2 New French Restaurants Open on Bowery

[weinoo]

In the shadow of Keith McNally's Cherche Midi, 2 new French restaurants have opened.  I'd call one, La Gamelle, in the style of a brasserie; i.e. Balthazar. I'd call the other in the style of, well, not much else here in NYC, but perhaps Paris' Spring Restaurant, since that's where the head chef of Rebelle, Daniel Eddy, hails from most recently. At least in my eyes, the giant open kitchen, staffed by a dozen or so eager cooks in their whites, jarred my imagination back to the 2nd arrondisement. 

 

We tried both this week, each on its second night of service (to the public, anyway).

 

La Gamelle, the second one we tried, is not-quite-ready for prime-time. Spotty service and a miscue or two from the kitchen left it wanting. It's a beautiful room (man, these spaces on Bowery are big), with a 100+ year-old lead/zinc bar. Sadly, the barstools are uncomfortable, wooden hunks of junk, no doubt from one of the remaining restaurant supply stores up or down the street.  I'm sure, at one time, the old-school brasseries in Paris had seats just like these at their bars. I'll give La Gamelle another chance, a few weeks down the road.

 

Rebelle, on the other hand, was easily running on all cylinders, a well-oiled staff eager to please. Rebelle's team is the same as that of it's sister restaurant right next-door, Pearl & Ash, so any real wine geeks are gonna be in heaven; the list is a tome, 1,500+ bottles deep. I like Pearl & Ash, but I really liked my first meal at Rebelle,  and can't wait to go back. 

 

A little more about what we ate at Rebelle, with lousy pix, is here...

 

Rebelle - A Touch of Paris on The Bowery

Edited April 24, 2015 by weinoo (log)