Le Chêne
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.
Ambiance & Service
The interior is very cozy with a lot of art hanging on the walls. They remind me a bit of modern art styles in the vein of Basquiat. The tables are all situated pretty close together, so you have to pull them out to have anyone sit along the wall. The restaurant is rather small, but fortunately, the noise level is not too bad, especially for a date night. The music is very jazzy and plays at a comfortable level. It’s definitely date night material.
The service was good. The owner was at the door greeting patrons as they come in, and the server was very attentive to our questions. In general, the food came out pretty quickly, as we finished our meal is less than 1.5 hours.
Food
The Watermelon Shandy ($14) was non-alcoholic and came with golden ale, lemon, and watermelon. I had a sip of this, and it was very refreshing for a hot summer day.
The Saint Roman Sous la Velle ($30) was a certified organic Pinot Noir that came from Domaine de Chassorney, Burgundy, France 2022. This was a clean savory red with a nice clean, round finish. The color appears dark on picture, but when you look at an angle, it has some lighter pink hues.
The complimentary bread was deliciously crispy. I don’t remember what the spread was, but it was decent.
The Tuna Tartare ($44) came with some cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and some sort of grated thing on top. I don’t remember what it was again, but this was a special they offered. For the price, I felt the value was not great at all, and it was pricey. The fish was definitely very fresh, but I wouldn’t pay this price again for this.
The Baked Razor Clams ($41) came with 5 pieces topped with toasted breadcrumbs, ginger, tarragon, and lime. The razor clam meat was sliced into smaller pieces, and the flavor of this was pretty good. However like the tuna tartare, the value proposition on this dish is pretty bad. My partner felt the toasted breadcrumbs were overly abundant, such that it took away from any flavors of the clam. I felt that there wasn’t anything particularly special about this dish that warrants this price range. The flavors are pretty typical of French cuisine.
The Pithiviers Terre & Mer ($79) came with potato gratin, pork farce, smoked eel, adn beetroot condiment. A pithivier is a puff pastry enclosed pie with some filling in the middle. In this case, it had pork farce and smoked eel. This basically reminded me of a pork ball of meat (from Chinese dim sum) with some other little things on the side to give it a slightly different profile. The beetroot condiment was very good and definitely helps cut through the pork, though it will overpower all the other flavors in this. If I had to describe the pork, it reminded me of steamed ground pork that you bake and turns into this spongy but very delicious ball of meat. I did not taste eel directly, but I could sense a slight smokey sensation. The breading was nice, though it broke apart the instant you cut into it. The dish overall looks pleasant, but when you start eating, it does become a little messy. For two people, I wouldn’t say this is incredibly filling by itself, so we had room for dessert.
The Brioche Perdue ($23) came with pistachio ganache and blackberry sauce. This was actually fantastic. The brioche was very soft and warm. The candied pistachio nuts were delicious, as well as the pistachio ganache. The blackberry sauce was a perfect complement to add to the nutty sensations.
Overall Impression
The restaurant flavors are pretty good, though they charge a lot for much of their menu. The portion sizes are definitely smaller, so the value proposition wouldn’t be great for a casual night out. If you’re on a date night, it’s worth checking this restaurant out if you are willing to splurge. If you’re looking for typical French fare at a decent price, this restaurant will not satisfy this. This definitely has a different take on it for refined palettes.
Yelp Jabs
Service was excellent - honestly some of the best service I’ve had in a long time.
This restaurant was definitely classy and warm. It did have a slight pretentious vibe that is similar to the West Village, but if you can muster through that, it should be fine.
To provide a sense of just how loud the dining room was, while I was reading the menu, the wait staff was next to me describing the special–not until my wife signal to me did I realize someone was talking… I’m old but not dead.
My first thought as I was sitting here was that it reminded me of those quaint Parisian cafes that are not on main streets. The seating is definitely more intimate than typical. Perhaps this is the vibe the restaurant is going for, so if you’re social, this could exude the needed energy.
Revisions
- Jul 18, 2025 - Initial revision.