NYC French Bistrots

[emilymarie]

I guess you're right, emilymarie (a Columbia alum like me, I assume?) Same thing here, it was the closest French restaurant to us (well, excluding Le Monde, which gets a ::barf::).

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I don't know if Nice Matin qualifies as a bistro. It seems a bit on the expensive side for that, and I had once thought of it as a bit more an upscale, reservation place than Le Monde or French Roast. French Roast does certainly serve its purpose and I would frequently find myself there despite any reservations, if only for a glass of wine late at night. Being open late into the night is a big advantage and was for me at the time.

Le Monde, well, was never very good but I did go occasionally for their burgers and fries to get out of my routine of eating at Toast 2 to 3 times a week.

And I'm a--YIKES--Barnard alum.

[Pan]

Please name the place anyway, Dan.

[BigboyDan]

Please name the place anyway, Dan.

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Almost anywhere. When I leave Paris and I find myself in New York I want thin-crust pizza and thick cheesecake. Hmmmm.

[Pumpkin Lover]

And I'm a--YIKES--Barnard alum. 

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Ah, the urge to joke is there--but I'll be nice!

(My favorite professor is from Barnard and not CC, but that's off the topic).

To get back on topic: I vaguely recall reading something in the Times about French restaurants in Astoria. Can anyone report on bistros in Queens?

[jgould]

I guess you're right, emilymarie (a Columbia alum like me, I assume?) Same thing here, it was the closest French restaurant to us (well, excluding Le Monde, which gets a ::barf::).

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I don't know if Nice Matin qualifies as a bistro. It seems a bit on the expensive side for that, and I had once thought of it as a bit more an upscale, reservation place than Le Monde or French Roast. French Roast does certainly serve its purpose and I would frequently find myself there despite any reservations, if only for a glass of wine late at night. Being open late into the night is a big advantage and was for me at the time.

Le Monde, well, was never very good but I did go occasionally for their burgers and fries to get out of my routine of eating at Toast 2 to 3 times a week.

And I'm a--YIKES--Barnard alum.

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this group includes all of the above; therefore, the thought process behind French Roast is the same as their 2 "upscale??" bistros - Nice Matin & Marseille. possibly Pigalle qualifies as 1 of there "premier" restaurants?????????/

[Bux]

And I'm a--YIKES--Barnard alum. 

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. . . .

To get back on topic: I vaguely recall reading something in the Times about French restaurants in Astoria. Can anyone report on bistros in Queens?

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Tournesol in LIC. I've only been there once. As I recall, it was easy enough to get to from Manhattan by subway and well priced. Unfortunately I can't offer much of a review after only one meal and that was some time ago. It's the kind of place you'd like to have in your neighborhood. It if was in my neighborhood, you'd have to reserve a month or two in advance which seems all wrong for a bistro.

[emilymarie]

It if was in my neighborhood, you'd have to reserve a month or two in advance which seems all wrong for a bistro.

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Indeed.

[jgould]

not that many care here, but what the heck, a little controversy never hurts, & its more fun than dissing dino bbq.

a very narrow list of dependables, favorites, & regularly visited, as of today:

Landmarc - always dependable, always good, & what a wine list!

Pastis - why? i don't know, i just love going, sort of like Fairway @ 6pm

Balthazar - keith mcnally is a genius, & i don't throw that around very often

Orsay - if one has to venture to the UES, expensive, but great

Gavroche - what everyone would like to have in their neighborhood

honorable mention:

quatorze bis - easier to get to from UWS cross town & back & never been disappointed

cafe un deux trois - will get mostly slings & arrows on this one, but after 7:55, its always fun & the food is not as bad as so many state here.

just 1 person's musings on a wet friday

[jgould]

not that many care here, but what the heck, a little controversy never hurts, & its more fun than dissing dino bbq.

a very narrow list of dependables, favorites, & regularly visited, as of today:

Landmarc - always dependable, always good, & what a wine list!

