L'Ecole at The French Culinary Institute

[yvonne johnson]

A few months back I walked past The French Culinary Institute on 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013-2618 (888) FCI-CHEF, (212) 219-8890, and I was reminded of it when discussing wine courses today. Has anyone here eaten there? Can't say I've heard much about it, but I gather it has a restaurant open to the public.

[LaNiña]

The restaurant is called L'Ecole, and I've eaten there several times, and have had wildly varying experiences. So much so that it's not possible for me to tell you to go or not go.

[tommy]

i found it quite worth the price, that's for sure. and, i felt that being a part of these guys who were working toward their goal was pretty cool of me. not that i have to feel more cool than i already am/do, but every extra bit of cool surely helps.

[bushey]

but every extra bit of cool surely helps.

tommy -- how unusual for you to be a master of understatement

I ate at L'Ecole last year and thought it was very good overall. The service we had that night was a bit unpolished but most of the dishes were delicious and well prepared. I liked the decor and artwork, they offered some interesting choices of wine by the glass, including a delicious sparkling Saumur which I haven't been able to track down. We ordered the three-course menu for $29.95. The entrees, trout almondine and rack of lamb (extra charge) were excellent, with my trout edging out the lamb. What really stands out in my mind, though, was a fabulous apricot tart for dessert. Absolutely luscious ripe apricot and a bit of pastry cream on crisp flaky pastry, with a light glaze and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. It was the best fruit pastry I've ever had -- the peach tart at Patisserie Payard did not even come close.

[Steve Klc]

I haven't ever had the apricot tart, but I have had several other desserts there and they were mediocre and perfunctory. Culinary students and their chef-instructors make the desserts--not the professional pastry students and their pastry chef instructors. Maybe this was identified as a weakness and has changed--maybe the culinary crew got lucky with some fresh apricots.

I've eaten here maybe 3 or 4 times--after giving demos in the upstairs amphitheater-- and think it represents a pretty good dining value and I almost always have enjoyed the food. I'd echo many of the other's comments on this thread so far--I, too, thought the wines available by the glass were very good as well. There is an energy and enthusiasm that the students bring to their roles and they will engage you if you are so inclined.

All in all, it was as polished an experience as you'd expect.

[bushey]

Sounds like I hit the apricot tart on a good night. Can't remember what the others had for dessert because I was too absorbed in mine.

I agree that the overall experience was pretty good. We were there as a family so it worked out fine. I think if my husband and I had been dining alone we would have been more disappointed in the service and ambience.

[johnjohn]

I graduated from the professional chefs program at FCI a few years back. The restaurant is a really good deal for what you pay. The 4th (final level) students are preparing your meals with the help of 3 chef/instructors - so the quality is pretty high. If you ask for a tour of the school after your meal a student will take you around to the different stations - it is pretty informative and interesting. Not for nothing, but I think it's important to support cooking schools that have restaurants - these students will be our chefs of tomorrow.

John

[bushey]

Thanks for the info. Wish I had known when we were there last year. On some days our oldest daughter thinks she'd like to be a chef. She would have really enjoyed a tour. Didn't Bobby Flay graduate from FCI? He's one of her faves.

[LaNiña]

I just gotta say - I know two people who did the supposedly very serious amateur program - twice a week for like 6 months - and neither of them can cook to save their lives...

[Jinmyo]

Well, Nina, some folk just can't be taught though.

[LaNiña]

True, true. One friend did end up with a nice set of knives, I"ll give 'er that.

[phaelon56]

I think most of the comments here are right on target and based on my two visits I agree. One would expect the service to be a bit unpolished btu it was certainly friendly and sincere with no real gaffes. I found the entrees to be a bit uneven but overall it was a great value and a pleasant room. The only dessert I've ever tried was the creme brulee and it was outstanding (apparently it is thir "signature" dessert). My girlfriend has been to France many times in recent years and is a creme brulee aficionado - she insisted that it was the best she's ever tried. I wouldn't maintain that it's one of the great restaurants in NYC but certainly is one of the best deals. Interesting to note that we were there on a Friday night only a few weeks after 9/11. Other downtown restaurants were struggling to get customers back in the door and SoHo was dead quiet yet L'Ecole was full for the entire evening and when I reserved early that week they only had two times slots available for a party of two on a Friday night. The majority of folks there appeared to be regulars - perhaps this is an indication that there is at least a reasonable level of consistency?

