The Le Coucou Review Revisited

Some restaurants are just so French, it hurts. Le Coucou kicks it old school too with its fine dining classic dishes, of course, with its own unique modern spin. While it’s now been around to the point that it meets the forever threshold in terms of Manhattan dining, it really only reopened just last year. This is the updated Le Coucou review.

Overview

The mastermind behind Le Coucou is Chef Daniel Rose, who is a rare breed. Chef Rose is an American who took the Parisian dining scene by storm. You know how hard that is with the French to admit that an American has mad skills in the kitchen. Chef Rose received critical acclaim at Spring in Paris then again with his second restaurant Le Bourse et la Vie in 2016. That same year, he opened Le Coucou in New York as a fine dining but modern interpretation of traditional French cuisine restaurant. Le Coucou is part of the Stephen Starr group of restaurants. After four years of yet more critical acclaim, Le Coucou closed during the pandemic and didn’t reopen until 2022. This is the updated Le Coucou review.

Atmosphere

One of the strongest suits of Le Coucou is its Roman Williams-designed space, but it’s also what makes it kind of mainstream. But before I explain that, let’s establish the dining room hits all the right notes. It’s elegant while modern, high design yet welcoming. There’s both a rustic and a chic vibe to the decor and the space has beautiful flow. There’s not really a large bar or a place to eat the bar for that matter, but the room is open and airy to take in the scene.

Now let me explain my mainstream comment. When Le Coucou first opened, a Roman Williams-designed restaurant space was relatively unique. However 7 years later, and it seems that many of the chic restaurants nowadays are Roman Williams-designed. Don’t get me wrong; I like the aesthetic. But like the fine dining landscape, it takes more today to impress and the competition in New York is stiff. Hence why we felt the need for an updated Le Coucou review.

With that said, the vibe, scene of people and perfect volume in the dining room all hit the notes perfectly. If you’re going out for a fancy meal, this is one of the more relaxed places to enjoy fine dining in the city.

Food + Wine

I’m going to cut to the chase; I used to love the food at Le Coucou. They have quenelles on the menu, which is a traditional French dish of cod/pike dumplings. It’s a super old school dish actually, that very few restaurants serve. I had my first taste at La Tour d’Argent, and I was hooked. Now I don’t know if it’s me that’s changed or if it’s Le Coucou, but I was underwhelmed by the food after they reopened. Yes, it’s beautifully executed, but it didn’t seem like it kept with the times. There are so many new fine dining restaurants in NYC and special occasion places to open since the pandemic. You have to really stand out and I felt that Le Coucou wasn’t doing anything other than dialing it in with the same old, same old.

The wine on the other hand, is the paradise of anyone who is a wine connoisseur. It’s the star actually of this updated Le Coucou review. To give you an idea, they have 4 vintages or so of Selosse champagne on the carte.  That’s not to say that the pricing is for the faint of heart, but you somehow don’t mind it as the selection is beautiful. It’s the kind of wine list you want to spend as much quality time with as your dining companions. It’s also not offensively marked up for the French gems on the menu, and their somms are some of the top in the city.

In Summary

The nutshell: I felt that the food at Le Coucou relied too much on the butter and cream principals of Julia Child. It was way too heavy on the foie gras and veal sweetbreads. The sauce on my quenelles was way too rich, as was my lobster, and I love any and all lobster renditions. I didn’t feel good after eating the food, which I felt wasn’t even creative beyond traditional preparations.

Like I said, maybe it’s me that’s changed, but I felt that the food was too heavy and could use a refresh. I wouldn’t eat here more than once a year for dinner, and only if someone else was paying. By the way, Thank You Matt, who picked up the bill for me that night. Your company is timeless as are your deliciously inappropriate jokes that had the Coucou staff in stitches. Company was an 11/10 that night.

Service

Like the atmosphere, the service hits all the right notes in this updated Le Coucou review. There were times where I kind of felt like the waitstaff was less natural, as they’re going for a formal vibe. However, at these prices, I wasn’t offended. I also liked our prime table where we could see everything going down in the kitchen. Another shout out to the somm who worked with us, and even laughed at my friend’s hysterical jokes. We wouldn’t be anyone but ourselves no matter what restaurant you put us in the world. It was nice though to be welcomed and accepted happily by the Le Coucou team.

Overall: 7/10

There’s no arguing Le Coucou is a good restaurant. But in the scope of the fine dining scene in NYC, I don’t know if this makes my top 20%. So take this Le Coucou review with a grain of salt. My lukewarm feeling  may be me wanting something more modern, light and inventive than the heavy French traditional meal.

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FAQ’s

Q: Where is Le Coucou located?

A: Le Coucou is located in the Howard Hotel at 138 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013.

Q: What are Le Coucou’s hours of operation:

A: Le Coucou’s hours of operation are as follows:

Q: Does Le Coucou have a formal dress code?

A: The Le Coucou dress code is “Dress Your Best”. However jackets are not required, though you will see many guests opt in for more formal attire.