Chez Moi — Restaurant in New York

On Saturday evening I had a reunion with 2 good friends that I hadn’t laid eyes on since well before the pandemic started at Chez Moi.

The evening started pleasantly enough. We ate and enjoyed our well-prepared meals. I had one glass of wine, and my companions each had 2 cocktails supplemented with several glasses of water.

We paid our checks when in less than 5 minutes after the waitress had scooped up the signed receipts we were told that the hostess needed us to leave.

We weren’t being loud or obnoxious because that’s not who we are.

There seemed to be an archness between my female companion and the waitress; she asked to please have her cocktail brought with her entrée because she wanted to have food ( the appetizer  ) in her stomach before drinking. That, without explaining why, didn’t seem to sit well with the waitress.

At another point during our meal, my female companion took a moment to pause eating having about 2 or 3 bites left on her plate when no less than 4 people came and asked if she was finished; I didn’t understand the rush as the restaurant was less than halfway full, the bar wasn’t crowded and the wait staff was huddled by the bar so they weren’t being rushed off their feet. So when we were told that the hostess “needed” the table it was mystifying.

I’d like to give them a little more credit and not assume that it was the fact that the 3 of us were Black ( 2 tall Black men and 1 petite Black woman ) but we were the only POC in the establishment and none of the other patrons we “rushed” to finish eating and then not only asked to leave when we weren’t causing a disturbance and then followed to the door with feigned apologies!

My friends were mortified and upset as this was a favourite restaurant of theirs that they frequented and wanted me to experience the gastronomic pleasure they had experienced only to have it marred by this bizarre behaviour.

In all my 63 years of living, I have NEVER had such an embarrassing and baseless experience! NEVER!

The food was great but not enough for me to return or recommend this establishment to others; who knows what friends or family might experience based on their perceived...

Popped in on a Sunday night having just returned to the city, tired, looking for something easy and delicious.

Started with moules frites in white wine and garlic, then she had the peppercorn steak and I the salmon filet atop a plinth of ratatouille.

The food was exactly as expected, in the best way: well prepared, of good quality, and served hot. Mussel broth, ever so slightly saltier than my taste, was packed with garlic flavor and the mussels were excellent: all attached and not too big or small.

Peppercorn steak sauce on point. Steak temp on point. Salmon temp on point. Ratatouille a real highlight with the eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and relevant sundries well cozied up to each other. As I said - easy and delicious.

George was on hand, as helpful as you would want but completely unobtrusive. This probably sounds snobby but I honestly can't recall the last time a server 'waited' on my table so professionally.

The restaurant itself is a modest but well-appointed space. Classic bistro charm. I could absolutely see myself grabbing a seat at the bar for a bowl of soup, or meeting friends for frog legs and grand vin.

I'll be coming back. Likely more than once: the whole menu looked appetizing and the specials to boot. Only with great effort do we achieve such...

The food is very good (especially the quiche) but it's important to note that the information on Google is misleading. There is a grab bar in the restroom but it is NOT wheelchair accessible as the doors are not only not ADA width (32") but were too narrow for my 22.25" wide chair that can usually fit in tighter spaces that are not technically ADA compliant.

This is compounded by staff that tries to be helpful but doesn't understand that the best way to be helpful is to provide accurate information about the accessibility of their facilities and to help problem solve. I was able to use the restroom at the restaurant next door but the hostess here failed to walk me over to ensure I would get access and I was the one who suggested it because I'd been to Colonie before and knew their layout. Partnering with neighboring businesses to resolve these types of accessibility issues is totally acceptable and staff needs to be better trained. Normally I would have eaten at Colonie instead at that point but my friend really wanted to try this place so I stayed.

There are two steps to get inside and staff were quick to setup a ramp. Outdoor seating in a 3 sided streetery and several...