Dirty French

This is really great place to take a fancy-​ish date without breaking the wallet.
As we walked in, we were promptly escorted to an antique table with dimmering candle light by waiter dressed in the classic «Garçon» uniform. As we sat, we are enveloped by light, vanilla scent. I can hear a faint french jazz playing the background to add to the mood … or was it my imagination?
The waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and french wine, and has just a whiff of pretentiousness to let you know he is french.
A manager (or a random french guy) person stopped by our table to chat with us for a little bit as we were nearing the end of the meal, and gave us some recommendation for dessert. In the stereotypical french manner, he shamelessly, flirtatiously complimented my date, and as he left he did the french laughter «a-​hoh-​hoh-​hoh», as if he were delighted by our exchange.
The food itself was excellent. Millefeuille which I order after reading Unilocal reviews exceeds my expectations. My lamb was a little overdone, as i suspect the waiter heard «medium-​well» instead of «medium-​rare» as I specified. the steamed bass has a nice fishy taste to it that I enjoyed even though I normally dont eat fish.
The dessert, we ordered the beignet, as recommended by Flirty McFrenchy, which 100% was on-​point. We could not stop eating the soft fluffy pastry dipped in sweet caramel even though we were full. But its ok because we needed the extra layer fat to protect us against the cold NY winter.
Overall, it was a fun French experience for this non-​French person.

What a way to cap out 2015 with a dinner at Dirty French! I heard about its opening about a year ago but thought nothing of it until I was discussing dinner plans with my friend who wanted to try it. I reread Pete Wells’ review in the NYTimes and decided to try the Duck L’Orange.
We had reservations for 7:30pm and arrived a bit early so waited for my friend in front of the Ludlow Hotel where I people watched.
Despite the reservations, we still had to wait at the bar but no longer than 5 minutes to get the table ready. My friend and I usually purchase a bottle of wine to go with our meal and since it was Dirty French, all the wines were from France and very, very expensive.
My friend J and I read up on other reviews so she wanted to try the millefeuille as appetizers and we both agreed we would share the duck l’orange and the boulangère with a side of pomme frites. Since the bottle of wine was out of our price range, we decided to order cocktails. I usually like J’s choice and she sometimes likes mine so we ended up switching from time to time. She ordered a chai matsuda and I had a muddy water since I am a fan of whiskey.
Our waitress and sommelier were very attentive and were available to answer any of our questions regarding the dishes we wanted to order. Despite that fact, it was a very busy night, surrounded with very trendy and beautiful people, the waitstaff was always there to refill our waters and we never had to wave anyone done.
Our waitress started us out with this amazing flat bread with light herbs that doesn’t overpower the taste and which you can spread with butter. Both J and I immediately fell in love with it and our waitress was nice enough to offer another plate as we waited for our dishes.
Since Dirty French was relatively new and trendy, my expectations were small plates but when our main dishes arrived, I was surprised how large the duck and the lamb servings were. My duck l’orange had three enormous chunks of breasts and J’s dish had 4 – 5 pieces of large cut lamb. As usual, we shared the dishes and both agreed the Duck L’ Orange was spectacular. I didn’t know much about the preparation that went into the dish until I mentioned it to a coworker who sent me a link from Eater stating how its dry aged for 30 days and seared at 1,000 degrees. WOW, that is one impressive dish that you can easily seduce someone who has a penchant for all things duck!
The whole meal was impressive and I was suprised J wanted to try the dessert here as she usually is the one who indulges me. Our waitress again went over the dessert menu with us and left us to consult with each other. J choose the tarte which was preserved lemon, almond and toasted meringue. it was a refreshing way to end the meal.
I’d definitely come back for the Duck L’orange but equally interested in their brunch menu.

Don’t believe the hype. Ridiculously overpriced and plain out bad. We started with the etouffée and then shared the chicken and crepes. The etouffée was reasonable but drenched in butter and with soggy crab.
Now on to the main dish… The white meat tasted like the chicken you find inside a chicken nugget — overprocessed, tasteless and rubbery. They say tender but it just tastes fake, exactly like airplane chicken. Actually my airplane chicken was more edible than that. I don’t know how they can serve something like this for $ 39 pp. The brown meat was reasonable but I can get chicken wings for one third of that price.
On the plus side, the drinks are delicious (one star for that) and the complementary bread was probably the best thing we ate all night.
The service is also spotless. Read the not recommended reviews on here and you’ll get a better sense of the stars this place should actually have!

