Rebelle

J’ai passé un merveilleux dîner d’anniversaire chez Rebelle, de A à Z tout y était parfait ! Accueil, saveurs, vins, cadre… Nous avions eu des doutes à la lecture de certains commentaires, mais aujourd’hui je me dis que c’est quand même sûrement beaucoup de mauvaise foi.
Sur la taille des portions, je né sais pas comment font certains New Yorkers pour trouver les quantités insuffisantes, pour ma part à la fin du dîner je n’aurais rien pu avaler de plus ! Mais j’ai eu juste assez de place pour goûter l’un des desserts originaux, audacieux, proposés.
La carte des vins est bluffante, mais plus encore la sommelière qui en quelques mots a su nous cerner et nous proposer une bouteille parfaite (et loin d’être chère !).
Le service a été aux petits soins, le Chef et son second se sont déplacés à notre table, le rythme était parfait… Et l’addition? Ce n’est pas un restaurant «bon marché», on est dans du haut de gamme. Néanmoins il reste moins cher que certaines tables plus connues, plus courues, où pourtant vous né trouverez pas forcément plus de saveurs, dans un même quartier…
Allez-​y, régalez-​vous !

I came for the wine list but stayed for the food. Only negative? I can explain how slow the service was by how many pieces of bread I ate. The wait time in between courses would have been unbearable if the bread wasn’t fantastic, and we had more than enough time for a second bottle of wine… Smart move on Rebelle’s part, but come on. Speed things up a little!

When charging $ 29 for a half portion of cassoulet, expectations are high. Admittedly the magret texture was on point (although the flavor absent), the duck confit was perfect and the sausage very tasty, but 7 white beans seems a bit laughable. Especially! When they run out of bread and bring you freshly unfrozen slices. The sommelier, although she described the Beaujolais we asked about accurately, could not make one pairing recommendation when prompted. The tartare was the high point though, with generous chunks and great treatment of the sunchoke.
The décor is underwhelming and without much personality, and they had restrooms issues. Service was very pleasant.

Rebelle recently opened its doors for lunch, and so this review pertains to the Sunday brunch experience. I’ll be sure to return to try the dinner for its impressive wine menu.
ATMOSPHERE — The restaurant looks harsh when you first walk in: industrial lighting, white napkins, black chairs and tables against grey walls and exposed bricks. However, upon closer observation, you can spot elegant details such as the grey and white marble trim separating the exposed brick from the cushioned seats, the matching marble at the bar, the large abstract paintings propped against the wall. The dining room in the rear of the restaurant, a perfectly sized space to rent for a private event, has a natural skylight that brightens the room. The restaurant seems unpretentious, but then you realize you’re about to pay $ 25+ for a dish.
SERVICE — Excellent service from the hostess and from the staff. I originally had a 1:30pm reservation, but since our shopping trip ended a little early and we were starving, I called to move our reservation up to 12:30pm. Not a problem. The restaurant was on the emptier side on a Sunday at 12:30pm, but filled up very quickly once it hit 1pm. Our waitress was polite and attentive throughout the meal.
DRINKS — The Bloody Mary cart that circles the tables is an ingenious idea. For $ 14, you can customize the fixings on your bloody mary. It was delicious, it inspires me to set up a bloody mary bar cart in my apartment.
FOOD — We ordered the following dishes:
1) Egg, Tomato, Onion, Cumin on Sourdough Toast ($ 18) Pureed tomato sauce is the base of the dish, topped by two eggs that turns into a delicious gooey mess once you poke it, topped more with coarsely chopped herbs. The two pieces of sourdough are meant for sopping up the tomato and egg concoction.
2) Steak, Potato, Fried Egg and Bordelaise ($ 28). A bit heavy for breakfast, but every bite is better than the last. The steak is perfect when served medium rare.
3) Lobster, Cabbage, Slow Cooked Egg, fine herbs ($ 24). One lobster tail, approximately 4 inches placed on top of white cabbage leaves and an egg that is so fragile, you can break it by shaking the bowl.
BONUS MUSIC TRACKS — I fell in love with the live band that played at the front of the restaurant. Since we were seated in the back, the music wasn’t drowning out our conversation. It was collectively a perfect Sunday brunch.

