Les Trois Chevaux

[Sneakeater]

Les Trois Chevaux is Angie Mar's follow-up to The Beatrice Inn, located in the surprisingly small space on the corner of West 12th & West 4th, next door to where The Beatrice was.  As is well known, it's her stab at classic French -- although a few Japanese inflections creep in (especially on the cocktail list) (which I guess is pretty classic French these days).

Of course I had to go just about as soon as it opened.  I wanted to help fund Angie's parking tickets.  But, really, this is food I just love -- and I just loved it.

It's $180 or $185 (I don't see the price on their website, oddly) for four courses.  You get to choose your appetizer and your main course from a good-sized menu.   The three cheeses and the one dessert are all that's available for those courses.

I selected the All Veal Parts dinner.  I started with a veal brain quenelle, in a cream sauce with lots of black summer truffle.  It was light.  It was airy.  But the flavor was substantial.  If this wasn't the best thing I've had in months, it's only because the Pieces of Jade at CheLi and the Musakhan at Qanoon are so good.  My only complaint is that there was one quenelle instead of seven or eight.

Then the veal sweetbread crépinette, wrapped in cabbage.  If this was a slight letdown after the quenelle, it was only because the quenelle was so surpassingly great.

Three good cheeses, and then a hyper-light flan.

The cocktails are "interesting".  You'd expect a decent, pricey, but basically "meh" wine program at a place like this -- and you get one.

My habitual sport jacket was sufficient.  I didn't see anyone -- not staff, not customers -- in a dinner jacket.  I forgot about their "no sneakers" rule, but fortuitously had worn shoes instead of my habitual sneakers anyway.  You'd think that a place that makes such a big deal about having a dress code would have a bag-and-hat check.  It's going to be très élégant come Fall when everyone has their coats draped over their chairs.

There's so much on the menu I still want to try!  I've already made my return reservation.

[Wilfrid]

That’s obviously interesting, but $180 seems steep for four courses. Or am I wildly out of touch.

With drinks etc looks like it will be a $250 check at least.

[Wilfrid]

And I don’t want dessert.

[Sneakeater]

You can give it to someone else I guess.

Let's put it this way:  if you were expecting Mar's fancy French restaurant to be cheaper than The Beatrice, you were bound to be disappointed.

[Seth Gordon]

1 hour ago, Sneakeater said:

You can give it to someone else I guess.

Let's put it this way:  if you were expecting Mar's fancy French restaurant to be cheaper than The Beatrice, you were bound to be disappointed.

I -didn’t- expect it to be more than Le Bernardin, though. (Especially when you don’t even get to choose two of your courses)

I’m sure I’d like it. I’m not sure I’d leave feeling it was worth the cost, though, for two savory courses and two other courses I could probably give two shits about. Which would drastically reduce my like.

i mean, we’ll go, don’t get me wrong.

[Sneakeater]

TRY to get anything made with calves’ brains at Le Bernardin. 

[Seth Gordon]

3 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

TRY to get anything made with calves’ brains at Le Bernardin. 

Sure, but that’s hardly a luxury-price ingredient.

[Sneakeater]

True.  But just TRY to get calves’ brains in Prospect Heights. 

[Sneakeater]

Or rather, don’t waste your time.  

[Sneakeater]

(I mean, it’s kind of ironic.  I grew up eating things like calves’ brains cuz we were poor.  Now I can’t get them in my neighborhood cuz it isn’t fancy enough.)

[voyager]

It’s totally ironic.   I can buy Wagyu and  heritage lamb and pork at my corner store but not cheeks or brains or tripe or…unless I am willing to accept a 10 lb box.

[Seth Gordon]

41 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

True.  But just TRY to get calves’ brains in Prospect Heights. 

Sure. Raw, though. And probably special order. You have an old family recipe? 

While I’m glad to see a notable chef put them on a menu, they don’t justify the price tag. 

The last time I had cheffy brains was 2018 at the James Beard House. That meal might have been worth $185. It might have even cost $185 (I didn’t pay) but it was also like eight courses. The brains were damn good, though.

[Sneakeater]

I can assure you they don’t have brains at Prospect.

Tripe either. 

[Sneakeater]

(To be clear, in my hood, raw is what I care about.  I’m not looking to pay people to make shit I can make myself.)

[Sneakeater]

(Although to be clear, I could NEVER have made those quenelles.)