Le Coucou

Date: Thursday, March 23rd, 2023Time: 1:30pmParty of: 5Meal: LunchReservation Made: via OpenTable that morning*Asperges Blanches HD ($40)*Bar Noir Grille ($42)*Pojarski de Volaille ($34)*Vol au Vent Coucou ($44)*Filet de Boeuf Lunch ($70) x2*7777 Mas Jullien Rougeos ($85)*Pinhook Rye Manhattan ($23)*Von Trapp Vienna Lager ($12)*Pinhook Rye Old Fashioned ($22) x3*Espresso ($6.50): extra shot ($3.50)*Coffee ($6)*Mont Blanc ($18)*Tarte au Citron ($18)*Niepoort 20 yr ($12)I was on vacay and wanted to have a nice lunch. Luckily the boys were down to come here, so I made a last min reservation that morning. One in our party was super late, but the staff was understanding. We ended up ordering without him since we kinda share everything anyways. Family style all the way!A fav among everyone was the beef filet - cooked perfectly. And the bone marrow made it that much more decadent. The fries of course were a hit as well. My group celebrates frydays quite frequently. I enjoyed the asparagus as it came with sea urchin cream. Added a nice umami flavor. I hadn't had sweetbreads in a while, so the vol-au-vent coucou was a treat. The added lobster was tender and a good complement puff pastry. The complimentary bread and butter were chewy and creamy. The bread and butter at French restaurants are typically extra delish. That was definitely the case here. After the meal, they gave us some petit fours / mignardises. Cocktails were a nice way to start off our meal. My manhattan was spirit forward but still nicely balance.Le Coucou had 1 michelin star when we went and it still has it now. Definitely worth a try if you are a lover or French food. Lunch was a nice way to sample a variety of dishes without committing to dinner portions.REVIEW #3637

The tiny bar is one of the most beautiful I've seen in NYC. But they can't make an old fashioned. That's very Frenchie. What isn't is the service. I arrived early and was asked if I'd like to wait in the bar for my date. I checked my coat and sat down. About five minutes later a man came up to me and asked me with great annoyance if I needed assistance. As if I'd walked off the street. This is not French. Good service entails good communication between employees. Instead of informing this dude that I was waiting for my date, nobody said anything to him and he treated me like I was a vagrant. There is no heart in Le Coucou. Servers have been taught to pronounce French words, but the effect makes them look and sound ridiculous, and demeans them. They offer no suggestions for glasses of wine paired with each dish. I may as well have been at McDonalds. The sweetbreads were okay, but way too much liquid. No balance in that dish. The filet was truly fantastic, but not worth a return visit. It's telling to go to an expensive French restaurant that has no French people working there. It's not really French. It's like AI followed the rules but made everything mundane. Gorgeous pillows in the bar, though!

I would give Le Coucou 100 stars if I could! One of my absolute favorite restaurants in Manhattan. The restaurant is a beautiful and tucked away behind a wall of greenery. You walk in to see the most stunning bar and can grab a delicious handcrafted cocktail. The service here is top notch as well. Attentive and knowledgeable servers, plus a world class sommelier. Starters- Poireaux Vinaigrette (delicious, a bit simple so I would maybe skip and try something else)- Thon à l'espelette (fish was very fresh and high quality, fantastic)- Tartare de boeuf (one of the best beef tartares I've had in America, MUST TRY!)The Homard (Maine lobster) is one of the most incredible dishes I've ever had the pleasure of seeing and tasting. Delicate and tender lobster paired with a decadent peppercorn sauce and fluffy fried potatoes... something I dream about every night. The Filet de boeuf is also phenomenally well done. Can't even describe how much I like this dish.For dessert, you absolutely have to get the Marjolaine. On top of being such an amazing restaurant, they also seem to run a top tier patisserie to create masterpieces such as the Marjolaine and Tarte au Chocolat.

Service. Style. Class. But far from pretentious. You can dine simply or more complex. Or throw your credit card into the wind and order the five course tasting menu. Everything was delicious. From the fois gras to the Lapin three ways. Classic dishes. Simply prepared with love. An extra desert. Some red fruits gelee' exceptional coffee. A wine list that speaks your language with expert assistance. It's worth every moment you spend in their care.

One of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time! Went for the 2 course lunch and at $69 it is a steal! The $23 lobster add on was to die for as was the flat iron steak. The shrimp and avocado appetizers was one of the best things I've eaten in this year and will set the bar high for 2025. The ambiance of the restaurant is elegant but not stuffy! Service was attentive but not too pushy. Can't wait to come back

Decent French food, though underwhelming given their star and service that also did not match their accolades. I ordered the oyster apps and halibut, both of which were a bit overcooked. The oyster was forgettable, lacking depth, and paled in comparison to the Le Pavillon version. The halibut was overcooked to the point where the fish was slightly rubbery and the sauce was the most basic tasting cream sauce with no exciting / new elements to it. Ambience was decent, with lit candles at each table; however service was on par with any random restaurant I'd walk into in NYC. They confused a Happy Anniversary with Happy Birthday and waiter was not very helpful inproviding descriptions / input into dish selection. Dish presentation at the table (e.g., pouring sauce onto the foods and adding heart to the duck) was also subpar, with one of the waiters clearly providing advice to another after the fact. Sauce and food was added ad hoc. Busboys were attentive though and waited always remained filled. +1 star for them.

