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Forbes
30-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
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.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The Dynamo Room Conjures Classic New York Next to Madison Square Garden
Opening The Brooklyn-based Sunday Hospitality Group, which runs everything there is to eat in the Hotel Chelsea, is opening its first stand-alone Manhattan restaurant. Steps from Madison Square Garden, the group is installing a 200-seat steakhouse that embraces some New York traditions with an oyster bar and décor that references the old Penn Station. The chef and a partner, Derek Boccagno, formerly at Café Chelsea, has a menu of classic steaks ($42 to $210), prime ribs, chilled deviled lobster and maitake steak with mushroom bordelaise. (Opens Friday) 2 Penn Plaza (West 33rd Street), 203-297-9477, Part of a larger group, this restaurant, with an elaborate dining room with black marble, gold veining and plush banquettes, is well represented across India, the Middle East, Canada, London and even in Bellevue, Wash. The food, by the chef Gaurav Chawla, takes liberties with tradition, with dishes like paneer lasagna, charred avocado tikka and smoked lamb curry. Chicken tikka made with goat cheese, keema pie, spiced broccoli florets, and truffled asparagus and mushroom bharta are a few of the dishes that will be served only in New York. (Thursday) 78 Leonard Street (Church Street), 646-499-9040, Nikki Zheng's career trajectory has taken her from Tokyo to New York to work with sushi masters at Masa, Sushi of Gari and Sushi Nakazawa. Now, she's in charge of her own 12-seat counter in a simple storefront with pale wood finishes. Her omakase consists of 18 courses for $195 and might include smoked Spanish mackerel and several cuts of tuna, some aged along with excellent rice. At her side is the chef Jeff Lam from Hong Kong. 317 East 75th Street, 917-921-3239, Guy Vaknin, the chef and restaurateur who first attracted attention with his clever vegan Beyond Sushi and has gone on to open more vegan restaurants, is adding this kosher dessert (and appetizer) spot. The pastry chef Makenna Hale comes up with complex, fruit-forward confections like the Sun, which delivers tastes of almond, orange blossom, passion fruit, cantaloupe, apricot, tangerine, caramel and white chocolate. Salads, salt-baked potatoes and mushroom sliders make up some of the savory side, and cocktails with dessert on their minds are part of the picture. (Thursday) 135 Metropolitan Avenue (Berry Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, This spot has relocated from its original location in Syracuse, N.Y., where wines were poured to match a tasting menu, to the former Veritas space, in Manhattan. In the hands of the chef and owner Jared Ian Stafford-Hill, the choices are a four-course tasting ($148), or seven courses ($188) with inevitable optional extras. The menus change from time to time and have a regional focus. There's Côte de Beaune to start. Flights of wines to go alongside are priced according to their pedigree. 43 East 20th Street, 646-375-0945, Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
