I actually went to Le Coucou many years ago, around 2017. In my previous notes, I said, “Amazing place. The baked alaska and veal tongue were really good. It’s also not too expensive.” and nothing more. Now many years later, I went here again with my partner to properly celebrate. Coincidentally the day we ate here is nearly their 10-year anniversary. Because reservations for 2 at 6:00 PM were easily obtained the same day, it was very hassle free and no pressure.
Jean-Georges is a highly rated French-ish restaurant owned by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It has garnered two Michelin Stars, and in his empire, this is his flagship restaurant. We’ve already been to several, including Jojo, Four Twenty Five, and The Fulton. This restaurant is also very easy to get a reservation a few days in advance, so you don’t really need to snipe unless you want a very popular time. Just a note that this is located across the street from Columbus Circle.
Grand Brasserie is a large French restaurant located in the Grand Central Terminal. It’s situated in the historic Vanderbilt Hall. The main parts of the restaurant have an open area view to the Grand Central hall, so you can see the chandeliers and some of the nice subtleties of the terminal. The main interesting aspect of this restaurant is they have a “green room” which used to be the former Michelin Star restaurant “Agern” before it closed during the pandemic. I was easily able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM.
We were walking around the Chelsea area near the Pier, and we had to decide on what to eat. As we walked towards the Little Island, we saw this restaurant that seemed to be open right next to the Crane Club. My partner mentioned they were interested in trying this restaurant, and I did a quick search and noticed this was a pretty new restaurant. The menu wasn’t super interesting, but I figured it was worth a shot. We did a walk-in for 2 at 5:00 PM.
Balthazar is one of the many Keith McNally restaurants in the city. Some of his other restaurants include Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and Cherche Midi. This restaurant has been on our list for quite a while. The menu looks very basic, so we never really had the urge to make a reservation. For this Friday evening, we were able to surprisingly walk-in with 3 people at around 5:30 PM. The restaurant was crowded but not as packed with lines or a crowd as it typically has.
Brasserie Cognac recently opened a restaurant branch right next to Central Park South. At first glance of the menu, it seemed rather basic, but I figured if a restaurant opened in this area, it should be pretty decent. On a Saturday evening, we were able to walk in without reservations and were seated immediately. My first thought looking around was that there are a decent amount of tourists. This restaurant is part of the Serafina family.
Sirrah is a fairly new restaurant near the Meatpacking District. One of its appeals to me was that it offers a relatively decently priced prix fixe menu. I felt like it was similar to some of these French restaurants, e.g. Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote, that offered steak frites. Reservations are pretty easy to get, even a day before so we got a 5:30 PM reservation for a Friday. Because the weather was nice outside, they also opened the side doors to let fresh air in. The entrance to the restaurant is not very loud.
Le Chêne (Le Chene) is the first solo project for husband/wife team, Alexia Duchêne and Roman Duchêne Le May. The menu features refined French recipes with an extensive wine list. When I looked at the menu, it was appealing because it seemed to resonate French with a slight rustic feel to it. I was able to book a reservation for 2 a few weeks out without issues. You can’t miss this restaurant with its yellow door.
Le Veau d’Or is French for “the golden calf”. Making reservations for 2 for this was incredibly difficult as it gets sniped the moment the reservations come up. Luckily I checked a random time, and I noticed there was some 5:00 PM slots opened on a Wednesday. This is one of the hottest restaurants in the city because it’s a revived restaurant from the Frenchette and Le Rock chef/owners, Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr. The food is expected to taste much better than the restaurant’s previous life.
La Tête d’Or by Daniel is a tribute to timeless flavors and traditions with infusion of French flavors. What attracted me with this restaurant was that chef Daniel Boulud has a pretty decent track record of delivering good refined flavors. We went to Le Gratin previously, and we were very impressed by the taste of everything. As usual because he also holds some type of celebrity status, this restaurant is located in a posh area very close to Eleven Madison. I was able to book a reservation about a week out for 5:30 PM on a Friday night.