Love Dirty French! I hate to admit it but I came here only after seeing it on an episode of Master of None. Anyway, I’m happy I did because the food was amazing! The flatbread with fromage blanc was so insanely delicious, I ordered 3. We also got the buttermilk and shallot salad, tartar, short ribs, cumin crusted lamb, a pungent bottle of wine to wash it down and a lemon tart and beignets. All so good, especially the tartar with a crêpe and the lamb. And the flatbread, did I mention that? Service was great. The clientele is trendy as f, just an observation.

Best food I’ve ever had in my whole life. Please try the oysters and the mushroom carpaccio.
Nothing less then perfection!!!

One of the best restaurants in NYC.
In the spirit of true French service, the host was pretentious and couldn’t fit a party of 2 in on a Weds night without a reservation. Only seats available were FCFS at the bar, which I almost enjoyed because my final victory in scoring 2 seats at the bar left me with such a feeling of accomplishment! If you’re not into stalking and pouncing for your dinner table, make a reservation :)
The Cocktails are a little on the pricey side ($ 16) but expertly made and strong! I had the Chai something and it was similar to a Manhattan with a chicory flavor.
My friend and I had the:
Baked Oyster appetizer — 5 stars, delicious!
Chèvre Salad — I didn’t try this but my friend seemed to enjoy
Duck a l’Orange — very good, nice crispy skin on top.
Pommes purée — this is basically butter with some potato sprinkled in it :). In other words, rich, smooth and delicious! Exactly the way mashed potatoes should be.
Haricots asiatique — these were good, not mind blowing
And then… for dessert…
The beignets!!!
Delicious, light, fluffy beignets that my friend (who went to college at Tulane) said were better than Café du Monde’s in New Orleans. The flavor was subtle orange and floral bergamot, and came with a delicious caramel dipping sauce. This is the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Highly recommend!

I went to Dirty French for my birthday dinner. We were sat at our table quickly. The waitress gave us recommendations on appetizer and entrees.
Bourguignon (Lightly grilled oyster) i loved the topping and the bread that came with it
Meunière (brook trout, sesame, dried apricot) skin was fried crispy
Duck à l’Orange (ras el hanout, preserved oranges)
Haricots Asiatique (string beans i think) a little bit too salty
And for dessert we ordered Beignets with chicory caramel sauce. Small doughnut kind of pastry with dipping sauce.
Overall it was a good experience.
Dessert came with a small candle on a jelly for my birthday.

As seen on Master of None. Although, I’ll bet Aziz didn’t have this much trouble getting a reservation at a normal dining hour. Jeez.
After entering, I was pretty happy to see a very casual, laid-​back vibe, despite Dirty French being touted as a very trendy French restaurant. The place is fairly large, located within the Ludlow Hotel. I was able to snag a good reservation time, but only because I booked weeks in advance, so be on the lookout for that. Unfortunately, we were both feeling fairly under the weather, so we decided to forgo the cocktails. However, as a result, we dove right into the menu.
The highlights:
— Roquefort salad: Delicious with the very pungent cheese, and the candied cashews are bomb
— Millefeuille: Mushrooms in curry with a bit of creaminess, likely my favorite dish
— Lamb Carpaccio: super thinly sliced and delicious
— Ahi Tuna Tartare: tender, and served with a crêpe crostini.
— Cote de Boeuf for 2: On the rarer side, but delicious and fatty/​flavorful
Also, the complimentary flatbread is pretty unreal and comes with some really good crème fraîche. Unstoppable. So good that we even asked for more, despite us ordering like crazy. The fatassery is real.
Service was very friendly and attentive, and was very good about the recommendations. On the other hand, prices are on the exorbitantly expensive side for some of the entrees. The quality is definitely great, but it is very pricey. Again, we did go for the most expensive stuff on the menu, so you can take my advice with a grain of salt.
I’ll be back to try the cocktails, and to get some more of that free bread, or try the lamb burger for lunch/​brunch, or the chicken and crepes. I would recommend Dirty French for a special occasion or for casual drinks, if you manage to snag a couple seats by the bar.

