Le Philosophe

You know you’ve lived in NYC for too long when venues close before you even get to reviewing them.
This is, unfortunately, the case with Le Philosophe. It’s a well-​loved French bistro that more than a few of my friends praised, so when the next session of brunch plans were up on the air, I quickly looked to this restaurants as one of the options. A wide-​windowed storefront and a simple, pared down interior make for one of the more welcoming venues, especially on a bright weekend afternoon. The brunch menu is even more of a draw, featuring a wide variety of dishes to please the egg, carbohydrate, and protein lovers, all at attractive price points.
Le Philosophe’s Brunch Burger is a safe bet, featuring a 7 ounce beef patty layered with caramelized onions, smoked bacon, and melted Gruyère, all sandwiched between a house made brioche bun. The patty was juicy and cooked to my requested medium rare, the gruyère added the perfect tang and creaminess to each bite, and while I found the large strips of bacon an almost comical presentation, I couldn’t complain about their presence. The side of french fries which came paired with a creamy aoili were crisp and well-​seasoned as well, and an appreciated side.
I suppose this review serves little use other than giving a nod to yet another New York City establishment that has fallen victim to the competitive dining landscape. While it certainly had its merits and its charms… well, perhaps something better will take its place. For now: Au revoir, Le Philosophe.

Warm comfy spot but on smaller side. Get the lobster Thermidor $ 38 & sides of Paris mash, grilled mushrooms and roasted sprouts. Also the Foraged Salad and gougeres (cheese puffs) for apps. Service was friendly but forgetful…

The food at this place is absolutely amazing. I’ve been here a few times now, and each time I’ve been staggered by the quality. I had the Duck Con Fit and followed it with the Duck L’Orange, I try and order duck whenever its on the menu. The fennel orange marmalade is a brilliant touch, and even the bread is toasted to the absolute perfect level of crispness.
The bottom line is this place really has its shit together. No bad dishes (that I’ve found yet), a friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff, and the perfect ambiance to tie everything together. Definitely my favorite place since I’ve moved to NYC.

We came here as a private party the other night — I found this place because it had a private room and a pre fixe menu, and when I presented the final options to our execs, the CMO exclaimed how much she loved this place.
We got there, and we were ushered into a small basement room — lovely lighting and lots of cellar eye-​candy on the shelves. Our waiter was a bit. ambivalent. he took 1 – 2 beer orders at a time and took FOREVER to bring bottles down. (We only had one waiter for a party of 22). We were told the room fit 20 but could be a «tight squeeze for 22−23», but the waiter huffed that the room only fits 17 and that’s why we were sitting thigh to thigh.
Once the waiter finally brought wine out (took close to 20 minutes from when we first sat), things started to be a bit smoother. He took orders quickly, and only 2 meals were screwy (one was a cold plate and one was not a vegetarian meal, when veg was requested). The food itself was delicious. The frog legs were well seasoned (the green broth it sat in really had little taste however). My duck l’orange was also properly seasoned and the skin was crisped perfectly. The duck itself was a bit over to my tastes, but I completely understand preparing for a group of 22 — that happens… and it was still tender. I stole a few pommes frites from my neighbor’s plate and they were delicious. Our third course was either profiteroles or chocolate mousse… I went with the profiteroles and my neighbor went with the mousse. both were indulgent and lovely, but whatever that dark chocolate ice cream gelato thing was that was included in the gorgeous chocolate mousse plating… oh MAN I could have just eaten THAT as my meal.
Again — décor was lovely, food was delicious and well seasoned, staff was not particularly helpful or prompt… overall a fine experience for such a large and demanding party.

