experience. Though the restaurant is lush and beautiful, with fresh flowers everywhere, I found the whole experience not that special. To clarify--the details that I expected to be taken care of and the kind of on-top-of-it service I would have expected at such a restaurant just was not there. For example: There were little lamps on each table and the one on our table kept coming out of its plug and thus the light would go out. It's a tiny thing to care about, but this is exactly the type of thing you'd expect not to happen at such a restaurant. Plus, our waiter didn't seem to know much about the menu (when asked for a recommendation on what to eat) or didn't want to share. He was gruff, to say the least. The food was good, I recall, especially my main course, which was fish, I think bass, atop a butternut squash puree, but seemed static. And the frog's legs tasted as if they'd been deep-fried, and for a bit too long. Dessert was an undercooked grand marnier souffle, which was the straw that broke the camel's back. They made a huge fuss of our ordering the souffle before dinner, and when the thing was served to me it was just a disappointing grand marnier soup. Not even hot.

My two cents anyway...

[gaf]

Quenelle Man New York City Entry #48

Who eats quenelles anymore?

Making a profound pike quenelle is as tough as cooking. Perhaps the architectural or chemical feats of other chefs seem hard, but let these Irony Chefs make the perfect quenelle at some imaginary quenelle Olympics - this finely minced fish, bound with egg, served with a fish veloute from a stock that takes a week to ripen. These are dumplings that could float away if not consumed quickly.

With my wife, an intense gardener, in town, lunch at La Grenouille (“The Frog”) would not not happen. La Grenouille, now 43 years old, presents dining as floral fantasy. If The Frog couldn’t cadge a star from Michelin, it would receive a corsage from Horticulture.(Most restaurants sell cookbooks, Le Grenouille published a book of their floral displays). With red velvet banquettes, rosy bouquets, and sensual hush this is romance to a higher power. Fine dining can still mean a silky meal in a silken space. If La Grenouille was never the best in town (think Le Pavillon or Lutece), it presented a respectful classical French cuisine little in evidence today. Most competitors are six feet under (with only Le Perigord of the Grande Dames remaining).

Service is of the old school. Servers (all male) can no longer impress with Parisian hauteur, possible when insecure New Yorkers aspired to formality. In Bloomberg’s New York the culinary air is cleansed of smoke and snoot. Our waiters were attentive and helpful, although I wondered about the lost ‘tude. Still, old skills remain. When my wife rose to use the ladies’ lounge (a euphemism from days before “I must piss”) the waiter dove to pull out her chair. He could have caught a sinking line drive at Shea.

In this day of celebrity cooks, it is odd to find a restaurant that does not advertise their chef. I must do so. The Executive Chef is Matthew Tropeano. The restaurant’s website - with such beautiful images of its floral arrangements - provides a black-and-white candid of a scrabbly Chef Tropeano looking vaguely like Anthony Bourdain on a bad night. No mention of Chef Tropeano’s past achievements or, pace Ducasse, no hint of his philosophy of life. The Frog doesn’t treat their chef as auteur. We speculated that he was a cyborg - more Isaac than Eric Asimov - programmed in the 1960s by a mad restauranteur in a lab beneath the Champs. When working with the constraints of tradition, owners do not wish the chef to outshine servers or cuisine, but Chef Tropeano deserves respect, even if he is channeling Escoffier.

We selected our lunches to recapture the grandness of classic cuisine, to taste what La Grenouille does best. My wife ordered Corn and Chicken Liver Crepes with Sherry Vinegar. Not every foie must be gras. The dish was a small, precise composition, building on a contrast of flavors and textures. That it was chicken liver gave the dish a rustic charm, but the sherry vinegar linked the plate to traditions of haute cuisine. This was not a haute presentation, but it was set within traditional taste.

My soup was a Veloute aux Marrons - Chestnut-Fennel Soup. It was as creamy and caloric as grand cuisine demands. But wait! Floating in the middle of the bowl, a cloud of foam! I could not have been more surprised had I found a tadpole doing the backstroke. Granted this was an egg white foam (not wasabi or kabocha), but it seemed that even such a fortress as The Frog is not immune from buckshot from Ferran Adria. Bully for them. Chef Tropeano added a touch of aromatic thyme on the foam and a bit of cranberry compote in the soup, and I consumed liquid satin with a hint of a new culinary century. It was delightful, even if - like so much at La Granouille - it trades pungency for richness.