We had drinks at the bar. As always we choose our place to go depending on setting and décor. This place is beautiful! Some really interesting décor settings. Cozy and modern with a warm feeling. French restaurant as the name suggests…
All American whiskey and bourbon in the bar and the bartender knows her stuff.
It’s pricey but really nice.
Will be back for dinner later this week.

There are seemingly endless Brunch options in the city, but Dirty French is a particularly good one with extremely high quality dishes.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
You know, I honestly can’t place the décor here at Dirty French, but there’s abundant seating and a great crowd of fast and knowledgable servers who, in the case of my party of four, lead us all to fantastic dishes. Make a reservation — obviously. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
A friend and I split two dishes (the Duck Hash and the French Dip sandwich), and if I recall correctly they were $ 21 and $ 18 respectively. While the portions weren’t massive, the dishes were filling in their own right, and as you’ll see they were of very high quality. Also of note here is that each table gets a tray of four exceptional pastries, so it’s essentially a free dessert. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Very good. The Duck Hash was reasonably portioned between the eggs, the potato and the duck, and it all came together brilliantly when mixed.
The French Dip sandwich was of the same caliber, with a nice crunchy on the outside soft on the inside consistency that served it’s purpose of absorbing the au jus and coming together with what was some excellent roast beef cooked medium/​rare.
Finally, the pastries served prior to the meal were out of this world, and I’d gladly come just for the pastries. Dual Stars Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Dirty French is a great Brunch option, but there are so many other good options nearby that I can’t quite go full five stars here. No Star Granted.

You must eat the DUCK! Vous devez manger Canard à l’Orange! «Duck a L’Orange» is a phenomenal French classic. I’ve had dozens of duck dishes in my life, but how about 2 big pieces of roasted duck that take up to a month to make? The skin is thin and crispy. The duck is so soft that its melt in your mouth. I thought the duck is tiny (because it’s French, duh), but no my stomach was filled up contentedly. Imagine a whole duck, it must be ridiculously large before dry-​aging. Check out this article to see how it takes 30 days to make duck at Dirty French:
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I found Dirty French from Master of None, and now I see why Aziz Ansari is so crazy about this place. From appetizers to entrees, everything is meticulous and precise. The ambiance is not at all formal. Some customers even proudly sang along and danced to the music at a table. I guess they didn’t expect to hear their favorite hit songs from the 80s besides a nice dinner.

THE SERVICE HERE IS AMAZING!!!
I picked this place for my birthday brunch after seeing it featured on «Masters of None». This place lived up to hollywood hype and everything was so delicious!
I loved the service here, we had the best waitress and she even gave us a tasty little drink to celebrate my birthday! Oh, and because it was brunch she brought out a little sweets tray early to make sure we got one since it was the last one!
I loved the look of this place! Its a LES gem and everything you want to see in a real NYC restaurant.

We came here for a birthday with a party of five. We were seated right away in a booth in the corner. The service was excellent. They kept our waters full and someone was always coming by to check on us. I was surprised about the menu. I get that this is progressive traditional French cuisine, not Americanized. But the only chicken option was for two people, there was no salmon, no onion soup, etc. I split the mussels appetizer with my sister and that was very good. It could have been a meal. I ordered the trout as my main course and that was great. Generous size and very flavorful. My sister got the bass and it was a much smaller piece and it was floating in a bowl with a green broth. It looked so unappetizing. I would have sent it back.
We also got a side of pomme frites and mashed potatoes. The pomme frites were nothing special, even not good. The mashed potatoes were the best mashed potatoes on this earth. They were amazing. I tried not to tell the others about it so I could have more to myself.
We also got a bottle of pino gree which none of us really liked. For dessert we shared the beignets which were okay. I probably would not come back. For the price you can find more satisfying food elsewhere.

