Restaurant Review: Chez Jacqueline

Details: Located at 72 MacDougal St., New York, NY 10012. Official site is http://chezjacquelinerestaurant.com/.

I came here with some friends recently. We got here at around 5:30 PM, which is coincidentally the exact time you need to be here to get their special. If you get here between the hours of 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM, they let you order and appetizer, a main course, and a dessert for around $28.00. What was weird was that they asked we pay in cash. No one wants to pay taxes I guess.

We had the soup of the day, the duck rillette, and the mussels as appetizers. They were all really good. For the main course, we had steak with french fries, beef stew with ravioli, and the lemon trout. Again, pretty good. For dessert we had the creme brulet, the apple tart, and the sorbet. Once again, pretty good. The food wasn’t a revelation, but it was good.

Service was good. The waiter was very nice.

The vibe here was amazing. It’s a very relaxing place to eat. The music, the interior, the food, the attitudes of the staff, coupled with the restaurant not being too crowded at the time we came made the atmosphere fantastically laid back. Unlike a lot of places, they did not rush us out or try to force the receipt on us. We just hung out and chatted. I felt relaxed as I walked out of that restaurant.

Score: 6.7/10

Restaurant Review: Le Baratin

Details: Located at 26 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10011. Official site is http://lebaratinnyc.com/.

Le Baratin is a French restaurant specializing in your average French fare (i.e. bistro style food). It reminded me a lot of Le Parisienne which I reviewed some time go.

The space was small (maybe twenty seats) and cozy. The menu was short as well, but I usually interpret that as a good sign. To me, it means they are good and focused on what they make and don’t waste time trying to make a million different things.

They had a prix fixe menu which we all went with. We ordered the Pate Maison (comes with salad and cornichons), the Bavette Frites (steak with french fries), and the Cordon Bleu (comes with mash potatoes).

Everything was really good. The steak was tender and the sauce was delicious. The fries were nice, but it doesn’t take a genius to do french fries. The Cordon Bleu… tasted like Cordon Bleu.

Score: 6.5/10 Pretty good. A nice, casual place for dinner.

Restaurant Review: Le Parisien

Details: Located at 163 East 33rd St., New York, NY 10016. Official site is http://www.leparisiennyc.com/.

I found this place through a quick internet search for relatively cheap French food (within the $20-$30 range) and I am so glad I did.

Le Parisien is a small, French restaurant in Midtown Manhattan that seeks to replicate the feel of a small French bistro. Although I’ve only been here for dinner, their brunch looks pretty good.

The space is small. Around fifteen seats. However, this only helps add to the feel and ambiance. It’s the perfect blend of casual yet romantic. A perfect date spot and a great place to bring your friends. Service was good, too. Charming staff.

In regards to food, the menu is as small as the space. Around a ten appetizers and ten entrees, with some off menu specials that change periodically. With that said, the food is fantastic.

I’ve been here twice. The first time I ordered the filet mignon carpaccio as an appetizer, followed by the steak tartare (raw beef) as an entree. My friends ordered the rainbow trout almondine and the bistrot steak frites (steak and french fries). My second time I ordered the duck confit.

For my first time eating steak tartare, it actually wasn’t bad. I’m probably never going to order it again. Its just chopped raw beef without that much preparation. Not exactly something to pay money for in my opinion unless something is added.

The filet mignon carpacciao was very good. So was the duck confit, where the only real downside was that after finishing the dish, I wanted even more. My friend said the trout was also very good.

However, the bistrot steak frites was by far the best thing out of all the above. Its cooked in a sauce of wine, thyme and onions which yields an extraordinarily tender, tasty steak. If I go back — and I will — then I will undoubtedly order that.

Score: 8/10 Loved the food. Loved the ambiance. The small menu and small space actually add to the experience instead of detract. Definitely coming back.

As a side note, the steak tartare was no longer on the menu as of my last visit.