Pastis - why? i don't know, i just love going, sort of like Fairway @ 6pm

Balthazar - keith mcnally is a genius, & i don't throw that around very often

Orsay - if one has to venture to the UES, expensive, but great

Gavroche - what everyone would like to have in their neighborhood

honorable mention:

quatorze bis - easy to get to from UWS (79th) cross town & back & never been disappointed

cafe un deux trois - will get mostly slings & arrows on this one, but after 7:55, its always fun & the food is not as bad as so many state here.

just 1 person's musings on a wet friday   

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"truth in posting": last night after seeing an excellent play, "The Foreigner" again went to Un Deux Trois ~ 11pm. the "special" salad, frisee aux lardon, was average, but IMHO, an excellent one IS hard to find! my steak tartare was very good, on the spicy side which i like. wife's mussels were excellent.

creme brulee was a touch above average, & i thought, too large a portion.

wine & cognacs did not hurt either

service as usual, always excellent. their bread is from Tom Cat, warm & excellent. pet peeve is wrapper covered butter vs. "fresh", but minor peeve.

all-in-all, another fun evening at the cafe. interestingly, it was filled this late, with post theatre, couples beginning or ending their evening, & a number of actors from the nearby shows. a good nyc mix...

[Daniel]

My girl flew home late friday night and i was waiting for her at her place.. When she got in she was very tired and just looking for a quick bite.. I ordered her a cesar salad and got myself a mac and cheese over at french roast.. They forgot to add dressing to the cesar and the mac and cheese was just ok.. I ended up making my own cesar dressing and adding bacon, mustard, and parmesean to the mac and cheese.. All in all it would have been easier just cooking myself.. Someone suggested getting the simple stuff at French Roast.. What is more simple then a salad and macaroni.

[larousse]

Le Clown: horrible except for atmosphere. Cold mussels, steak was barely black and blue, to name a few. Quiet though except for the ues lady at the next table complaining to the waiter.

[Pan]

The word "fuckers" came to my mind when reading this, and I wasn't even there!

I think using the plural is unwarranted.[...]

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I take your point. I apologize for casting any aspersions on any personnel from the establishment who weren't made aware of the alleged incident. But it's still a terrible incident.

[Todd36]

Mr Bourdain, thank for the tip about Le Veau D'Or.  Went there for lunch last week and it was a great experience.  Robert (the proprietor) and a regular customer regaled me with many amusing stories and the food was a bargain for $20.  I had the celery remoulade, hanger steak with shallot butter and frites, and a toasted almond and caramel crepe with ice cream.  I love traveling in the time warp every so often, and for this reason I will miss Lutece.

For those of you with similar inclinations, or just seeking a deal on a three course French bistro menu in midtown, Le Veau D'Or is worth a visit.  Just don't tell too many people.....

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I've had dinner there about 4 times in the last few months and it's quite good for the money, and some of the food is quite good by any standard. It's a time warp place, and not operating at four stars like it did in 1965, but I haven't had anything really bad there----and with a three course dinner at about $27 to $40, its really hard to complain.

[touaregsand]

I think using the plural is unwarranted. "Clueless twit" comes to my mind. Any decent waitron should know to bend over backwards if something goes wrong with a customer's experience.

Waitron? What exactly is a waitron? A robot that bends over backwards and takes it any which way?

[AmyDaniel]

Waitron? What exactly is a waitron? A robot that bends over backwards and takes it any which way?

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"Waitron" is, I believe, a genderless, PC term for restaurant service staff. Those who can may correct me if I'm mistaken.

[Phatlouie07]

went to les sans culottes west in midtown recently. veg. and meat appetizers were good, this was prix fixe thing. main course duck a l'orange, duck ok which was ruined by the sweet orange marmalade-like sauce. what i thought was really odd was that they served rice in a french bistro. dessert, creme brulee, was ok.

[gaf]

Reviewer-Proof New York City Entry #12

Some restaurants are reviewer-proof. One can just pack up one's adjectives and go home. They do what they do, do it adequately, if not memorably, and go on their merry way.

A couple that I know swear by the Madison Bistro, visiting it on most visits to New York. They find comfort in the dark, romantic (although some might say murky, gloomy) interior. They find the bistro food well-prepared and the service attentive.

I was recently taken to the Madison Bistro with a group of colleagues, and can sympathize with my friends. No one would confuse MB with one of the bright, elegant, creative bistros that New York has to offer. The Madison Bistro is not Balthazar through any fantasy that I can imagine.

What one might best say about the food is that it does not distract from one's conversation, amorous or intellectual. Restaurants are not only places for eating, but for talking. At some exceptional restaurants I wish that my partner would vanish to leave me alone with my food and my thoughts. This is assuredly not the case at MB.

My choice was traditional bistro fare: Escargot with Parsley and Garlic; Lamb Shanks Tangine with Olives and Lemon, and Praline Souffle with Vanilla Sauce. These dishes were neither successes or failures, they just were. The escargot was garlicky, perhaps a little tough, perhaps with too much butter, but six satisfying bites. The tangine sauce lacked much spice - and seemed more Madison than Mecca, but it did mix sweetness and acidity pleasantly. The souffle was fluffy, although not delicate. Given that the waiter attempted (successfully) to sell us the souffle, this seems a production-line item which the bistro has down pat.

