Les Halles - Review

Intro
Les Halles - Recommended
411 Park Ave S, New York 10016
Btwn 28th & 29th St
Phone: 212-679-4111

Went to Les Halles for a going away dinner with some co-workers Thursday. I've frequented this place many a time before, but this was the first time in about 4 years. Still a solid place for bistro food and pretty cool to go after watching the Les Halles episode on No Reservations. Overall, I give the restaurant an 81/100.

My Menu
1) Frisse Aux Lardon - Slightly Recommended
2) L'Entrecote Du Boucher - Recommended
3) Cheeses - Not Recommended

Dish Comments
1) Salad is crispy and nicely coated with dressing, lardons are crunchy, and the roquefort croutons are nice. Something about the dish made it feel like this was made way in advance though...lardons should have been warm and they were cold.
2) Ribeye with frites and bearnaise. Ribeye was nicely cooked and quite juicy - good beefy flavor. Fries were great and the bearnaise was very tasty. Solid dish; however, the steak was a little too fatty even for me.
3) Compte, roquefort, and another cheese...all were unmemorable. Very salty and not really that flavorful. Textures also were not very pleasing . I guess bobolink really ruined it for me. All cheeses are held to a much higher standard now.

Overall Restaurant Experience (81/100)

• Food 8.0/10 – Decent bistro food.
  
• Service 8.5/10 – Great job getting the food out for 15+ people quickly. Wine glasses seemed like they were never empty.
  
• Atmosphere 8.0/10 – Bar atmosphere that is great for a large group. Very loud noise level and packed with large groups. Got there at 6:00pm on Thursday with a reservation and were seated promptly. Place was a tad empty till 7pm then it was packed with people.
  
• Price 8.3/10 – Price was very pricey per person, but that was because of the endless amount of bottles that we ordered all night. Steaks are 19-28 and frisee is about $10 - great price point minus the absurd amount of wine.
  

Closing Comments
Great times at Les Halles, but it always seems like a great time there. Les Halles is a solid choice for large groups as you can be very loud. However, if you want solid food with a less boisterous group, I would pick DB Bistro Moderne or Cercle Rouge. I would potentially recommend Artisanal, but I've heard the chef has moved on since I last visited so caveat emptor...