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‘French Cuisine’ Category

  1. Cafe Le Perche

    November 29, 2011 by Nina

    This New York Times reviewed cafe has become a hot spot in Hudson. A town once famous for antiquing, has become much more. With Warren street being the chic part of town, with antique shops, excellent restaurants, galleries, and modern furniture stores, Hudson is the Chelsea of the Hudson Valley. And just like NYC, you turn down the wrong street and you are in a completely different neighborhood. Of course because Cafe Le Perche just got written up it was packed and they literally ran out of every pastry (my parents had recommended the almond croissants) and most of the bread, so my friend and I split the Baguette with Homemade Jam, which literally was an entire baguette, so for the price it seemed like a pretty good deal. The jam was blueberry and quite scrumptious. We also had a Coffee and Iced Tea. My mom had raved about the coffee. I didn’t think it was particularly outstanding, but I’m sure their lattes are wonderful. The decor is so sweet, and the woman behind the counter wearing sixties makeup and a bow in her hair made the atmosphere feel like you had flown to France. There is also lovely patio seating, and you can get a tour of the kitchen by the baker herself!

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    Cafe Le Perche
    230 Warren St
    Hudson, NY 12534
    Phone: 518.822.1850
    http://www.cafeleperche.com/
    minilogo Cafe Le Perche

    Category Cafe, French Cuisine, NY | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  2. Largo

    August 2, 2011 by Nina

    When deciding which restaurant to go to (between the bistro we had already been to for breakfast or a nice restaurant across the street), we had to take into account the decor (because the food was very similar). Though the other restaurant, Largo, was also highly recommended, they were having Jazz night and there was a cover charge even if you were having dinner. I didn’t like that one bit. Also, the decor was quite tacky (giant sofas). I think eating good food and loud music, noise, conversations don’t mix. One should be able to experience the food with every bite, without distraction. Needless to say, we went back to Bistro Les Bossus and had a wonderful meal.

    Largo
    643, st-Joseph est
    Québec, QC G1K

    http://www.largorestoclub.ca/

    minilogo Largo

    Category French Cuisine, Quebec City, Why I didn't go there | Tags: ,, | 1 Comment

  3. Le Petit Coin Latin

    July 28, 2011 by Nina

    Our first day in Quebec City was not the best. There was a Metallica concert going on so there were literally thousands of people swarming the streets, and we discovered that much of the old city is extremely touristy—with shops selling wooden moose doorknobs and paintings of lighthouses and other equally horrible things. We couldn’t figure out where to eat and were ravenous, and because all the restaurants on the main street (where the famous hotel is) look exactly the same—similar to Little Italy in New York—we popped into a restaurant off the main drag. It seemed to have a huge menu and a fun “special” (that ended up costing a whopping $25 per person). We ordered off the “daily menu,” which we found out means that you get a (horrendously awful) salad and appetizer and dessert (even worse). I ordered the Parmesan Fondue, which turned out not to be fondue as I know it (melted cheese), but a “French version of a mozzarella stick” as Julian put it. Our salads were the worst—iceberg lettuce cut into strips with shredded carrots and other canned toppings, and the entrees were the worst quiches I’ve had. The dessert was worse still. Julian ordered the chocolate pie, and when the waitress came out with the chocolate cake instead, when Julian explained that he had actually asked for the chocolate pie—after coughing all over our food—she replied “we ran out” and walked off. My dessert was inedible. This coming from a die-hard sweets lover. This was definitely that most horrible dining experience I’ve ever had. The food was incredibly overpriced, the staff completely unfriendly to the point of being brash, the décor was horrid (beer ads as the placemats), and the food was worse than fast food. Julian and I have never felt so cheated. Even worse, we realized that the wonderful restaurant we visited twice on our trip, which I will review next, cost less!

    IMG 0400 Le Petit Coin LatinIMG 0404 Le Petit Coin LatinIMG 0408 Le Petit Coin LatinIMG 0409 Le Petit Coin Latin

    Le Petit Coin Latin
    8 1/2 rue St-Ursule
    Quebec City, QC G1R
    Phone: 418.692.2022
    minilogo Le Petit Coin Latin

    Category French Cuisine, Quebec City | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  4. Arielle

    March 16, 2011 by Nina

    My dad and I went to Arielle for their amazing lunch special: $12 for three course pre-fix. I ordered the Vegetable Soup and Penne with Chorizo and Peas, and my dad ordered the Vegetable Soup and Grilled Sardines. The sardines were whole which looked interesting, but was a bit difficult to eat, making it a try-once choice. Both of my dishes were wonderful, and the portions were perfect. For dessert, we shared both Crème brûlée and Pot de Crème. The Crème brûlée had a strong cardamom flavor, and a thicker crust than I am used to (and is not as good as by Café Tamayo), but the Pot de Crème was exquisite. For $12, this is an absolute steal.

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    Arielle
    51 market st
    Rhinebeck, NY 12572
    Phone: 845.876.5666

    minilogo Arielle

    Hint: The burger on the prix fixe is so worth it. It’s huge and delicious, and comes with a side salad and wonderful truffle fries.

    Category Burgers, French Cuisine, NY, Rhinebeck | Tags: ,,,,,, | 3 Comments

  5. Restaurant 2 Vine

    February 17, 2011 by Nina

    My mom and I went here for Valentine’s Day. It’s a fairly large restaurant, that was dimly lit and packed. Our waiter recommended their seafood, so my mom got the Mahi Mahi with bok choy, meyer lemon sauce and the absolute best brussel sprouts I’ve ever had. I ordered the Nova Scotia Atlantic Salmon with french lentils, root vegetables, and dijon herb sauce. It was the flakiest, most tender salmon I’ve ever had. Absolutely exquisite, but also very expensive! For dessert I had the Chocolate Cake with banana custard and chocolate ice cream…to die for.

    Restaurant 2 Vine. Restaurant 2 Vine

    My parents and I went here for lunch last weekend because I looked at the lunch menu and realized how reasonable the prices were. I ordered the NOVA SCOTIA ATLANTIC SALMON with spatzle, local mushrooms, paprika sauce, my mom had the GULF OF MAINE SOLE with endive, spring wheat berries, orange olive oil vinaigrette, and my dad had the pasta special of the day (made fresh). It was one of the best meals I’ve had! However, the desserts-Panna Cotta and Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Frosting-were both disappointing. Our waiter was named Vance, and he was delightful!

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    Restaurant 2 Vine
    24 Winthrop St
    Rochester, NY 14607
    Phone: 585.454.6020
    http://www.2vine.com/
    minilogo Restaurant 2 Vine

    Category French Cuisine, NY, Rochester | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment