Fleur De Sel

[phaelon56]

I've been only once - for a Saturday lunch about five years ago. I'd read rave reviews in this forum but our experience was absymal. The food was just "okay" and wasalso very pricey - about $110 for lunch for two people with no alcohol (and my GF got the $25 fixed course plus she shared my dessert). The press pot coffee was so bad we had to send it back and it wasn't much better the second time.

Since then I've always glanced at Fleur de Sel comments in this forum and they seem to go up and down - ranigng from "okay but not great" to "absolutely stellar and memorable".

[jon777]

Had a very nice meal here in early December for our anniversary. Tasting menu is only slightly more than the regular 3 course menu (something like $87 vs. $76). And they were very accomodating in including a couple of items from the regular menu that were not listed on the tasting menu for us.

Service was very pleasant, and our waitress even brought an extra dessert that she wanted us to try.

Everything was very good (Elk was a paricular standout) -- was not super inventive cuisine, but everything was fresh and well executed.

If I remember correctly, the chef/owner is there pretty much every night, so you'd probably be working directly for him, which would possibly be a plus -- also, the restaurant in on the smaller side, so probably get to experience more of the kitchen, than you would at some of the larger places.

Usually has strong ratings -- not a Top 10 NY restauarant, but certainly a solid, well respected establishment.

Good luck!

[Gastro888]

The chefs are French and they are very skilled & talented. I think you'd learn alot from them. The kitchen itself is small and tight. Oddly enough the rest room is downstairs right next to the kitchen area. It's definitely not spacious like EMP or The Modern. The actual restaurant is small but very quaint and cute.

I would say go for it if you want to expand on your French culinary techniques. However, I cannot speak to the hours or type of work environment that is in the house.

[whisk]

The very talented Cyril Renaud is the exec. chef/owner (he was the chef de cuisine at Bouley for years). The chef de cuisine (forgot his name, I think it's Jose) is an alum of the Michelin 3-star Arpege in Paris.

[ChefJohnny]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Its much appreciated. I went in today to chat with Chef Renaud. He seems like a really nice person. The menu looks fantastic and is more "contemporary" than what I was expecting, which is nice. I go in on Thursday for a stage to see how things work and what not. So far, Im pretty impressed and as of right now, if I dont get any more offers (I sent out about 14 resumes around NYC) I think I may accept. Again, thanks for all the input, you guys rock!

-Chef Johnny

Edited January 30, 2007 by ChefJohnny (log)

[ulterior epicure]

I have been interested in visiting Fleur de Sel for quite some time. Would appreciate hearing about the experiences of recent visits.

[tommy]

i try to like this place. i left hungry, after a multi-course tasting menu on my last visit, about 6 months ago. i've never left any restaurant hungry, with this exception.

[oakapple]

i try to like this place.  i left hungry, after a multi-course tasting menu on my last visit, about 6 months ago.  i've never left any restaurant hungry, with this exception.

←

I can't reconcile this comment with my own experience there. I think the cuisine at FdS is somewhat underplayed, but in two visits I've never had any quarrel with the amount of food served for the price. (Last time, they actually comped us an extra dessert; I don't know why.)

[ulterior epicure]

I think the cuisine at FdS is somewhat underplayed, but in two visits I've never had any quarrel with the amount of food served for the price.

I recently lunched at Fleur de Sel with a good friend. (You can read about it on my blog and see all the photos on my flickr site.) I'm not sure exactly what oakapple means by "underplayed," but drawing upon my own experience, I get a sense of his assessment of the food. And, I would tend to agree with his description.

The food was certainly well-executed and plated. There were highs and lows. Admittedly, the lows for me might have been more due to personal preference than ill-conception or unthoughtfulness (my jury's still out on whether the sweet truffle mayonnaise with the lobster was a crime against u.e. or a crime against humanity).

My friend and I both ordered the five-course tasting ($48). Besides the canape and the cheese course, there were two options for each course. We divied up the choices so that between the two of us, we could try everything. I admit that I was a little greedy, or my friend was too kind, but I ended up getting the dishes we both preferred based off the menu descriptions. He took the "leftovers."

