French Experience in NYC
 

Last winter I asked for suggestions for places in SF that would make me feel like I was in Paris, and received wonderful ideas. I am going to be in NYC next week and was wondering if anyone can suggest restaurants (reasonable), stores, sites that will remind me of France. Thanks.

Not a specific restaurant, but keep in mind a lot of restaurants are participating in restaurant week. $20.03 for a 3 course lunch and $30.03 for a 3 course dinner.

Restaurants-Provence in Soho.
Pastis in the Meatpacking district.
Balthazar-make reservations now or go for lunch if they can't get you in for dinner.
Shopping-Just walk along Madison Avenue..Have fun!

Cafe des Artistes has a French name, and I once had a memorable dinner there with a woman who I would also like to have dinner with in Paris.

And, come to think of it, I once had some memorable dinners with a woman in Paris, and if we were to meet up again in New York, well, Cafe des Artistes would be a great place to re-live Paris memories.

My recollection (I was mostly looking at the woman,not the walls) it that there are a lot of French paintings on the walls of CdA.

Museum of Modern Art cf Gallerie Pompideau? Hmmm... maybe

Soho has some Left Bank qualities about it, too. Art galleries, little shops, fine fashion, imagination...

Restaurant: Les Deux Gamins

Walk along 2nd Avenue in the 70's and 80's. Dozens of restaurants/coffee shops etc with sidewalk seating.

I could make a joke about surrendering to your taxi driver, but I won't.

My sister-in-law is French, and she feels that basically all of Soho, with its cobble stone streets and boutiques reminds her of France. Of course, you'll have to stray off Broadway, but I don't need to tell you that.

I'm curious...why would you want to pretend your in France when New York City is so unique and wonderful in its own right? Just remember, what makes NYC great is that you may feel like your in Paris one minute, and in China or India the next. The diversity of NYC is, in my opinion, unmatched and what truly makes it the best city in the world!

Parisian in feel: Elizabeth Street and Mott Street between Houston and Spring Streets. More so than Soho I would say.
Especially Elizabeth St. On Elizabeth St, be sure to go to Blue Bag, near Houston, which is owned & run by a French guy, and Cafe Colonial, or something like that, to eat in, right near it.

These streets are lined with small unique elegant boutiques, not supr-expensive. Streets are "cobblestone" (-belgian brick). The area is not yet crowded.

Chez Josephine, Bistro Les Amis, Rue 57, just to name a few. If you are looking for temples of haute cuisine, see Zagat's.

Check out Jules Bistro at 65 St. Marks (E 8th St.). Nice setting, good food, very reasonable. Good French feeling.

GoTravel, thanks for the restaurant price fix tip. Sounds like my kind of prices!

tskobo, I simply like France and all things French. I've been to NY before and thought it might be fun to try to see something different. I found, with the help of this board many French things to do in SF like shopping on Polk St., Belden Lane, Le Central, Grace Cathedral, etc.

My husband has made reservations at Chez Josephine. I'll look up all the other suggestions, especially Cafe des Artistes!

Soho sounds like the place to stroll and shop, and Elizabeth and Mott, too. All great suggestions.

I especially love art and will hit most of the museums and St. Patricks. BAK, what is CdA?

Figured it out - Cafe de Artistes

Good one Puddy! Jules is a great place and everytime I go it seems to be filled with people speaking French!

The only minor concern is that it gets noisy with the band playing, but great atmosphere.

I really like a neighborhood bistro that right near Bloomingdales - Mon Petit Cafe is the name if I recall correctly. It's country French cuisine with a French staff and very much a quiet neighborhood place - entrees run $14 - $22 and they serve wine but no liquor.

Some more restaurants that haven't been mentioned

Gascogne- 8th ave betw 17-18 wonderful garden & inside
L'Absinthe- 67th betw 2nd & 3rd amazing, authentic art nouveau brasserie-pricey
Quatorze Bis-79th betw 1st & 2nd-also can be pricey-good steak frites

Places to visit

Don't miss the Frick museum at 70th just off 5th ave. This was Henry Clay Frick's home & is filled with great art, books & furniture. One of the rooms is completely covered in Fragonard paintings.

I've not yet been to the Neue Musuem at Fifth & 86th (specializing in Viennese art) but it's in a beautiful old townhouse. The cafe inside, Cafe Sabarsky is supposed to be wonderful.

Pierre Deux on Madison ave in the 60's sells classic souleido (provencal) fabric & things made from it like placemats, handbags etc.

Madison Ave in the 60s & 70s has loads of high end boutiques (Hermes, YSL etc.)but the stretch between 79th-92nd feels even more European to me with lots of smaller neighborhood stores.

There's one little 'gated' street running between Univerity and 5th avenue, just south of 8th st. It's NYU property of I beleive their language dept. You can walk thru it. The street is cobblestone and it's lined with little homes. It's resembles a little residential block in France.

The village, with it's many outdoor cafes has a french feel. Some restaurants that come to mind are Provence in Soho, Epicerie in the lower east side, Balthazar in Soho, Cafe Deville in E. Village, Le Tableau in the E. Village, and Pastis in the meat-packing district. There are many, many more. Most of these are also quite reasonable. For a cafe, Le Gamin, in various locations is very French. I like the one on Bedford St. the best.

L'Absinthe & Balthazar are two of my favorite places to ever eat in NYC. Balthazar can usually get you a celeb sighting or two. Rue 57 is a much more reasonable alternative, price wise, just not as chic.

There is also a pricey but very good French restaurant inside the Hotel Plaza Athenee. I can't remember the name of the restaurant but it is very romantic.

this is great ! I am going to NY in 32 weeks I'll print that out...

I have a follow-up question. Do you know a book store that would sell French comic books in French (hard cover). I know the "librarie francaise" at rockfeller ctr but they don't carry a lot.


Celine

If want good french fare and don't care so mych about decor (although French, a bit worn down) then you might want to try Tout Va Bien on 9th and 51st. The prices are reasonable and more than just the staff will be speaking French. As Zagats called it a few years ago (i'm paraphrasing), "the place where French sailors go during Fleet Week for home cooking."

For a decadent French pastry, Payard on Lexington and 73rd is a pretty good replica of a Parisian boulangerie.

I do not know the name of the store but on Sullivan Street, between Spring and Prince is a small All French store. They have books (comics) and all sorts of fun French items.

La Grenouille on 52nd St. is my all time favorite French restaurant. And don't forget "Alain Ducasse at the Essex House", on W. 58th Street. He is the quintessential French chef with a multitude of Michelin stars.