La Marchande — Restaurant in New York

(5/5) Having eaten here three times now and recommended it to friends visiting from out of town (who raved about it!), La Marchande is among my absolute favorite restaurants in Fidi.

From the warmth of the service and the softly lit interiors with cozy booth style seating beckoning you in, to the variety in the menu that brings some instant favorites, La Marchande is the full package crowd pleaser with dishes that will please not only the eyes but also the palate.

Would like to give a special shoutout to Abe who's served us twice and exudes hospitality! He also has a wonderful way with words when it comes to describing dishes we asked about, truly bringing the menu to life as he went over the flavors in the dishes down to the details of the garnish. We were tempted to order almost everything he described lol.

Now onto the food - at this point I've eaten probably half the menu, so here's the rundown!

Apps: Milk Bread (5/5) - Simply the BEST. We have and will continue to order this every time I eat here. So fluffy and warm and the Scallion Crème Fraîche pairing is perfection. Crispy Octopus (5/5) - Another must order, super crispy and well paired. A crowd favorite. Buttermilk Fried Calamari (5/5) - A new addition to the menu from our third visit. Was really impressed by how thinly coated the calamari was, offering a delicate crunch that still lets the seafood shine. The aioli is made in house and is a delicious pairing. King Salmon Carpaccio (5/5) - The maple soy was really refreshing to have on the carpaccio (I typically see variations of some kind of citrus vinaigrette), sweet and savory goodness Squash rigatoni (4/5) - Surprisingly great!! Wasn't expecting much considering this isn't an Italian restaurant but the pockets of squash puree that get nestled in the rings of the rigatoni were so delicious. French Onion Dumplings (3.5/5) - Dumplings were great and packed with flavor but I wish the french onion soup they were bathing in was less concentrated and more drinkable. Caesar Salad (3/5) - Solid but not remarkable, tad salty. Truffle Pappardelle (2/5) - maybe was an off day, was too salty unfortunately

Mains: Wagyu Boneless Ribeye w/ au poivre sauce (4/5): Cannot expect A5 levels of melt in your mouth but was tender and well seasoned. Would not skip eating the fried rosemary it comes with!! Convinced the table this was not simply a decorative element but really enhances the flavor of the steak 🙂 Also highly recommend the au poivre! Hanger steak w/ chimichurri (4/5): Liked this more than the tomahawk Tomahawk ribeye (3/5): Made me realize that I definitely prefer dry aged steaks flavor wise Ora king salmon (4/5): I would ask for medium rare, the second time we ordered it the fish was less tender than the first even though we asked for medium both times. Couldn't get enough of the squash puree that accompanied it. On third visit the puree is now some kind of pea puree with morel mushrooms but still delish! Grilled Lamb Rack: I honestly cannot remember this dish super well because I had gotten so full when I tried this one lol but think the folks around me enjoyed it. Generous serving size, came with 3 racks.

Sides: Asparagus (4.5/5) - tasted fresh, loved the char and zest on it Lamb fried rice (4/5) - was not expecting the asian fusion here, but the chili crunch worked well (on my third visit I see this is now off the menu sadly) Cremini mushrooms (3.5/5) - Solid, liked the little crunch coating the belly of these. Roasted brussels (3/5) - pretty standard flavor wise with classic caramelization, but as this dish often is, was too salty for my taste

Dessert: Pecan Paris-Brest (3/5) - Certainly a large portion (can imagine sharing it with up to 8 people, would not recommend ordering if only a party of 2) but not my favorite variation of a cream puff. Liked the candied pecans but overall bit too sweet for me.

Drinks - light and refreshing, would order both again! Bon vivant Quelque...

Loved this place cant wait to come back as well as try their other restaurants. This established restaurant group definitely knows what they're doing.

Started with the brioche pull apart with scallion creme fraiche. It's really, really good. The dough itself may be a little under salted, but the sea salt on top and the creme fraiche shmear definitely saved it.

The crispy wagyu tongue was a fun dish, unlike one I've had anywhere else. The endive cup as a vessel was a nice touch, and the leaves were perfectly picked, so it was not too sharp. The wagyu tongue that was crispy breaded and fried was fantastic, such a surprise in flavor and texture, but definitely lacking in seasoning, unfortunately. The sauce on the plate (whole grain mustard sauce) really tied it all together and gave the dish the tang it needed.

