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Nice Matin is a fine brunch place but hardly the place else to begin learning about French dining. La Bonne Soupe is a cute, inexpensive little place, quite home and quaint. Neither tone is fine dining or really very representative of restaurants in France.
While your comment is true, if it is good enough for French people to eat there, should be good enough for others. Originally found out about La Bonne Soupe from a French colleague. He knew all of the decent French places in NYC and we went there several times. Am in agreement about it not being *authentic* per se, but you can be served by French servers there, and more importantly the quality of the food is good considering the pride point, especially for Midtown. In my opinion, almost impossible to replicate any cuisine 100% because of certain factors that one cannot do anything about. Things like difference in meat in France versus here or the butter or the bread. Location and how things are grown sometimes just can't be replicated, even when importing everything from *the motherland* or whatever. Just have to settle for whatever is closest and go with that. That said have eaten there with *several* people from France so if it was that bad they wouldn't go there. Am here to tell you that place and another place a few doors down (*Benoît*)... Can see people from France going there and can hear French and they are very picky about where they go for French food here in NYC. Needs to have *some* resemblance to what they get in France.
Very much like Bar Tabac and there are another two french restaurants I like fairly close (makes sense given how many French people are around there), but it’s not in Manhattan.
Not saying that La Bonne Soupe is bad, just a touch old fashioned and quite inexpensive. The menu is pretty broad whereas in France a restaurant would probably not serve both steak frites and crêpes.
I also think that the OP probably has eaten quite a lot of French food but doesn't realize it. Omelettes, quiche, onion soup, beef stew with red wine, croissants--these are pretty basic foods in restaurants in NYC. I think branching out and trying more regional and innovative foods is one of the joys of living here.
Yes, L'Express is another good choice. The one on 21st (or 20th, it's around there) and Park Avenue South is open 24 hours a day. The food is decent. You can get the classics there -- steak frites, salade nicoise, etc. Reliable and the prices shouldn't induce too much sticker shock. You can sit at the bar and drink and eat too. It's lively.
Can't believe I forgot one of my favorites: Cafe Loupe, 105 West 13th Street, in the heart of the Village. Has been there forever. Another lively place where you can sit and eat at the bar. No one French owns it, but it's got the classics down. It's a neighborhood standby.
Last edited by Moving415; 12-02-2017 at 06:44 PM..
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