Brasserie Les Halles

[repoman]

I was in New York two weeks ago and ate at Les Halles and I went into the experience thinking I would get a good meal at a decent price in a casual fun setting. I was not expecting some kind of life-altering dining experience. Les Halles delivered just what I wanted. Anyone who thinks they are eating at an upscale French restaurant obviously hasn’t done their homework. I thought the Steak Frites was great, though I must admit the Onglet is my favorite cut of meat after the Ribeye. The shallot sauce was not barbecue sauce as an earlier poster complained about. It was the typical red wine shallot sauce likely made with butter and some demi-glace that you get with most traditional servings of Steak Frites. I thought the sauce was great and my wife did as well as she took some of the extra sauce (it comes on the side) and put it on her Flat Iron Steak instead of the béarnaise sauce. The fries were pretty good. I have had better at other French restaurants but there was nothing wrong with these. I enjoyed dipping them in the extra sauce (and the béarnaise that my wife barely used). I found the service on a Sunday night to be exceptional. Our waiter was very attentive without being intrusive and our water glass was usually filled. We struck up a conversation with some other diners and the entire experience was casual and fun. The price was right as well.

[mikeycook]

Personally, my favorite dish at Les Halles is the Boudin Noir, which you can only get at the Park Ave location (not downtown).

[sharksoup]

We ate at Les Halles last night and while the food was pretty good, our server couldn't have cared any less about our table, despite the fact that we were ordering lots of dishes to try and multiple bottles of $60 wine. Oh well.

[ned]

Ate at Les Halles a few days ago. Started with a very blase pate de campagne. Pied de cochon was obliterated by heavy mediocre sauce and flecked with bone (not cartilege). Steak from the steak frites, a rump steak the server said, was cooked expertly though with minimal caramelization but wasn't able to transcend itself. The result was a mostly flavorless and way too lean piece of meat. Frites were uniformly good. Finally the mac and cheese tried to stand out but was, in places, unappetizingly burnt.

Edited April 30, 2006 by ned (log)

[Sneakeater]

FWIW, I like the fries well enough, but I don't think I've ever had a meal at Les Halles that I considered good.

[larrylee]

February is Choucroute month:

Choucroute Royale $24.50

Boudin noir (blood sausage), Saucisse de Strasbourg (frankfurter), Bacon fume (smoked bacon), Poitrine demi-sel (pork belly-salty), Jarret de porc demi-sel (Pork shank-salty), Longe de porc fumee (smoked pork loin), Cervelat (cervelat salami), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Crement d'Alsace (sparkling white wine from Alsace), Choucroute cuite au Champagne (sauerkraut slow cooked in champagne).

Choucroute de Canard $22.50

Saucisse de canard et foie gras (foie gras and duck sausage), Confit de canard (duck leg confit), Gesiers de canard (duck gizzards), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Choucroute cuite au Gewurztraminer (sauerkraut slow cooked in Gewurztraminer).

Chocroute Garnie $19.50

Longe fumee (smoked pork loin), Boudin blanc (white veal sausage), Saucisse de Strasbourg (frankfurter), Poitrine fumee (smoked duck breast), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Choucroute cuite au Pinot d'Alsace (sauerkraut slow cooked in Pinot d'Alsace).

Choucroute de Poisson $23.50

Saucisse aux fruits de mer (seafood sausage), Saucisse de saumon fume (smoked salmon sausage), Noisettes de lotte (monkfish medallions), Saint-Jacques (sea scallops), Hareng fumee (smoked herring), Caviar de saumon (salmon vaiar), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Choucroute cuite au Riesling (sauerkraut slow cooked in Riesling).

Last night we had the Choucroute Royale and the Choucroute de Canard.

The choucroute de canard was quite enjoyable but its presentation looked very spare compared to the Royale. The foie gras sausage came out a little on the ... if you will, undercooked side. Our server told us that this is normal, so as to keep the foie gras intact. However, she offered to have it reheated. I liked the sausage as it came initially from the kitchen, but it smelled fantastic and and the casing was pleasantly crispy the second time around. The duck confit was also crispy and rich. I'd love to have that with the sauerkraut and a bowl of white short grain rice.

Now that I'm reading the menu more closely, I notice didn't get any gizzard. Did she hoard it? (makes note to ask)

The Royale is my favorite, hands down. Enormous, decadent, and filled with all kinds of pork. The boudin noir had a great texture and flavor. The dishes were accompanied by a small ramekin of (presumably homemade) mustard, a pleasant addition to the pork and cabbage.

Dessert was bananes flambees, prepared tableside (one of the things I really like about Les Halles). Lots of sugar, lots of butter and served with ice cream whose flavor we couldn't quite identify. Maybe a sort of vanilla-coconut?

With two glasses of wine and a bottle of sparkling water, the total came out to just under $100 before tip. The service was great, no complaints with this meal.

Edited February 16, 2007 by larrylee (log)

[Nathan]

I had the Royale a couple years ago. I never understood why they don't offer these items year round instead of their (or along with) tepid regular menu.

[Pan]

[nitpicking mode]"Pommes vapeur" should mean "steamed potatoes," not boiled ones.[/nitpicking mode]

[larrylee]

[nitpicking mode]"Pommes vapeur" should mean "steamed potatoes," not boiled ones.[/nitpicking mode]

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Pan, I wondered that myself but copied the menu as-is. It should also read "steamed potato," as there was only one.

[larrylee]

I had the Royale a couple years ago.  I never understood why they don't offer these items year round instead of their (or along with) tepid regular menu.

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I just noticed that the boudin noir is available on the regular menu. When I'm here I usually get the steak tartare or the cote de boeuf as a main, and the foie gras poele aux pommes, the rillettes, or the vol-au-vent to start. Or perhaps the petatou de chevre (Menus available in PDF).

I can see the reviews here are uneven, but I like Les Halles a lot. Part of the appeal is because of the AB association, his opinions on food and how they've helped expand my own culinary horizons. I like Les Halles' loud, dark, egalitarian-ish vibe, and I particularly like that a number of items are served tableside (the steak tartare, cote de boeuf, several desserts). In contrast to the Danny Meyer service manual (EMP Valentine's Day discussion aside) I find that the servers' individual personalities come out here. Unfortunately, that means there are one or two servers whose sections I don't like to sit in. I take it with a grain of salt, and I generally don't have any problems with the service.

But most importantly, I really enjoy the dishes I go there for. They're reliable, hit the spot, and are not too expensive.

On the other hand, if there are brasseries that other folks like, I wouldn't mind hearing about them.

[oakapple]

I went to Les Halles Downtown during Choucroute Month either last year or the year before. I agree they do a terrific job, and at those prices it's a steal.

[Sneakeater]

On the other hand, if there are brasseries that other folks like, I wouldn't mind hearing about them.

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There's this place on Spring and Crosby . . . .

[larrylee]

There's this place on Spring and Crosby . . . .

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Yeah well. I go occasionally for brunch but I made up lame reasons not to go for dinner. I have this residual memory about the difficulty securing a reservation. I was also really disappointed by the croissants and pain au chocolat from the adjoining bakery. But I did like the brandade and I see they have steak tartare on the menu. Bah, time to put it back on the list.

*edit: (goes over to look at the Balthazar topic)

Edited February 16, 2007 by larrylee (log)

[Scotty O]

Went for dinner last week to the Park Ave location, but it appears it had been shuttered by the DOH minutes before we arrived. There were still diners inside, but the trademark yellow stickers were in the window and the door was locked.

As a side note, I'm getting real sick of this DOH rampage. It seems to be all about saving face after the taco bell incident.

Edited April 12, 2007 by Scotty O (log)