We are very happy to finally be able to drive his highly touted restaurant. Unfortunately it does not live up to its reputation. Tthe bartender had trouble making a perfect Manhattan and after two tries we called it quits
The roasted Bone Marrow was excellent but the Frog Legs /​hen of the woods, sunchoke, watercress, garlic was very disappointing. You could not tell that you were eating frogs legs or anything else.
Blanquette de Veau was overcooked and somewhat tasteless. Lobster Thermidor /​mustard jus, Brussels sprouts, lardons is very rarely seen on any menus today and was prepared very nicely.
Profiteroles /​caramel ice cream, hazelnuts, chocolate sauce Very mediocre as was the two cappuccinos.
With tip the cost was $ 183. This restaurant is too inconsistent and certainly too expensive for the food served

Had brunch with friends here on a chilly Saturday.
The service was great and very attentive and friendly.
Of course I got the eggs because the french know how to make damn good eggs.
Eggs were light and fluffy and had a creamy texture, so they didn’t disappoint.
Also had a latte, which was delicious as well.
The space is also great for meeting with friends and having a nice long chat.

Great food (I had the Coq Au vin), service, ambiance. I particularly liked that the size of the place isn’t overwhelming and so it doesn’t get too loud despite being packed.
There are so many places to choose from these days, so got to bring A game to compete. Le Philosophe does so in all the ways that matter

Great time for a girls night or group dinner. They have additional space in the wine cellar which is great for a private party. The wine list offers up some reasonably priced bottles and the menu teeters between somewhat adventurous and classic french. I recommend the mussels and tourendos, both have such a rich flavor but I just don’t know how else to describe them besides incredibly delicious. Go ahead and try for yourself!
Our waiter was attentive and helpful but I’m taking a point off for the hostess stand. The host must of asked the name of reservation about five times and kept saying we would be sat in two minutes. It seems like there was a lot of confusion happening. 15 minutes later, we were actually sat. I don’t mind waiting but we suspected that the host gave our table to another table of four who happened to walk in at the same time.

It is an excellent restaurant, not big, but really classic.
The food was fantastic! it will give you a whole new tasting experience. I really don’t know how to write the review on this restaurant, when every thing is so perfect.

Came here for dinner with the boyfriend on a Friday night. I will say that from a reservation perspective, they were accommodating and helpful with helping me find a time.
Arrived and it was a bit confusing as there was no host to welcome me, so my boyfriend and I stood around awkwardly for like five minutes: a very different experience than what I had over the phone when making the reservation.
Once seated, the table was not clean and the server looked a bit annoyed as I think he knew it wasn’t ready yet and asked us to sit back while he cleaned the table.
With all that out of the way, the rest of the service went smoothly: waiter was attentive without being over bearing and checked in when our water /​beer glasses were empty.
Other diners were in the late 20’s to mid 30’s range, so the place was cool without being «too much.»
Overall, I was expected the food to be memorable, but alas, it was just OK. I had the foie gras appetizer and it fell a bit flat.
I would come again if someone else wanted to try it, but I would not go out of my way to come back.

Unless it’s exceedingly bad, I usually try not to comment on a place unless I’ve been there more than once. However, we enjoyed our meal and visit to Le Philosophe so much that I’ve waived the 2-​visit minimum rule. The atmosphere on the inside and the cobblestoned street out front scream Paris bistro, with a small, comfortable table that wan’t so long that you had to shout across it at your dining partner, small, fresh flowers on the table and an inviting atmosphere.
Even though we visited during Restaurant Week, we opted to dine off of the regular menu. We had a six PM rez on a Friday, and were seated right away. Our waiter took a while to get to us, but that was only because he was being bogarted by the over-​the-​top-​foodie couple at the next table. He showed admirable restraint as they bombarded him with questions about the preparation of the various appetizers, and babbling about the last time they were in Paris, which of course, they just had to pronounce as «Paree».
After he escaped, the service was more than awesome for the entire night. The place is snug, but not as tight some reviews made it out to be. It’s a small restaurant, so I expected a certain amount of closeness. I was never pushed, shoved, nudged or jostled by the wait staff, and to be honest, that took some doing in the close confines of the place.
The meal was very good. My wife had the Rossini, which was as rich and delicious as it looked. My bouillabaisse was tasty, and we didn’t lack for bread with which to soak up our respective sauces and broths. The pork and duck pâté was a delicious appetizer, and the mussels will definitely be on my order list the next time I’m there. We’d seen the profiteroles served at another table, and split them for our dessert. I’m sure that this won’t be the last time we order them too.
All in all, a very happy night and we couldn’t have been happier with our evening at Le Philosophe.

We came here for restaurant week summer 2015 dinner. The place itself is cute – fresh flowers on the table and they even have outdoor seating.
For RW we tried the corn soup, heritage tomato salad with basil ice cream, coq au vin, and steak.
The chilled corn soup was delicious. Tasted like summer in a bowl. I only wish there was a texture component to the dish.
The heritage tomato salad was great. The basil ice cream was a nice perfumey touch. I only wish there was more seasoning and or some cheese? The beautiful tomatoes would have benefited from some salt.
Coq au vin was delicious but for some reason the sauce tasted a little off to me. Maybe too acidic? But the chicken was cooked perfectly and wasn’t dry at all.
The beef was cooked to the right temperature. We asked for med rare and it was. But the corn bed it was laying on was sort of weird. It felt out of place and the sauce was AWFUL. It was a sour and bitter Madeira sauce. It needed a little more subtlety/​nuance.
On top of the RW menu we got the duck charcruterie board. SUPER yummy and redeemed the experience. They have a duck prosciutto that’s amazing.
The service was fine. Just fine. Nothing too much to say about it.
This place has been on my list because they apparently have one of the city’s best duck l’orange. I have to come back just for that I guess.

I’m on the fence whether to grace Le Philosophe with three or four stars, but I suppose a sub-​par burger bun and friendly yet spacey service on a Sunday brunch isn’t enough for me to mark them down. (Do I sound snobby? Not my intention. Ha!)
Initially, my usual two dining cohorts and I opted to come here for a Sunday Brunch to celebrate Restaurant Week for Summer 2015. We were quickly seated along a front window upon arriving and perused the R.W. menus. Though it looked delectable, yet decided that the regular brunch menu called out to us more. We wanted meat, duck, potatoes, and eggs! The brunch menu was well stocked and not obscenely priced. Two of us opted for Le Burger (or, perhaps, Les Burgers), topped with caramelized onion, Gruyère, and perfectly crisped bacon. The burger boasts a homemade brioche bun… and that’s where they lost me a little bit. It may have just been a dud of a bun, but I found it to be very dry, dry to the point where I questioned if I might have been a hair stale. Even the juices of the burger did little to make it more palatable. The burger, apart from the bun, was spectacular and cooked to a perfect medium-​rare. The frites and aioli served along side were the icing on the cake. Our other friend got Ragout de Canard du Philosophe and seemed quite pleased.
Service was friendly, and sure, it was a full dining room on a Sunday at 1 p.m. Still, when trying to catch the attention of waitstaff, there was a bit of effort to be had on our parts. I saw this from two neighboring tables as well.
I may not have gone full «French» on this meal, but was pleased, overall, by the food and the atmosphere.

A very good French bistro equipped with great food, mediocre service, and huge windows left open amidst a record heat wave – just as you’d get in Paris. Go in with a focus on the food and you’ll be happy.
Both the Foie Gras Torchon and the Moules were incredible appetizers.
The foie gras is whipped to a perfectly creamy, yet weighty consistency. And it comes with great contrasting flavors in the basil purée and the cherry marmalade.
The broth the moules are prepared in is outstanding. The portion size is not. About 50% of what you’d normally expect.
For main courses, the Canard a l’orange (duck) was the standout. Perfectly cooked at medium rare (perhaps, at points, closer to just rare), the sauce and the crispy salty skin work off the orange flavor perfectly. The Homard Thermidor (lobster) was also a compelling take on lobster with a nice combination of mustard seed, tarragon, etc. for exceptional flavor.
The fish of the day was the biggest miss. Really plain and actually didn’t come with the couscous the menu alleged it did.
Dessert was also quite good. Profiteroles were outstanding. The Soufflé Glacé had a great Grand Marnier flavored ice cream, but it did lack that mousse consistency.

Ask for the General Manager Toni and escape away to the streets of Paris as you delve into a culinary journey fit for royalty. Also: Steak Frites are an absolute must.
As it goes Il était tout simplement délicieux

If you think French food is fancy and pretentious with white table clothes (it could be)
Le Philosophe is at the other spectrum of French dining.
Le Philosophe is a small and cozy spot serving rustic French dishes.
Me and my partners in dining walk in and are quickly seated. On their website it clearly states, «PRICE FIXE AVAILABLE» well, I wanna know what’s on the PF. No sir, its not available on weekends. Well sparky, it should be on the website saying weekdays only.
I’ll continue.
All of the starters look great, my brother in law orders heirloom tomatoes, my wife orders a salad with a buttermilk sorbet (??), forget all that. I ordered a classic French dish, a pistachio/​duck mousse. Oooh la la!
The mousse was whipped so light, so flavorful it was just a pleasure to eat slowly and enjoy every morsel.
My wife ordered Steak Frites with french cut fries made in duck fat. I had to cut off the waiter, what type of steak cut?
Oh its a flat iron steak, very good very good.
Yeah… A flat iron cut is a piece of beef with a membrane that makes it a tough steak. Sure there’s Wagyū or Kobe beef flat iron steaks. I’ll pass
No, I ordered a classic French dish, Canard ala Orange or what we up north simply call duck breast.
(I said duck season fire! sorry, the bugs bunny in me comes out)
Oh baby. where have you been all my life?
The duck breast was cooked perfectly. Great flavors and the hint of orange just intensifies the dish.
Our waiter was great, very knowledgeable. I would have loved to try dessert with my three course meal but. there was no price fixe, I have nothing to report.
Le Philosophe, a small and cozy French restaurant that Julia herself would approve.

Definitely one of my favorite French places in the city. Nice décor and awesome food! The duck confit is like a taste explosion in my mouth. And the steak is pretty good.
I wasn’t a fan of the lamb chop special the last time I came. It was a bit bland and the portion was tiny.

Le Philosophe is situated on a small street in Noho along a row of hidden NYC dining treasures. They serve classic-​modern French dishes that were accompanied with fantastic service. All the servers are very tentative and understanding. We got a free appetizer on the house in light of our delayed appetizers. (I did not even feel that they were taking a long time either.) Even though we were 30 minutes late to dinner on Valentine’s Day evening, the host was ever so polite to not make a fuss and still seat us right away. I could not be more satisfied with my dining experience!
We started off with frog legs and bone marrow toast for appetizers. Unfortunately, I would have to say that these frog legs were over-​cooked and bone marrow toast did not offer enough bone marrow for the bread. Cocktails on the other hand were delicious, but light. I would recommend ordering a glass or bottle of wine, if the occasion or mood permits. My favorite dish so far is the duck l’orange cooked to medium-​rare. The red wine braised chicken was perfectly cooked. You could really taste the red wine reduction yet it did not over power the chicken. This was my first time having duck slightly cooked and now I yearn for more. The accompanied sauce duo complimented and brought out the natural essence of the meat delivery a savory bite.

Great post-​spa brunch! Staff was extremely accommodating to our large group and we ended up staying 3 hours at the restaurant, ordering more bottles of wine. The ambiance is inviting and although it’s in NoHo, no pretentious downtown feel…
Everyone was raving about their dishes, esp the duck hash. I really enjoyed my eggs bene with salmon. The potatoes amd frites were amazing with hollandaise dipping sauce! Must get the caramel ice cream dessert!
Planning to go back in the future…

We went in later than our usual dining time and as it was after the hustle and bustle of peak hour, we felt like the staff took better care of us as they were not as frazzled.
As an example, they knew and cared enough to tell us the white wine on offer was different from their usual and offered to replace it with a better selection (for free and without being asked to do so) — as he knew it will not go well with the appetizers we ordered. It was a nice touch and if he had f**ked everything else up the whole night he would still have won us over.
For appetizers we had the beets, carrots, apricots as well as the oysters. The beets/​carrots/​apricots were a particularly memorable salad/​dish. For mains we had the tournedos rossini and the lobster thermidor.
We are usually in and out efficiently with our dinner but we even stayed around for dessert and had the profiteroles and the blanc-​manger.
Everything was superb — the staff actually came out in the end and asked us if we enjoyed ourselves — curiously enough only French restaurants seem to care enough to ask this basic question of its customers…