Le Chêne Brings Cozy Chic Parisian Dining To The West Village
A new French restaurant on Carmine Street adds an extra touch of charm to the West Village.
Le Chêne, which opened on May 23, marks the first solo project from chef Alexia Duchêne (previously of Margot, Frenchie in London, Passerini and Taillevent in Paris), and her husband Ronan Duchêne Le May (previously of Café Boulud). Duchêne, a semi-finalist on Top Chef France, envisioned the restaurant as a fresh take on French fare, with a New York City twist.
'We really thought of Le Chêne as the restaurant we dream of going to, a place where the food is centered about amazing ingredients cooked simply with an elegant platting,' said Duchêne. 'We like places that have this cozy Parisian chic atmosphere but doesn't feel like its overly designed, white tablecloth, nice lighting, cozy banquettes for comfort, amazing art and a tailored playlist to bring some fun to the evening.'
Le Chêne's menu focuses on recreating traditional French dishes with local, seasonal New York ingredients anda. bit of extra Manhattan-specific flare. Currently, Duchêne is channeling her love for market shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket, where she's partial to the herbs, summer squash and peas. Later this summer, she looks forward to fresh sumac, to infuse stocks with for an unexpected sour note.
Green Bean Beignets at Le Chene
Andrew Bui
'Le Chêne will bring a different vision of French food, something a bit more Parisian, bringing back old school dishes but with a modern touch," Duchêne said. "We also focus on sauce a lot and for me that is what makes a good dish, sauces are addictive and I can't wait to show what we can do in this department.'
The menu, which is serve ala carte starts with snack-style amuse-bouches including a sweet shrimp tartlette with crème fraiche, maple, and shiso; uni French toast topped with roasted pepper cream and bone marrow; and crispy but light green bean beignets served three to an order with tarragon sauce. Appetizers include Foie Gras Lucullus, Duchêne's take on foie terrine inspired by her time in Copenhagen with toasted brioche and sea buckthorn gelée; oeuf mayonnaise with confit tuna and mimolette cheese, an homage to the tuna melt, one of Alexia's favorite NYC dishes; and crab thermidor in a creamy vadouvan sauce.
Halibut and scallop quenelle at Le Chêne
Andrew Bui
Larger Main Courses include halibut and scallop quenelle with dry-aged halibut topped with caramelized onions and sauce vin jaune, an iconic French sauce dear to Duchêne; lamb saddle, served with summer squash, huckleberry and mint sauce; and Pithiviers terre and mer, served on an elegant platinum-trimmed Bernardaud porcelain plate, is a riff on surf-and-turf, with puff pastry layered with potato gratin, pork and smoked eel, and a side of vinegary crisp green salad and beetroot - a staple during Duchêne's time working in France and during her residency at Fulgurances. 'It's something that takes a lot of time, and truly shows what French food is to us: craft, great sourcing and decadence,' she said.
One the side, many potatoes, including French fries; patates gratinées, using Chef Joël Robuchon 1980s era recipe; and seasonal greens. Desserts include tarte au chocolat, with cocoa nib and maple potato ice cream; rice pudding, Duchêne's father's favorite dessert, made with mango caramel and toasted buckwheat; and a sundae d'été, made with goat milk, macerated strawberries, honey and sweet peas, round out the menu. With the check, come complimentary sour huckleberry pâtes de fruits.
Inside Le Chêne
Andrew Bui
'For us the perfect restaurant is a the perfect blend of great food, an amazing wine list and a cozy ambiance and that was really our only focus for Le Chêne, to show our version of hospitality as two French people living in NYC and wanting to bring a piece of home in the vibrant city," said Duchêne. 'We want guests to feel seen and understood, the experience at Le Chêne will be focused on attentive service, a tailored wine pairing, fun and playful food as well and just having a good time. We take our jobs seriously but not ourselves and we don't want this restaurant to feel pretentious. We believe in a laid back fun setting with amazing food and wine, people want that, we want that ourselves and that is what we will be offering.'
