Christine Drinan, Founder

It was bound to happen after 20+ years in New York City. We’ve found a restaurant that is worth crossing a bridge for. Like, 10 times over. Situated in the Williamsburg neighborhood, Francie in Brooklyn is an elegant new American restaurant that’s French at heart. And it can go toe to toe any day of the week with many of the most refined Paris establishments. The preview is here.

Overview

Do you remember Piora, that gem of a gourmet restaurant in the West Village? Well, its chef, Christopher Cipollone, is back, working his magic at Francie in Brooklyn. His partner is John Winterman, of Batard and Daniel fame. With their combo of expertise, they’re making a go of it at their new venture. This one should be here to stay. We only wish it was in Manhattan, but part of the charm is actually its Brooklyn location.

The Atmosphere

It’s challenging to get just the right combination of lighting, noise level, décor and overall vibe. Francie knows exactly what it is though: your neighborhood restaurant for approachable fine dining. I can best describe Francie in Brooklyn as “show up in jeans and eat Daniel level food that’s made for everyday.” The crowd is decidedly local New Yorkers who know their food, and we would venture to say there’s a good representation of Manhattanites. Your sighting of local residents may include Justin and Hailey Bieber.

The Food

Snacks & Such

Francie calls itself a new American restaurant, but deep down inside, this is as French brasserie-inspired as it gets. Do yourself a favor and bring as many friends as you can to share the generous portions. And start out with every item on their snack menu. The Roman Army sourdough is wrapped in string, and is perfectly crunchy on the outside and light as air inside. It’s served with a vegetarian sunflower spread that’s too good to be healthy. The star of the dish is whipped lardo, that comes out shaped like a cochon.

The soufflé’s cakes are almost a bread itself, served with a caviar-topped seaweed butter. It’s probably the seaweed, but minus the caviar, it reminded me of Vestry’s seaweed butter rendition. You know how I feel about caviar so I could have made a meal of this, they were so filling. Francie also has beautiful shellfish platters to round out the experience, so you really do need a small Roman army of your own to sample the starters.

The Main Event

We’re going to cut to the chase. There are two dishes you have to order. If you don’t have enough people to eat them, take at least one home for leftovers. The first is the duck, which is a golden brown beauty that’s dry-aged. It’s served with enough side dishes that the meal feels like Thanksgiving. The second is the Côte de Boeuf, another thing of beauty. Both dishes are executed best in class. I was with major foodies at this dinner, and everyone agreed that the duck was some of the best they had ever had.

Don’t Forget the Veg and Pescatarians

Is Francie in Brooklyn good for non-meat eaters? The answer is yes. For vegetarians, besides pastas like agnolotti with wild onion and fava there’s also a pithivier, which envelopes morels and artichoke in a thin, crispy pastry that’s a combination of puff and bread. For pescatarians there’s a mouthwatering halibut dish.

To Finish

The desserts are one reason to visit Francie in Brooklyn. We don’t know why more restaurants don’t do a proper cheese cart. The Francie version evoked the grandeur of the icon of cheese carts at the Louis XV in Monaco. This version is like the United Nations though; you have cheeses hailing from Vermont all the way to Austria. Of course there’s usually an époisses — a requisite for every cheese cart. We’d say even do a dessert-wine tasting here as it’s worth its own course. That is, if you have room for anything else after what will be a magnificent meal. Francie’s “new American” aspiration comes into play with classics like a sundae for two, and a warm sticky toffee pudding.

The Service

It looks like a number of industry veterans have moved to Brooklyn, because service was as knowledgeable as it gets. The owner and the sommeliers knows their stuff, so if you’re with any group that knows wine, this is where to go. Waitstaff known their food, and you won’t be in need of water, drinks, food or anything else. Francie’s waitstaff is attentive without overdoing it.

Overall: 9/10. We rarely give this rating. It’s well worth the ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

FAQs

Q: Where can one view the menu?

A: The menus are online.

Q: Where can one make a reservation?

A: Starting at 2p.m. on the days it is open, you can call 7182187572. Reservations can also be made on resy.com.

Q: When is Francie open?

A: It is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 5:30-10:30p.m.

Francie Information

Address: 136 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Phone number:   7182187572

Map: