BXL Cafe — Restaurant in New York

I used to love this place (a decade ago), but boy has it ever changed. They have a new sign, I'm guessing the ownership is new. We went tonight and it tasted like diner food. My French onion soup arrived almost instantly and was burned of the top, it seems an overzealous torch was applied to cheese that seemed to have been melted on top a while back, perhaps yesterday even... The lamb burger was overcooked (well done when I asked for medium rare) and the meat so over-spiced it was hard to choke down. the bun was hard and cold, I didn't even want to taste it. The fries were skinny and tasteless, if I had to guess I'd say they were poured frozen from a buy-in-bulk bag into the fryer. They weren't tasty enough to have been real potatoes recently. My husband's chicken cordon bleu ($28.50) literally looked like something you could get at a diner, right down to the upside-down-cup-shaped mound of orange rice. Literally everything except the bread looked and tasted like a reheated frozen TV dinner, not like something made fresh for us.

Even the drinks, which should be easy - I got a Pom-Fizz which is supposed to be made fizzy with champagne or sparkling wine, I forget which - either they forgot it or they used something old, because it was completely flat. It was good actually -but it was flat, and the maraschino cherry at the bottom was the cheap kind, not the kind you find in a drink from a quality cocktail establishment. We had to ask for water, and ketchup, and my husband's second glass of wine, so i'd call the service unremarkable. It was not crowded, 7pm on a Monday on the first day back from a blizzard. They were quick, I'll say that for them - so I guess if you are in a hurry before the theatre this might be just the ticket. Bumping them up to 3 stars for that, and the high ceilings which are unusual.

Also - the decor has changed. It really used to have a lovely bistro-authentic look that made me feel like I was back in Paris. They've changed something - painted, reupholstered, tried to update it somehow - and the yellow walls, orange banquettes, yellow-orange pillars etc. make it hard to remember that true antique-y bistro feel. They obviously chose a decorator "on the cheap" or did it themselves - a mistake, for it does not look authentic or even nice anymore.

The restaurant is certainly spacious and you do not get that claustrophobic feeling many other restaurants induce. I guess if it is competing with like a TGI Friday's for tourists in Times Square, perhaps it does OK. I was hoping for the Parisian bistro I remembered from the 90's and 00's tonight. But, I moved to Brooklyn in and I prefer farm to table now...

My wife and I ended up going here on count of poor weather predictions / this place being like 2 steps from Belasco Theatre. The interior was basically pretty nice. I had an idea what we were in for when I saw all the tables had a cup full of crayons waiting. Unfortunately, I'd rather be sitting at a chain like Macaroni Grill with those crayons. The food was pretty poor and the restaurant overall fit the overpriced tourist trap theme I usually prefer to avoid. The one good thing I can say is if you're looking for good, quick service for an early dinner, it works. Our waiter was polite and attentive.

Dinner; Wifey got Moules Frites... bit salty but mostly tasty, but the fries were horrible. I actually stared in surprise at the fry plate for a second because I had a high school cafeteria flashback. The flashback was right... in addition to the flavor slap, the stack of fry boxes left out near the bathroom confirmed they were el cheapo, frozen, worse-than-McDonald's variety. I got Poulet Cordon Bleu... which would have been more edible if they didn't douse it with a full cup of creamy mustard sauce. I'm also 99% sure the brussels sprouts that came with the meal were Steamfresh microwav--I mean, uh, freshly imported veggies from France, from garden to table. Dessert; Wife got some sort of lady finger chocolate cake, which was decently good. I got New York cheesecake (at a "French" restaurant), which was OK. It tasted like one of those low fat cheesecakes your Mom brings to Thanksgiving because she thinks it's healthier.

Recommendation; don't go here... it's like choosing to pay $30 per entree for a meal you'd likely find in an office building café or high school cafeteria. Maybe I just made poor choices or we came so early that a bus boy was cooking dinner, who knows. If you're not picky, hungry, and in a rush... it will work, just don't expect an actual French restuarant. The menu really fooled us, though. Oh well... at least Hedwig and the Angry Inch was pretty amazing and made up for...

I wish I could share the video that details the tragedy which forced my hand on this very low rating.

I was there recently to grab a drink or two after a show nearby with a friend. In short, a woman of color was harassed physically by several white men, and the bar was too scared to speak up for her.

This woman was at the bar prior to my arrival. There were multiple times she walked the length of the bar. In two of these casual walks, a group of men aggressively touched her hair and body. She spoke up, but no one listened.

My friend and I called her over to validate her experience and check to make sure she felt safe. She didn't feel safe but was grateful we cared enough to check in on her. While we were checking in on her, the bar owner, bartender, and a patron kept glancing our way to see what was happening. At no point did they just ask kindly. Instead, the patron, the man with the curly hair and glasses (who is a friend of the bar), who was an active participant in the physical altercation, verbally attacked my friend and me. The bar stepped in only when we decided to clap back. To be clear, they stepped in to DEFEND the guy who physically assaulted the woman. My friend tried to explain what was happening over the music playing in the background. The bar accused her of yelling even though we did point out the music, but it was clear no one cared.

Long story short, the man was NOT removed, and instead, I was stuck without service. Fortunately for me, patrons noticed the lack of service my way and spoke up for me. At no point did the bar manager try and speak with us. This is likely because his girlfriend jumped into the verbal fight but wasn't heard due to her being too far to hear.

Shame....