LOULOU — Restaurant in New York

You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, and it turns out the same is true for restaurants - in this case, a logo featuring a dog wearing a monocle. Monocle-wearing pooches are always going to be a weakness for me, but lesson hopefully learned on my part. Additionally, I'd forgotten that my Skipper is a cagey veteran of this neighborhood, and of course told me after the fact that this place was "aesthetically pleasing" but "not good." That pretty much sums up Saturday night's dinner.

I came here with my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality around 5:30pmish on a very nippy night. As alluded to, the interior is very cool; we both liked it a lot. The dark weathered wood gives it almost a bougie cabin feeling with exposed brick all over the place. Nice vibes, and frankly, exactly the kind of place on paper we both tend to pivot toward. Unfortunately, the experience didn't translate from the paper to reality.

I'll start with the highlights, which won't take long. We got the small Cheese Board and the Brussels Sprouts without bacon to split. Fans of both, particularly the Cheese Board, which had a light garlic bread, three types of cheese and fig spread. Nothing earth-shattering necessarily, but a nice spin on a pretty classic/ubiquitous app. I ended up getting a second order of the Cheese Board to eat myself, and for the price ($17), easily the most bang for the buck we encountered.

I had two cocktails, La Peche and Cabin in the Woods. La Peche featured bourbon, creme de peche, ginger, lemon and mint, but either the combo itself or the way it was portioned out was off, so you didn't taste any bourbon and it just tasted like an overly sweet/tart wine cooler. Cabin in the Woods had a similar issue, though the issue there is that literally the only item you can taste is hazelnut, which would be fine in a coffee shop but not as an alcoholic drink. Cocktails by definition are balancing acts; I don't expect or want a beverage that tastes like gasoline, but you SHOULD be able to identify the spirit(s) in the drink - that's part of the flavor profile. So the takeaway for me was that they didn't grasp basic mixology, and for $22, they should not only grasp it but have it completely mastered. A huge miss, and when every cocktail has a flashy garnish or glass, it also means you're paying over $20 to look at a cocktail rather than drink it. That's a problem. The one silver lining here though was that when my chum mentioned that she wasn't crazy about her initial drink, the waitress immediately offered to get her a new one. Points for that.

The service was uneven in a couple of respects. After reviewing the menu, I decided to get the red snapper entrée. Literally 40 minutes after ordering, the waitress sheepishly came back to inform us that the red snapper wasn't available. Pretty annoying, especially because at that point I'd already been eating the apps and didn't want to order a different type of big plate. There's just no excuse not to be aware of what is and isn't on the dinner menu, especially when that menu isn't particularly large. To her credit, she did come back to the table multiple times to apologize for it. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only time during this meal that I ordered something that wasn't available. The second cocktail I ordered was the Honey Nut Old Fashioned, which is literally right at the top of their menu as a December special but wasn't available. So to recap, the restaurant didn't have two of their menu options, one of which was the first item you saw when you pulled up the menu.

It's the heart of Chelsea, so you're paying for the location to some extent - I think the bill between us ended up being around $250ish. (Also annoying - the bill had a $4.99 digital fee for using the Sunday app, which I don't think was avoidable; little financial insult to injury). Even with solid food, it's hard to look at this experience as anything close to positive when the drinks were mediocre and their inventory wasn't stocked. You can do a lot...

LOULOU, a French place known for more its cocktails than for its foods. But don’t underestimate their potential though: I went for their brunch and dinner and both times I felt good about the food. However, I wouldn’t call it a revisit bistro: the price is semi-justified yet and the service isn’t all justified.

Most recent dinner visit:

Appetizer/Loulou’s plates:

Grilled lamb chops Lamb chops with baby watercress, tomato confit, chimichuri, harissa. Not so spicy but the meat is juicy and cooked to a pretty good medium-rare to medium. The chimichui is refreshing but the tomato confit is the dominant flavor beside the lambness. The confit is a blend of balanced sweet and acid, which goes well with the aromatics and the meaty flavors.