Took 35 minutes past our reservation to seat us but did not offer water while we were waiting, so that was a disappointment.
Even after we were seated the service was very slow. We finally got to order our food 15 minutes after sitting down. The waiter offered a glass of champagne on the house to make up for the wait. He was sweet but It seemed like they were understaffed the entire time, so I think they’d do better on the service front if they had more people working during the peak hours.
Also, the dip sold out by the time we were ordering, so they should step up the planning game too.
The great food made up for the service. The lamb burger was amazing and came with a side of steak fries, which was top notch too, I didn’t try anything else so can’t speak for other dishes but all of my friends thoroughly enjoyed their food.
The entire experience was pleasant because of the cute décor and good food but I would be annoyed if the service was this slow again during my next visit.

KenScale: 8.0÷10
It’s been a while since I visited Dirty French. I wanted to check in and see how the restaurant and its decadent French cuisine have evolved over time. The super-​chef duo of Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi certainly don’t mess around. As with my previous experience, there were some really big flavors; on the other hand, there were still some mixes that made it hard to justify the hefty price tag at this constantly buzzing restaurant.
The highlight of my meal last time was the mushroom millefeuille with green curry. This time, the dish instead came with yellow squash curry, and I still liked it as much as last time. One of my dining companions who is a lifelong vegetarian certainly approved of this dish. Another dining companion was really looking forward to grilled oysters with garlic and parsley and absolutely loved it, as did I. It was one of the most luscious oyster dishes I’ve had in a while. I also loved salmon maison (think lox but in more extravagant form) that was more or less perfectly cured. I didn’t have the famed chicken and crepes last time and had the appetite to try it this time. First came the white meat that came with mustard sauce; it was alright, but the meat could’ve been more tender and the mustard sauce felt a bit overpowering at times. On the other hand, the dark meat portion that you can wrap in crepes was more successful; it somewhat reminded me to Peking duck dish with French twist. I enjoyed the rich flavor of the dish and you can spice it up a bit more with pepper. Desserts were somewhat mixed. Preserved lemon tarte with almond was nicely executed, but not particularly mind-​blowing, while chocolate fondant with coconut sorbet was a bit too sweet for my paste.
The restaurant is still overflowing with people and getting a reservation is still very hard to pull off unless you’re willing to dine at really early or late dinner hours. It still has that trendy vibe but if could also overwhelm you with all the craziness and noise surrounding the dining room. If you’re looking for an extravagant dinner in a chic setting, Dirty French is still the place to try; just make sure to book early or show up early and try your luck at the walk-​in tables.

***Contrary to popular belief: YOU DO NOT NEED A RESERVATION!***
We were wondering where to have dinner after leaving Meow Parlour when my friend said «Have you been to Dirty French?» I went on a whole spiel about overhearing ladies in my yoga class complaining about how difficult it was to score a reservation even a month in advance and was pretty sure we would be turned away. Instead, he was like «Well, it was raved by the NYT, so lets give it a shot since we’re practically here.» Well guess what, I love being wrong for the better lol. We approached the host reservation-​less and they were super accomodating. We were seated in the enclosed garden which was lovely!
Our server was absolutely the sweetest! We spotted Frank Lampard at the bar and my friend was starstruck. +1 for celebrity sightings.
Service is extraordinarily polite and lovely. Bread is unique and tasty. Millefeuille a must-​get, oysters fresh, and scallops on point.
Bathrooms downstairs.

Dirty French was the perfect location for a leisurely lunch with a friend. We started with some bubbles and the ahi tuna served on a delicious crêpe with some greens — absolutely delicious! The bread served with our meal was also divine.
For our next course we shared the chevre salad with crunchy sunchokes and pears. It was a perfect fall salad! I don’t always love fruit in my salad but the combination of flavors was spot on. I’ve been looking for something similar in Philly ever since!
Finally, we shared the roasted chicken and amazingly hot, crisp, perfectly-​salted pommes frites. The frites were thick-​cut and served with an incredible aioli.
Service was great and very accommodating with the fact that we were not in a rush and wanted to space out our meal. I’m very excited to have another go-​to restaurant while in New York!

