Jesikka Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Much easier reservations lately, all the superstars have moved on to other "hot spots" (mostly Frenchette). I recently received an invitation from them to reserve for New Year's Eve. Wasn't it like $750? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Much easier reservations lately, all the superstars have moved on to other "hot spots" (mostly Frenchette). I recently received an invitation from them to reserve for New Year's Eve. Wasn't it like $750? Yes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
voyager Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Daniel's forte has always been knowing his (target) client. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neocon maudit Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Still pretty hard, although more last moment cancellations being put online recently. A few weeks ago I got a 7.45 pm table by looking up Le Coucou on OpenTable after 6 o'clock. That table hadn't been there an hour earlier. So the pigeon was no good? I was sorely tempted to order one of the birds, but my dinner companion wanted the sole [what exactly are the grapes supposed to do for sole Véronique?]. My last meal was fine [i thought we'd ordered wrong, but I'd let my friend, who'd never been to Le Coucou, be the decider], even if I don't know if I'd call it Michelin star-worthy. The people were pretty though, and dressed much better than me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 A pretty big weekend for us, this past one, with a fairly major birthday, and an anniversary as well. Started on Thursday night, with dinner at Frenchette. Friday followed, dinner here at Le Coucou. Saturday - Aquavat. Last night, Sunday, Maialino. Unquestionably, in my opinion, the best cooking was here at Le Coucou. And even though we ordered "light," (i.e. 2 starters, 2 mains) comps were sent out from the kitchen, including like a 5 oz. piece of foie, so it killed my philosophy of trying to eat a whole meal here by ordering light. The Paris Brest dessert was delicious. But the dish that blew us both away was: Chou Farci aux Fruits de Mer - lobster and scallop stuffed cabbage, pineau de la Loire. So great. Didn't see chef. At Aquavit, while everything was beautifully plated, I found my meal leaning a little too much to the sweet side, which is weird for that kind of food, no? Where I'd race back to, in terms of room fun, would have to be Frenchette. The crowd at Le Coucou, on a Friday night, just isn't exactly my cup of tea. And I'm pretty sure I'm not theirs. Great service at Le Coucou, to be sure. COMP DISCLOSURE: That giant hunk of foie. Another app. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Maialino is doubtless more straightforward, but I've been there maybe four or five times in the last year (on business), and what it does, it does very successfully. (Two of those visits were breakfasts.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
voyager Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 "The crowd at XXXXX,.. just isn't exactly my cup of tea. And I'm pretty sure I'm not theirs." Great observation. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Seth Gordon Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 At Aquavit, while everything was beautifully plated, I found my meal leaning a little too much to the sweet side, which is weird for that kind of food, no? She might be a bit more into incorporating fruits into her savory dishes than Jernmark was - maybe related to having been a pastry chef for years? Dunno. Certainly has its place in Swedish cuisine, though, lingonberries and apples especially. Fruit soups are big wintertime thing. There's a dish called Blabarspalt (if I'm spelling that right?) - which I've never had, only heard about - that's some sort of blueberry dumpling served as a savory course. And Swedish mustard is very sweet compared to, say, Dijon and the like. It's been a spell since I've had dinner there, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Good observations, Seth. Funny thing, my dessert included a portion of lingonberry sorbet...it was just the right amount of tart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Seth Gordon Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 I just know too many Scandinavians, I think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neocon maudit Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 How was it, Sneak? [And, btw, joyeux anniversaire!] If 'Omicron' does wind up escaping the original mRNA vaccines, the window to dine here may be brief indeed. 🙁 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Same as it ever has (happily). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Michael Cecchi wrote a book! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joethefoodie Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 So in today's Underground Gourmet (yay, Tammie!), our former writer who ate New York in a year, is writing about soups around town. Including this one... Quote Broth is life, forever and always, but this alfabeto nevertheless made me wonder anew what other soups might be hiding within the city’s upper-tier dining rooms, so I did the only reasonable thing and went to Le Coucou for lunch. There, I encountered the consommé Alsacienne (which is not served at dinner). It appears at the table as a bowl containing three neatly folded, thick-skinned sauerkraut dumplings. The server follows, carrying a copper pot of gewürztraminer-scented broth to ladle table side. Although the components seem austere, the consommé is a masterpiece, as clear as a diamond. It’s all brightened with a sprig of chervil and when all eaten together, it reminded me of a kind of French take on wonton soup. That had me thinking and researching...and sure enough, during one of our first meals at Le Coucou, Chef Rose wanted us to try something he was working on... Wonton soup - photo taken on July 17, 2016 (wow - almost 7 years ago already!). It has come full circle, and the one we had was better than Great NY Noodletown's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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