As main course, my wife selected a cheese souffle (with Supreme Sauce - a chicken-stock-based veloute with gobs of butter and cream). After forty years, La Grenouille has nailed the souffle. When our waiter opened the souffle to pour the aroma perfumed our table. The scent was all rose and cheese. Ahh! The texture revealed how food can become aura, wispy memory. Perhaps souffles are now ghettoized for those who cannot chew, but such a limit is sin.

I could not resist the quenelles of pike, served with rice and a fish veloute sauce. Those who believe that haute cuisine is weighty have never tasting a properly made quenelle - all air and fish and a smidgen of binding - and this was proper. By current standards the course lacked drama in its shades of white: Agnes Martin on a plate, but it was not minimalist in its essence of taste. As impressed as I was, I confess that I wished for a savory to provide an edge, demonstrating how corrupted I’ve become.

As dessert my wife ordered Warm Tarte Tartin with Vanilla Ice Cream. It was our least satisfying dish. Slightly burnt on one edge, the mille feuille was a bit soggy on the other. Although the flavors were fine, the texture disappointed. La Grenouille seems not to make their own ice cream. The scoop was rather ordinary.

In joyous contrast, I ordered Oeufs a la Neige. I might well have begun by asking “Who Eats Oeufs a la Neige anymore?” This is a grand dessert, known as “Floating Islands.” On a sea of custard sauce sit two bulky islands of sweet, soft meringue. But over the top - and over the top is the proper description - hovered a glowing mist of spun sugar. Spun sugar is magic, and Felencia, the Pastry Chef, a magician. (I don’t know why she is listed with but a single name, but with her sugar spinning skills, she could be Oprah).

La Grenouille is not a weekly treat (although I must try the Frog’s Legs), but there is great comfort in knowing that it still anchors New York dining. Given the filled dining room, the Frog has found its ecological niche.

Someone must prepare quenelles for those days on which huckleberry fugu simply will not do.

La Grenouille

3 East 52nd Street (at Fifth Avenue)

Manhattan (Midtown)

212-752-1495

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[M.X.Hassett]

Nice writeup. I feel guilty now. La G used to be my twice monthly treat, shame on me for not going in a few years. The book is awesome it also has some nice history on the resta. and Charlie's family. I was curious how is the lounge in the front? I have not been there since the revamp. This is the last of its type in NYC and maybe the entire U.S. and it is nice to know it is still there.

[oakapple]

...practically no one under 70 eats at La Grenouille.

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This is manifestly untrue. I had dinner there last night. I saw at least three tables with young couples under 35 (i.e., not accompanied by their parents). We saw several other tables with what appeared to be business diners. The restaurant's "center of gravity" is clearly the 55-and-over set, but not to nearly the degree that the comment suggested.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Through a mixup at work involving two meetings planned separately with the same people, I fell into a very nice lunch today at La Grenouille in their less formal (no jacket required, thankfully, since I'd planned for something much more casual and was wearing a sweater over a turtleneck shirt) upstairs room today, originally a painter's studio and the room where Antoine de Sainte-Exupéry wrote the first few pages of _The Little Prince_.

They have a prix fixe three-course lunch on the blackboard, which they don't necessarily tell everyone about unless you ask, for a very reasonable $35. Today it was a very rich and buttery butternut squash velouté, followed by a pan roasted chicken with a brown sauce, Brussels sprouts, and carrots, and a pear tart for dessert. Many very nice extras came with coffee, including gingerbread spice cookies, wonderful canelés, and candied almonds.

One member of our group preferred fish and ordered the loup de mer (which can refer to a few things--black sea bass in this case) served over what looked like a very thin roesti, and she was very satisfied with it.

The member of our party who made the reservation is something of a regular at lunch, and service was very attentive and friendly.

Edited October 5, 2010 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[Jmahl]

Great article about the "Frog" in the January edition of bon appetit. Also a write up in this week's New York Magazine. Perhaps the Frog is back. I for one never thought it went away.