This place is pretty cool. I have never been to the lower east side. We came for brunch on Sunday and we really went to town. My favorite was the ham plate and I thoroughly enjoyed everything. YOU MUST ORDER THIS! Our server was fabulous and super friendly. I had two bloody mary cocktails and I was in heaven.
I strongly suggest coming here if you are given the opportunity. The décor is also pretty cool as well.

This came very close to being a two star review and then became a four star one in an instant. Read the story — it has a happy ending.
We made a same-​day Sunday reservation at Dirty French for 12:15. Due to a combination of faulty map applications and delayed subways, I got to the restaurant around 12:35. They had held our table and we sat immediately.
We were starving and pretty excited to order. After a few minutes, we noticed that the tables around us were having their orders taken, but not us. Strange, but it was busy, so we waited. After 15 – 20 minutes of this (before you chastise me for not speaking up, remember that I was 15 – 20 minutes late for my reservation), someone finally came to give us water. He didn’t appear to be a waiter, but when we said we were ready for food, he took our order. We ordered three items.
A bread selection was delivered to our table. We received a donut, two Madeleines, and monkey bread. I love that these were not only complimentary, but delicious. The donut was incredible and the other pastries were nothing to laugh at. Scarfed this down. Food was off to an excellent start.
After some more waiting, we were not checked in on and the table next to us was all but wrapping up. Our food eventually came out, and it was brought by a busser. I would have not said anything about not being assigned a server, except no condiments or drinks ever came out. We asked for ketchup. We waited some more. Nothing.
Here’s where our luck changed. One of the managers proactively approached our table. He could tell we were annoyed and, without being prompted, he explained that our table had slipped through the cracks and hadn’t been assigned a server. He then proceeded to bring me my drink, bring out the ketchup, and comp our entire meal. Yes, you heard me right there. While I was personally pretty shocked that it wasn’t simply a round of drinks, I was glad that he recognized how our experience had been and was intent on rectifying it. That guy gets five stars himself. Not to get off topic, but I’ve always had similar experiences at Major Food Group restaurants — I was at Parm during a black out and had similar treatment. The people at these restaurants are fantastic.
Onto the food! Once we got our full meal, we were blown away by the food. I got the eggs Benedict which was incredible. The cook on the eggs and the hollandaise sauce were on point. We also got the duck hash which was AWESOME. I don’t even like hashes generally speaking. I ordered the lilikoi drink which was great since it wasn’t too sweet.
At the end of the meal, as promised, everything was comped — and they brought out spoons. Complimentary dessert. See the picture — self explanatory. I was stuffed but I managed to make some room to consume it.
In the end, our not-​so-​hot experience was turned into a much better one. The food was great anyway but the service was even better. They went above and beyond to ensure a positive experience. Do I expect something comped every time something goes wrong? Not at all. But I appreciated their willingness to admit their mistakes up front — before we had to have the awkward experience of asking for a manager. I will definitely be back. Dirty French has gained a fan.

We didn’t end up having dinner at Dirty French. This one star is for their reservations systems.
If you make a reservation at DF and cancel the day of, they will charge $ 50/​per person. I’m totally fine with this requirement because it prevents the restaurant from dealing with last minute cancellations and should help them plan their seatings better… right?
We show up for our 8 pm reservation at 8:07 pm. The host tells us that there are a couple of tables wrapping up, so I gave him my number to text me when the table was ready. Both of us where hungry, so I also told him we might eat elsewhere if it’s too long of a wait.
I got a text at 9:11 pm that they had a table ready. For a 9 pm reservation, that would have been great. For an 8 pm reservation, I find that ridiculously late. By 9:11 pm, we were already seated at Wildar and having an AMAZING meal. And btw, we waited on DF until 8:45 pm before sitting down at Wildair.
DF — Manage your seating times better!!!
I highly recommend you skip through the hassle of going to Dirty French and walk a couple of blocks south to WIldair. We had a delicious meal of Olive Oil & Bread, Scallop Crudo, Beef Tartare, and Spicy Tuna… and the total came out to be less than $ 50. Service at Wildair was super friendly and warm, and the atmosphere was relaxed. They had their windows open, so we could enjoy the fall air. Just go there instead.