I was paid in kind. My dishes were, uniformly, weaker than his. Perhaps my friend and I have the same taste sensibilities, but we both agreed that mine just didn't work as well as his did. (He also disliked the lobster salad because of the sweet mayonnaise).

The portions were appropriate - neither too large or too small for lunch.

Service was the most disappointing part of our lunch. It was rather clear that our server either didn't like us, or for some reason, decided all the other tables needed personal service, while we were left unattended. All of our dishes came out from the back-waitstaff, which, I fear due to inadequate language skills, dropped off our dishes without explanation. We saw our server once between the order and the bill - and that's when I asked a back-waistaff to supplement an extra salad, which he had to get the server for. Further, when she came, the server seemed burdened by the request. There were other service issues, but you can read about them on my blog.

I'm not sure what is so appealing about this restaurant. As oakapple (and I would agree) observed, the food is "underplayed." I take this to mean that the food isn't the main point to "getting this restaurant." After some reflection, I think it's just the idea of the restaurant itself that is so darling to me... the quaintness of it, the personality, if you will. Being there, in that space, might be the most memorable thing about my meal.

It's rare that I leave a restaurant indifferent to my experience. But, I guess that's how I would sum up my lunch. I left neither frowning or smiling.

(Last time, they actually comped us an extra dessert; I don't know why.)

oakapple, it's interesting that you wrote this. It seems to be a rather common practice at this restaurant. During our lunch, I counted exactly five tables who were also surprised with an extra dessert. There were six tables occupied that lunch service. So, guess which one didn't get a treat? Just our bum luck, I guess.

Edited June 1, 2007 by ulterior epicure (log)

[AvsKick21]

I had lunch this week at Fleur de Sel and had an experience similar to ulterior epicures. The service was technically sound, but perhaps a bit cold, but it wasn't a huge deal as I was there for the food. The room is nice, but seemed to lack energy, but thats personal taste. On to the food..

I chose the 5 course tasting menu, which was;

Strawberry Gazpacho

A good start, very fresh tomato and a nice sweetness from the strawberries.

Goat Cheese and Artichoke Ravioli, Beet-Dijon Emulsion, American Caviar

For me the best dish of the meal. Perfectly cooked pasta with sweet beet sauce. The dish would have been better without the caviar, as it added nothing to the dish. I really can't stand when restaurants use miniscule amounts of luxury ingredients because they can as it rarely enhances the dish.

Seared Duck Breast

This was served with fennel and leg confit I think, and another sweet sauce. I think the dish would have been good on its own, but at this point the presence of strong sweet components in every dish was getting a little tiring and palate fatigue began to set in. It was well prepared though, and its obvious that they can cook back there. As a diner I think it just means you have to be careful with how you choose your dishes.

Cheese Course

It was four American cheeses, all good, but not memorable. I forget two but one was a camembert from Wisconsin and there was a Point Reyes blue. The walnut toast definitely needs to be toasted longer.

Blueberry Soup, Yogurt Sorbet

A refreshing, simple summer dessert. No complaints.

All in all a good lunch, but I'm not in a hurry to go back. If I did, I think I'd go for the 3-course menu at $25, as I didn't feel that the shot glass of gazpacho amuse and the blah cheese course were worth the extra $20. Also I found the pacing to be a bit on the fast side, with the courses coming out in rapid fire fashion. I sat down at around 12:05 and was out the door at 1:10. This was okay, as it gave me plenty of time for the 2 mile walk to Bouley for my later lunch. More on that later.

[whisk]

I was there a little over a year ago. I remember the food to be very good, and sometimes excellent. But once dessert came things went downhill in a hurry. The desserts were unspectacular. Very much what you'd get at a decent bistro in paris. The restaurant has a huge wine list. But they have had serious controversy with the way the restaurant is run. Particularly staffing/sommelier issues as described on Eater.com last month.