None of my dishes astounded and none failed in this bistro that would be a credit to the restaurant scene in any number of small industrial cities throughout the American hinterlands; it happens to be located right here in Murray Hill.

Madison Bistro

238 Madison Avenue (between 37th and 38th Street)

Manhattan (Murray Hill)

212-447-1919

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

Edited September 24, 2005 by gaf (log)

[cbergmann]

The one time we dined at Lucien the started of fresh grilled Mediterranean anchovies was rather nice with the rest of the meal thoroughly nondescript. This placed it many notches above a thoroughly tired, old, sad meal we had at Alouette. I find nothing very authentic about Balthazar save for that the food resembles the industrial food at some of those beautiful restored bistros in Paris all owned by that same large restaurant group whose name escapes me. I have had hit and miss meals over the years at Jardin. And while our one meal at Quinze was not exceptional, we have had several at Tournesol that genuinely were.

[jgould]

so, where does one go for "authentic" french bistrots in manhattan, as of sept '05? seems like many have fallen, as per comments above, even balthazar!

the tourdefrance group: nice matin, marseille, pigalle, french roasts, l'express, maison, le monde also all seem to be pretty much below average, unfortunately. think people are getting tired of bad service, higher than should be prices, average food, & the very faux french decor.

ouest also has gone downhill, now that 'cesca has opened in las vegas.

btw (hopefully current news), le quinze on w. houston nr mcdougal, is now manon, i think italian(?) was at le quinze fairly recently, & never experienced any sort of crowd.

Edited September 29, 2005 by jgould (log)

[rozrapp]

I don't agree with the inclusion of Marseille in your "below average" list. We've eaten there twice within the past few months, and the food was delicious. Btw, it's considered a brasserie, rather than a bistro, and the cuisine is French/Mediterranean, if any of that matters. They've made some changes, moved the bar, freshened things up. I find the decor to be very attractive.

Have you tried Gavroche? Chef Estaban Ortega has been in charge of the kitchen for a while now, and the meal we had during the summer was terrific -- far superior to the one meal we had when the original chef, Philippe Roussel, was there. While the interior is on the plain side, there is a very charming back garden for warm weather dining.

Re: the change of Le Quinze to Manon. I've heard that the cuisine will remain French.

[jgould]

I don't agree with the inclusion of Marseille in your "below average" list.  We've eaten there twice within the past few months, and the food was delicious.  Btw, it's considered a brasserie, rather than a bistro, and the cuisine is French/Mediterranean, if any of that matters.  They've made some changes, moved the bar, freshened things up.  I find the decor to be very attractive.

Have you tried Gavroche?  Chef Estaban Ortega has been in charge of the kitchen for a while now, and the meal we had during the summer was terrific -- far superior to the one meal we had when the original chef, Philippe Roussel, was there.  While the interior is on the plain side, there is a very charming back garden for warm weather dining.

Re:  the  change of Le Quinze to Manon.  I've heard that the cuisine will remain French.

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disagreement noted. i should have specified a little clearer. it does seem; however, re: posts here & elsewhere, the mini-chain empire, tourdefrance, of simon oren et al, is not very well thought of, unfortunately! i say that because i live near french roast, le monde, & nice matin - all very average-to-below average. its seems i am not alone. example: can 1 think of worse decor than nice matin? & thats before the service. they have been through a number of bartenders due to rudeness, & i have observed 1st hand, when i ordered a G&T, but rec'd a V&T, the worker behind the bar disposed of the contents & simply refilled with a G&T. on another occassion, the bartender perceived too much wine had been poured, took back the glass, poured the supposed excess into another glass, & proceeded to give me back the newly reduced-to-"proper"-sized glass of wine. needless to say, i haven't been back, can only take so much. le monde is not worth mentioning it is so bad. french roast is an embarressment.

as to marseille, i did not have the same experience as u, but glad u enjoyed.

most use the terms bistro, bistrot, & brasserie interchangeably, but thanks for pointing out the difference. btw, marseille really does not fall within the brasserie definition. no self-respecting brasserie would serve french-med. & strictly speaking, it would not be a bistro, so therefore, its just another faux-french place that fashions itself "french", but could also be described as almost anything else, but....