Now. The pork belly app was the show stopper. Perfectly cooked pork belly, a flawless egg with a creamy yolk filled with umami flavor. The plums, perfectly in season and tossed in a vinegar of sorts, were the perfect punch of sweet acidity the richeness needed, and the frisee tossed in ponzu brought it all home in texture and comforting flavor. I would order an entree sized portion of this and refuse to share a single bite. It's absolutely perfect.

One of their signature summer rolls, we chose blue crab, which had tobiko and fresh, perfectly ripe avocado. This was a hit as well. It comes with a chili oil that didn't really add much to the dish, in my opinion, but the crab was well seasoned and fresh, so it honestly didn't need the sauce.

Main courses she got the salmon (restaurant week special) with the ratatouille tart (main menu serves this dish with tuna) the inside of the ratatouille was phenomenal but the crust was very under baked unfortunately so not ideal. However, the salmon was cooked very well!

The scallop & shrimp dish was nice, pattypan squash, lobster mushrooms peak seasonal veg, but the baby corn threw me off a bit. I think a local sweet corn was what I was anticipating, not bad, though. The shrimp were slightly overcooked, but the scallops cooked perfectly. The sauce americaine came out like a foam, which was a nice change of texture, especially for summer, and really tied the dish together.

Dessert was half great, and half, not the Coconut Creme Caramel, was lacking in flavor and seemed overbaked. The crunchy coconut bits on top were the best part. Admittedly, I don't really like flan in general, so it honestly would have to be absolutely flawless to impress me, which isn't easy.

The Thai Basil Vacherin, though....SLAPPED it truly was flawless. The basil & raspberry semifreddo and crispy meringue and lemon shortbread cookie on the bottom all came together perfectly. This dessert was just as memorable as the pork app i mentioned earlier. Elegant, elevated, and yet simple. This dessert is not to be missed....

The service was impeccable, attentive, but not overbearing. This place is beautiful to look at and deserves a visit, even if you're not typically in this...

We had reservations and asked for a certain table and the hostess said no it’s reserved for a wedding… the wedding party never came by the time we left and we left at closing. What a slap in the face. We spent quite a bit of money and had reservations and yet that wasn’t enough to get the table we wanted. And the restaurant was completely empty! There was only 1 other table next to us dining. And the 2 parties couldn’t get the 2 best tables that were empty all night. How RUDE! The hostess was such a SNOB! We spent over $700 and left hungry! Is the food excellent? It’s alright nothing special. Is the service impeccable? No. I’ve stayed in many 5 star hotels and the service was mediocre. We stayed at the hotel and had dinner and breakfast here. Both meals were ok. They didn’t strike me as particularly memorable but lackluster. I’m an excellent home cook myself and have very high standards. The 5 spice on the potatoes and the size and shape of them was just off putting. The $75 fish was presented in the most bland way with no garnishes thought or sides. That we had to order separately. Both meal felt pretentious and try hard. The worst part was it was not even executed to my standard let alone a Michelin rated chef’s standard. Is this their standard? A poached egg that wasn’t runny in the middle when you broke it but completely solid for breakfast? For the price you pay and tips being included which shouldn’t have been done because we had to wait for everything even though the restaurant was empty. Which in hindsight I can see why. It just didn’t live up to the hype. Great marketing poor execution. Michelin seems more like gimmicky marketing for mediocre food. If you are going to be such a snob about things and chase people around (the hostess) and be very loud screaming do you have a reservation at everyone who comes in and charge Michelin prices, the food better be outstanding. I could put up with outrageous prices, mediocre services and an attitude IF the food was stellar! It’s NYC at this point I expect that if the food is great. But it wasn’t. She didn’t do that to us but how… unrefined and brutish of her. Barking at patrons. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth and a dent in my wallet. I won’t be returning here again. The bar in the hotel on the other hand was packed and great. It was lively! The hotel again packed because it was truly exceptional and I enjoyed my stay and would recommend it to anyone. Don’t let this stop you from staying at the hotel it is magical and a true 5 star experience. Everyone from the bell hop to the front desk to the valet to the maid service/housekeeping was absolutely delightful and was top notch service. It was welcoming and they are the best. It’s the restaurant that was extremely...