Le Chêne is open at 76 Carmine St., Tuesday - Saturday from 5pm to 10pm with reservations available via Resy. Bar seats will be reserved for walk-ins from 5-7pm. The restaurant will open for lunch on the weekends in the coming months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
30 minutes ago
- Forbes
LGBTQ+ Marketing Playbook: How Pride Drives Growth Amid DEI Backlash
Pride Month, LGBTQA Ally branded packaging for Oreo Cookies, Walgreens, Queens, New York. (Photo by: ... More Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) June 1 came and went without the usual cascade of rainbow logos. Meta, Pepsi, and Ubisoft — brands that embraced LGBTQ+ marketing with Pride colors just two years ago — stayed monochrome, betting that neutrality equals safety. For a decade, we criticized these brands for 'rainbow washing,' accusing them of performative LGBTQ+ marketing that appeared in June only to vanish in July. Now they've vanished in June too. In today's polarized climate, there is no neutral ground - it's Pride or Prejudice. Silence is a stance, and LGBTQ+ consumers are taking notes. They'll remember who stood with them when it got tough and who looked out for themselves. When these brands inevitably return waving rainbow flags, that $1.4 trillion market won't be as forgiving. The stakes are clear: 9.3% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+, wielding buying power that grows three times faster than the general market. Among Gen Z, that number soars to nearly 25% - your future customer base is fundamentally more diverse than ever before. Yet 39% of Fortune 1000 executives plan to reduce Pride visibility this year, colliding with research showing 80% of LGBTQ+ adults ready to boycott brands that retreat. This isn't just American - multinational brands face the same reckoning globally, where LGBTQ+ consumers demand year-round authenticity over seasonal gestures. For CMOs who recognize that authentic engagement beats fearful silence, here are five strategic directives to navigate Pride when the stakes have never been higher. Your biggest risk isn't backlash - it's misalignment between what you say and what you do. The credibility gap kills brands faster than controversy. Use the Tightrope Table below to assess your alignment across five executive pressure points:c The LGBTQ+ Tightrope Framework: Five Balance Points Every CMO Must Align Before Pride Goes Live This is the Growth × Good equation, where authentic inclusion drives both revenue and reputation. The LGBTQ+ market demonstrates 2.3x higher brand loyalty when authentically engaged but punishes retreat equally, as Bud Light discovered when it shed 6.5% market share and over $1 billion in equity value. Here's what your competitors miss: Employee engagement and talent retention also hinge on authentic LGBTQ+ support. Companies with inclusive policies see 20% lower turnover rates and attract top-tier talent who increasingly evaluate employers on DEI commitments. When you factor in both consumer loyalty and workforce stability, the ROI calculation becomes undeniable. When 39% of brands retreat, those who stay capture disproportionate returns. It's portfolio theory: as the field narrows, authentic players gain an outsized share in a community starved for genuine support. For the sixth year running, SKITTLES®, the Mars Wrigley candy, stripped its own rainbow, partnered with GLAAD, and doubled its donation cap to $200,000 - all without a measurable sales dip. OREO adds a family‑friendly blueprint. Through its ongoing #ProudParent partnership with PFLAG National (launched 2020), the country's best‑selling cookie releases limited‑edition rainbow packs, produces ally‑focused shorts like 'Proud Parent,' and contributes at least $ 50,000 a year to PFLAG's allyship programs - all while maintaining category‑leading sales. The brand frames inclusion around family support, sidestepping partisan turf yet still generating high social engagement. Both brands prove sustained commitments outperform seasonal splash, contrasting with Target's slimmed-down 2025 Pride capsule that drew boycott calls on TikTok before reaching shelves. Two lessons follow: LGBTQ+ adults spend 48% more daily time with podcasts than the general market. On social platforms, micro-influencers under 10,000 followers drive 2.1% engagement rates - double that of macro creators. Pre-emptive retreat doesn't buy peace. Des Moines' Capital City Pride lost $75,000 when sponsors paused DEI budgets. Major events nationwide face similar exits, citing "political sensitivity." Meanwhile, activist groups like People's Union USA now publish boycott schedules year-round, proving that organized consumer pressure operates year-round with scheduling precision CMOs can literally mark on their calendars. Your crisis response requires three elements: These metrics separate authentic allies from seasonal performers. With audits complete, crisis plans locked, and proof points funded, you've turned Pride from minefield to growth driver. The rainbow calendar spans 30 days, but consumer memory lasts all year. ROI Reality — A $1.4 trillion market growing three times faster than the general population: 24 million U.S. consumers with the highest loyalty scores when authentically engaged. Risk Reality — 80% boycott‑ready consumers + 39% of brands retreating = a perfect storm. Pull back under pressure and join the companies taking an immediate revenue hit. Monday‑Morning Reality — Audit today or apologize on tomorrow's earnings call. Approve the fixes, lock the crisis tree, and shift 20 % of Pride spend from paint to proof. The LGBTQ+ market is larger, louder, and more digitally concentrated than ever, but its patience for performative allyship is gone. Treat Pride as a 12‑month strategy, deliver CARES outcomes, and capture the upside—while sleeping at night. Ignore the audit and the social‑threat spiral will hit faster than your next quarterly call. Ask yourself: When June's budget zeroes out, what's left of your LGBTQ+ marketing commitment - and will that investment still be visible come December?
E&E News
36 minutes ago
- E&E News
EU's top Russian LNG buyers refuse to back Brussels' gas ban
BRUSSELS — The European Union's two biggest buyers of Russian liquefied natural gas are refusing to endorse Brussels' plan to ban Moscow's gas, arguing they need more reassurances on the economic and legal consequences of the move before making a decision. France, the bloc's top buyer, told POLITICO it prefers a strategy of hunting for alternative supplies. Belgium, in second place, wants a report detailing the economic fallout before making a decision. 'What we're defending is a European strategy of diversification … which is already on the table,' French Energy Minister Marc Ferracci told POLITICO, referencing France's plan to replace Russian supplies with Qatari products. Advertisement The hesitation runs counter to the EU's other major Russian LNG importers: Spain and the Netherlands. Both told POLITICO they are eager to back the upcoming legislation, which would end Russian gas contracts, banning short-term purchases this year and long-term contracts by 2027. In theory, that would help the countries escape contracts which will otherwise will keep them buying Russian LNG for years.
Associated Press
37 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Pampers maker Procter & Gamble to cut up to 7,000 jobs under tariff, consumer uncertainty pressure
Procter & Gamble will cut up to 7,000 jobs, or approximately 6% of its global workforce, over the next two years as the maker of Tide detergent and Pampers diapers wrestles with tariff-related costs and customers who have grown anxious about the economy. The job cuts, announced at the Deutsche Bank Consumer Conference in Paris on Thursday, make up about 15% of its current non-manufacturing workforce, said Chief Financial Officer Andre Schulten. 'This restructuring program is an important step toward ensuring our ability to deliver our long-term algorithm over the coming two to three years,' Schulten said. 'It does not, however, remove the near-term challenges that we currently face.' Procter & Gamble, based in Cincinnati, had approximately 108,000 employees worldwide in June 2024. The cuts are part of a broader restructuring program. Procter & Gamble will also end sales of some of its products in certain markets. Procter & Gamble said it will provide more details about that in July.