We had the chance to visit Chef Danie Rose's place in Paris (La Bourse et La Vie) earlier this year and had the great good fortune to meet Chef Rose at the restaurant while we were dining. We had such a lovely experience there that we knew there was no place we wanted to celebrate my 60th birthday in my hometown other than Le Coucou.The vibe is definitely French, but with a New York accent. The room is gorgeous and dimly lit, with very high ceilings. In a town full of restaurants that you can't hear yourself without screaming, Le Coucou is an oasis. Even if they didn't serve food, I'd have to tell you that it was some of the best restaurant service I've ever experienced. The servers were professional, and kind, but not punctilious, and they had a knack for knowing exactly when to come by the table, and when to let us just savor the experience. The wine list is a mile wide, and several miles deep. If you can't find something you want on that list, you may wish to consider switching to beer :-)The wine by the Glass list is small, but well chosen. As we had come off a celebration the night before where many prize bottles were opened, we ordered off the Glass list. We ordered a really lovely Merseault, and a fabulous French Chablis, both of which really well complemented the food.As it was my birthday, the front of the house staff went above and beyond to make it feel special. Every table is lit with an honest to goodness real life taper. In front of ours was a lovely card memorializing my birthday. The back of the house staff treated us very well. The chef sent several complementary appetizers to us, in addition to the ones we ordered. A particular highlight was the tuna and scallop Crudo that was one of the best raw fish dishes I can recall eating. The scallop was like "buttah".We started with leeks vinaigrette, which we enjoyed so much in Paris. It's an incredibly simple dish, but perfectly executed at this place, with the addition chopped toasted hazelnuts giving it a fantastic texture. We also ordered the foie gras torchon, because, well, foie gras.The chef sent us an additional foie gras app, this time served with Chantrelle mushrooms in an amazing broth that I think might've had a little bit of miso in it. I could've had gallons of the stuff :-)For our main, we chose the roasted duck breast, and the lobster. The duck was perfectly cooked, the skin rendered and crisp, and served with a sauce of apricot, and what they called "the rest of the duck" . In a copper pot on the side of the plate rested the most delectable bits of crispy, dark duck meat, swimming in the apricot sauce. It was divine.The lobster was a thing of beauty. It was served shelled on a plateful of what I swore was the steak frites sauce that we had in Paris. The sauce was amazing with the sweet, perfectly cooked lobster meat. That sauce was also perfect for dipping the bites of soufflé potatoes that they served with the lobster. Imagine tiny, crispy potato flour popovers, and you're halfway there to experiencing them.Dessert was a chocolate marjolaine, and assorted mignardises from the pastry chef. It was spectacular with the drip coffee which was a cup of heaven. It's not the cheapest restaurant I've ever eaten in, but I think that the price was a great value for the quality of the food, and the wonderful atmosphere and service. Plus, it's in New York City, and things just tend to just cost a little more "the big city"Highest recommendation for an amazing French meal in my hometown. Bravo, Chef Rose and team!!

Le Coucou is a textbook example of why I blindly trust the Michelin guideI was at the Jersey Shore on vacation and felt really ... bored by the dining scene there. I also, last minute, took a Frontier flight up from Atlanta and was positive I wasn't going to make it past the E gates at Hartsfield Jackson after using the remaining points from my grad school days. Anyways, I figured I would continue my cheap blind luck and use NJT's "transit holiday" to go into manhattan for a few hours and try out a new 1 star spot that I haven't been to. Le Coucou showed up as having lunch availability 24 hours before my haphazard and impromptu trip into the city so I booked it. A $69 prix fixe is a good deal for fine dining in Manhattan, and my pseudo-materialistic obsession with claiming yet another star was exciting to me at a bare minimum. I'd describe Le Coucou as traditional French with a modernist twist. I decided to get the galantine as my first course and it was absolutely incredible. The course was a perfect example of creating your own experience with every single bite, due to the variety of ingredients in the galantine itself and the "green ring" that surrounded it. I decided to spend an extra $14 to get the duck course and it was worth every penny. Another example of a beautifully plated entree that is firmly planted in French roots yet allows a diner to experience the dish in an infinite number of ways. I was in what I affectionately refer to as "duck organ heaven". Seriously, everything was delicious. I also had 4 drinks there. Don't skip on their wine menu because they have some unique bottles that are downright impossible to get elsewhere in NYC. I was especially impressed with the dessert wine selection and ingenuity that went into crafting that menu and being able to source those selections. Le Coucou - I'll be back for dinner sometime soon!! I apologize for my shitty planning - but I'm glad the low tier combo of Frontier and NJT got me to your restaurant. Next time I'm up, I'll surely be on a United flight, will be staying at my usual spot on the Upper West Side, and will book well in advance because I know I'll make it. In the meantime, thanks for satisfying my palate with this impulsive lunch.

While in NY, I made a reservation for what some say is the best French restaurant in the city. Le Coucou. Upon entering I really loved the rustic interior and was warmly greeted and my coat taken. The wine last was INCREDIBLE. Absolutely extensive and stunning. We started with a glass of Cremant and were served some delicious warm bread with butter. I started with the Galentine de Pintade et foie gras a La Chartreuse. Absolutely lovely. 10/10. My entree was the Canette aux abricot. Incredible. 20/10. I ended the meal with the sorbet. 10/10. Le Cou Cou should be on your list of must try restaurants when in the city. I can't wait to make a return trip.

Came here for an anniversary dinner, and they had prepared written celebratory messages for us :) The place was dim-lit and romantic. Service was spectacular! We asked our waiter what he recommended and he described his favorites, and also considered that we'll share dishes (so they served the dishes in two plates for us). Staff also described each dish to us, describing how it was cooked.The food presentation was amazing, it really felt like fine dining. We were full by the end of the meal. We ordered 6 food items, and they also gave us bread. My favorite was the veal and Vacherin aux myrtilles!