[Steve Klc]

Nina--I just saw your post about friends of yours taking FCI's "supposedly very serious amateur program." I did a few years of teaching avocational cooking classes in cooking schools--and usually taught them with the same level of commitment and intensity as I would have taught professional students. But as has been stated elsewhere about for-profit cooking schools, you pay your money and you get a spot in the class until it is full. And there are many different motivations behind enrolling in short term cooking classes--not all of them culinary.

The fact that your two friends can't cook a lick is not necessarily a valid indictment of the instructor or the school, and I'm guessing you didn't intend it that way. I've known several of FCI's pastry chef instructors over the years--two ex-instructors have gone on to become Pastry Art & Design magazine 10 Best pastry chefs--and often the same instructor teaches part time evening classes and the full time program day classes. It just might be a case of students getting out what they put in--considering what potential they had to begin with.

And so much depends upon the instructor--much, much more than the curriculum or the prestige of the school--any school. It's really a roll of the dice and a shame there isn't more of an effort industry-wide to attract, retain and pay instructors well.

[hscottk]

Some friends of ours had dinner at L'ecole years ago, and raved about the solid french fare that ran around $35/pp for 5 courses with wine.

Since then, I've heard mixed reviews of the place. Some toot the value horn, while others have claimed it all depends on the night you go.

What have your experiences been? Have people eaten there multiple times? Is the food uneven? What's it like eating someone's homework? Should we reserve during midterms or finals for a better meal?

[jogoode]

I've been to L'ecole -- for the free dinner they offer after you tour FCI and express interest in going. I was not impressed -- it was satisfying but nothing more. I'm not sure about that kitchen's consistency. The food at the CIA's restaurants in the Hudson Valley was consistently lauded by most people I've spoken to, but almost everything I ate was horrifically overcooked. Sometimes you get A students, sometimes you get the dregs. As for value, I'd rather spend the same for the pre fixe lunch at Bouley or La Carevelle. Or eating cheaply at Balthazar.

Edited October 10, 2003 by jogoode (log)

[newguy]

L'ecole is the ending of the school's classes. The students don't do an externship, they cook in that restaurant instead. It doesn't last that long, so you may go one week and have a few stellar students working the kitchen with a certain instructor. A few weeks later the students might not be as good, and the instructor might not be as good. Therefore you won't get constant food all the time like in a restaurant.

For $35 it's decent eating though. Not going to blow the roof off of anything though.

[sherribabee]

For $35 it's decent eating though.  Not going to blow the roof off of anything though.

Wait till I get there (but I'll only be doing dessert).

[Suzanne F]

Here's another vote for "it all depends." I ate there once, last spring, with a group from my cookbook editing class. The plating was very nicely done; the food was mostly well-cooked -- although the puff pastry was very tough; the bread was superb. Overall, it was about equal to the simulations we did at the school I went to. If you go expecting decent, even imaginative food, you probably won't be disappointed at the value. But if you want a spectacular meal, it ain't gonna happen there.

Belmont3 was going there, no? Maybe he can weigh in.

[phaelon56]

I think i'ts one of the best values in the city - not necessarily the best meal. I've only been three times but have not been disappointed. is it on par with what you'd get for 2X the money elsewhere? No but it's usually a very good meal for the money, a soothign and relatively quiet room and pleasant but not stellar service. I've generally gone with the price fixe that's about $30 for starter, entree and dessert. there are usually two items of the six or seven entrees that have an upcharge. An amuse is typically served, appetizer portions tend to be generous, main course is more reserved in size and the only dessert I've tried is the creme brulee. It's their "signature" dessert and has been consistently excellent every time I"ve tyried it. Can't comment on any other desserts as I have not tried them. My friend is a foodie (I am not). She's visited France on several occasions and dined there extensively, is a creme brulee fanatic and pronounced what she had at L'ecole as the best she's ever tried anywhere.

[R Washburn]

I was always most impressed with their desserts, and the other offerings are usually decent. Still, I would rather spend $45 and have the pre-theater dinner at Mix.

[Pan]

I went once a number of years ago. It was good but unexciting, and I found that it cost a chunk of change because after you've added a bottle of wine to the prix fixe, it ends up costing over $100 for two (I was taking a friend out for his birthday). Sure, for many of you, that's a good value, but I've never had a great hankering to go back.

[ErinB]

I was not impressed -- it was satisfying but nothing more.

ITA. I've had one meal there. There are so many other places you can eat with better food and better prices. It wasn't a bad meal, but it didn't stand out.