Baked Camembert I loved this one. If you like cheese and texture and sweet you will want this. The Camembert is baked to soft and drizzled with lavender honey and sprinkled with some rosemary. The lavender isn’t overpowering and just adds a bit floral note. The baguette is super crunchy, probably because it is gluten-free so it doesn’t have a chew from the gluten in the middle. All the slight-elastic and melty texture comes from the cheese, and you get the crunch, the aromatic, the sweet all blended together for a textural and flavor bomb.

Wild Striped Bass The pan-grilled bass with romano beans, Tokyo turnip, passionfruit. The fish is good but the sauce is better. The skin has a okay crispiness and the fish is mildly sweet and flaky. I liked how they made the beans and the turnips into the hummus-like texture: dipping them was en enjoyment. The turnips and the beans bring the earthy, creamy flavor with a light nuttiness to the delicate fish. I like them more than the fish itself.

Large Plate: Ribeye for two The 20oz ribeye steak with cippolini onion, garlic confit, fig jus’, and mashed potato. The onion is caramelized and the garlic is roasted until soft so you can squeeze the onion flesh to pair the meat the way you like. The steak is more medium than medium-rate. The jus is sweet so it goes well with the beefiness and the savory component all together. This is like a mini buffet style plate which you can have a variety of parings. The honorable mention here is the mashed potato (the pomme puree). It is silky, buttery, and smooth. Looks simple but compliments all flavors.

Sides: Brussel Sprouts with smoked bacon, thyme, and jalapeño apple vinaigrette. Order this!! The brussel sprouts are sweet and crispy and they soak up all the juice from the bacon and from the hot-spicy vinaigrette. I call this the veg version of a great Korean fried chicken. Perfectly crispy with a thick coating of flavorful sauce. It is almost more meaty than meat.

Now speaking of service: The dishes came pretty quick after ordering and the service is prompt, in the beginning. We asked for check and we waited for 20+ mins then we have to remind our server to get us the check, which he responded: oh you can pay online. Well, it is maybe better to provide that information upfront rather than after we waited. And he said he saw us watching videos together and didn’t want to interrupt. Well, if the check come quicker we wouldn’t be so bored to start watching videos. Excuses excuses. Anyway, I guess he knew we were mad so he stood beside us when we had to pay so we don’t skimp on tip lol.

That all being said, the food and the drink is pretty good. They look exactly like the pictures on the menu and they don’t disappoint my taste buds. However, it really depends on how service can make or break an impression of the restaurant. It is not the food that makes us miss a restaurant, but rather how it makes us feel when...

Lou Lou‘s delivered a delightful experience with their exquisite meals and lively setting. I highly recommend this restaurant as a brunch spot in the Chelsea Area!

Food & Drinks: We ordered the Steak & Eggs, Salmon Eggs Benedict and Croissant French Toast. All plates were delicious. The meat in the Steak & Eggs was correctly prepared, and tender to bite into. The best thing was the Croissant French Toast, it’s one of the most savory sweet brunch dishes I’ve had. The freshly homemade whipped cream, plus the glazed apricots and the maple syrup it is accompanied with... Absolute perfection! It’s the right amount of sweetness without it being overwhelming. Also, the portions for the meals are great; not overdone, just enough to get you full. Drinks were also very tasty, and they offer a great selection of cocktails. They do like to get creative with their cocktails in how they prepare them and on what they serve them in (example the drink we got is served in this cute birdie glass.)

Service: Service was just fine. Our server was okay, he wasn’t personable and we had to flag him a few times. However, the rest of the staff was on top off us by clearing our table, bringing us missing items immediately, getting us the server, so it wasn’t bad service overall. I just feel like our specific server could have been more attentive. The host was friendly, he immediately informed us about table availability and we waited very few minutes but very on top of us and entertaining while we waited.

Price: The prices for food are a little higher than other brunch spots in the area, ranging from $16-24. However, for the quality and taste of the food you’re getting and the vibe of the place, I think it’s reasonably priced, and well worth it. The cocktails are definitely priced higher than average at $16, however again, they take their time with the creativity of each cocktail.

Setting: The music was a bit loud, upbeat but quite loud. The booths are perfect and spacious, we were a party of 4 but surely they could fit 6 people. The place gave off modern wooden rustic vibes, the green plants and decor gave it a rustic but elegant feel to the place.

Overall, I definitely recommend this place. It’s definitely a great spot to go with a group of friends and enjoy...