yes, i have eaten at gavroche & have been mostly disappointed, again unfortunately. for a "bistro" along a dismal stretch of 14th bet 7th & 8th, i found the wine prices to be marked up insultingly high, particularly since it bills itself as a "neighborhood" place. check out the champagne prices which rival the mark-ups of midtown ripoffs - veuve was $96 -vs - landmarc's $50!!

secondly, i do not like places that have to resort to "charming" gardens as an enticement. preferably, prefer outdoor dining in the front, more interesting. the gavroche garden to me seems rather claustrophobic. i have passed gavroche a few times very recently & the front area was TOTALLY empty.

finally, the food - roussell is hard to figure out. when he cooked at park bistro & montparnasse, i thought his food was very good; but at gavroche where he was a non-capital contributor owner, his food was average at best!!! maybe his previous success was due to excellent sous chefs. on the other hand, "chef" ortega, while hard-working, does not have the "feel" for french bistro cooking & i also was turned off that the news of roussell leaving/fired? was withheld whilst ortega was performing as the unadvertised head chef???? probably old-fashioned in this respect, but i prefer "attempting" to frequent french restaurants, bistros, bistrots, brasseries, cafes that have FRENCH chefs, where possible.

NOTE: i don't need the criticism from comments re: balthazar's chefs & all the others - it is MY preference, which i have duly acknowledged as a personal preference.

thanks for the info on le quinze > manon. i never could figure out why so many "seemed" to like, but the several times i went, it was totally empty!!! of course, i'm sure it had nothing to do with the boorishness of the rugby motif, the lousy service, or the c- given to the food.

would be nice to visit french bistros in the city that actually know how to serve properly something as simple as a ricard; as well as 98% of french restaurants that claim to know about wine on 1 hand, but still serve reds way too warm, & whites generally too cold. example: nice matin has the audacity to have a sommelier who "should know better", but he, like so many, doesn't.

Edited September 29, 2005 by jgould (log)

[jgould]

looking for mr. goodbar aka good bistro bar:

nice to get some thoughts on where the "best" bistros are currently.

add, if u want, along with a simple 1-line:

balthazar - still good, still fun

quatorze bis - good bar, good food, fun atmosphere

l'absinthe - good food, fun but can be quiet, beautiful

orsay - expensive, but too beautiful to ignore

chez jacqueline - about as close as 1 can get

[jgould]

looking for mr. goodbar aka good bistro bar:

nice to get some thoughts on where the "best" bistros are currently.

add, if u want, along with a simple 1-line:

balthazar - still good, still fun

quatorze bis - good bar, good food, fun atmosphere

l'absinthe - good food, fun but can be quiet, beautiful

orsay - expensive, but too beautiful to ignore

chez jacqueline - about as close as 1 can get

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second thoughts:

scratch l'absinthe & orsay, simply too expensive & more restauranty vs. that "bistro" feel, although both beautiful, but maybe a little tooo chi-chi for that je ne sais quoi...

so, that leaves (me) with basically only 3 "go to" bistros in all of manhattan!!??? "

say it ain't so, joe"

[Diane Duane]

For those of you with similar inclinations, or just seeking a deal on a three course French bistro menu in midtown, Le Veau D'Or is worth a visit.  Just don't tell too many people.....

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I've had dinner there about 4 times in the last few months and it's quite good for the money, and some of the food is quite good by any standard. It's a time warp place, and not operating at four stars like it did in 1965, but I haven't had anything really bad there----and with a three course dinner at about $27 to $40, its really hard to complain.

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So good to hear the place is still going (relatively) strong! I first stumbled in there something like twenty-five years ago and liked the food a lot. Must get back there when possible.

Best! -- Diane

Edited October 3, 2005 by Diane Duane (log)

[jgould]

looking for mr. goodbar aka good bistro bar:

nice to get some UPDATED thoughts on where the "best" bistros are currently.

add, if u want, along with a simple 1-line description/explanation:

balthazar - still good, still fun, but, still fairly expensive

quatorze bis - good bar, good food, fun atmosphere, also expensive

l'absinthe - good food, fun but can be quiet, beautiful

orsay - expensive, but too beautiful to ignore

chez jacqueline - about as close as 1 can get

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second thoughts:

scratch l'absinthe & orsay, simply too expensive & more restauranty vs. that "bistro" feel. both beautiful, but maybe a little tooo chi-chi for that je ne sais quoi...

so, that leaves (me) with basically only 3 "go to" bistros in all of manhattan!!??? "

say it ain't so, joe"

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OOPS!! scratch chez jacqueline from my short list of 3; only two bistros in all of manhattan