Le Bilboquet: A French Toy

A toy? Taking in the posh digs, the white napery and a stunning floral arrangement, I’m thinking: This is one expensive toy!

Later I googled bilboquet to learn it’s a small wooden cup on a spiked wooden stick attached to a ball on a string. The idea is to toss the ball into the air and catch it in the cup. Good for eye-hand coordination.

Then I checked Zagat 2016: “One does not go for the food alone to this “see-and-be-seen” UES French bistro that functions as a clubhouse for “power” types like “Euros locals” and “Park Avenue dowagers.” The mix of personalities made it hard to resist; I made a reservation.

From the get-go, with a 7:30pm reservation on a Saturday night, the place was a-buzz, and the staff could not have been more accommodating, the hostess showing us to her favorite table, a lovely corner table for two. Once seated, I could see why it was a favorite as it offered an excellent view of the dining room.

French Restaurants '15-16Barbara DonskyOctober 15, 2016Le Bibloquet, New York City, moules marinieres, French restaurant Comments

Cherche Midi: Those Old-Time Pleasures

At first sighting, Cherche Midi—aqua blue awnings, antiqued wood paneling reminiscent of Paris, and a menu bounded by a simple glass box—looks so much a part of the neighborhood that you would think it had been there for years. Which is not the case. Indeed, at the corner of East Houston and Bowery, the restaurant is an upstart on the Lower East Side, having opened its doors in June 2014. Speaking of doors, do not be put off by the plain-vanilla metal front door, so utterly plain my companion, mistaking it for a service entrance, suggested we walk around the corner to find the front door. Don't do that.

French Restaurants '15-16Barbara DonskyApril 19, 2015Balthazar, Cherche Midi, French restaurant, Kevin McNally, Lower East Side, Parisian Comments