Came here with my girl friends last night and we were all very excited to try the Michelin 1 star french restaurant.
The menu, from my point of view, is short. It was categories into 4 groups (first (cold appetizer), second (hot appetizer), third (main course) and fourth (desserts) .) We decided to order 4 appetizers & 4 man courses so we got to share and try everything.
We ordered Smoked Foie Gras, Cured Fluke, Scallop w/​sea urchin and Lobster w/​cabbage for appetizers, and my favorite dish is lobster with cabbage. The dish is simple and is simply amazing. I’ve never known that cabbage can taste that good
The scallop with sea urchin is too salty and i can’t taste the sweet of sea urchin. The cured fluke is ok, but I felt the brown butter and caper didn’t give this dish any credit.
For main courses, we ordered fish, dock and pork. Hake with lit clams was delicious, but dock and pork were just ok. I were a little bit disappointed because I expected more, but I felt none of these dishes really impress me.

Though this restaurant claims to be French, I would categorize it more as a very hip wine bar with delicious, slightly deconstructed, new american food.
We went as a family of 7 and asked to be seated at the round table (which makes for pleasant conversation all around). Between all of us, we ordered mostly the vegetarian, chicken, and fish options. The food was delicious — not over seasoned so as to bring out the true flavor of what we were eating.
I did find the pairing of lobster with cabbage to be quite peculiar, but it was fine. The Fluke and Beef Tartare were delicious.
Service was outstanding and unprententious. All together, it was a reasonable price to pay for what we got. If this review sounds lukewarm, it’s because I can’t say that the food was out of this world, and yet it was very good.
My sense is that if we ordered more wine (and they have an extensive wine list) and that was our highlight in choosing this restaurant, then the food would make more sense.

Went here for NYE. I really wanted to like this place.
For the big evening, Rebelle had a tasting menu in place of their regular a la carte menu. While there were some decent notes food-​wise, overall the dishes disappointed. Flavors were flat (e.g., crudo with uni tasted like unseasoned raw fish with an unrelated dollop of uni on top).
Even with disappointing food, the bigger problem was service. While our server was gregarious, he struggled with re-​setting our table in between courses and getting the food on the table. The pacing was slow; service was clumsy and annoying.
To add insult to injury, the hostess sold us a round of champagne to have at midnight (really, you couldn’t comp a round of champagne when we’re dropping $ 1K plus?), but the waiter failed to get it on the table before the countdown started. He was literally running to the table as it started so we didn’t even have champagne in our glasses for midnight. The restaurant was ¹⁄₃ full so busy he was not. No apology, no comp. Terrible.
I regret going here and want my $ 1200 back.

Great food. Average and a bit weird service. Nice atmosphere. Huge wine list (I noticed, but didn’t order, lots of NY wines on the list).
Got a quiet little two top and enjoyed the food immensely. We had the foie gras, fluke, tartare, scallop, lobster, and duck. We ordered a bottle of champagne and had a pear dessert with a lovely sheep’s milk ice cream. The food was awesome. Each dish looked fantastic, and I was completely satisfied at the end. The lobster was perfectly cooked, and the scallops had fantastic elements in the dish (uni!)
The overall service was good, but our server seemed disinterested in us most of the dinner. Food came out and was explained. Water glasses and wine glasses were refilled. Everyone was nice. Our server checked on us once or twice. I wouldn’t have noticed that he could have been better except that when he found out my table mate wasn’t my date, suddenly, he was much warmer, engaged, and friendlier. Suddenly, he seemed to care if we were enjoying ourselves. Also he suddenly started gendering us («ladies»), which was uncomfortable as I’m genderqueer. It was such an abrupt turn around I realized he hadn’t engaged us at all before or even really made eye contact. Strange.
Overall it was a pretty good experience. Like I said above, great food and average/​weird service.

Summary:
For a Michelin starred restaurant, this place was pretty disappointing. While the wine selection was indeed impressive, the food was very underwhelming. I doubt they will get the gold star next year…
Food:
My girlfriend and I got three courses and shared everything. The fluke appetizer was a bit chewy but not terrible. The sauce on the fluke was light and refreshing yet nothing to write home about. For the second, we got the scallop which I know is an extremely easy dish to mess up, but I would expect better from such an establishment. The scallops were overcooked, quite unfortunately. The third course was the chicken which was the most underwhelming of all the dishes. Recommended to us by our waiter, this was just a piece of roast chicken, that while juicy, failed to be inspiring. I was very disappointed with it.
Drinks:
The wine by the glass selection is, understandably quite short. The cocktail we had, forget the name, was merely average.
Atmosphere:
Very bad acoustics. We could barely carry on a conversation which added to the frustration. I guess you can take a hot date here who you don’t care to listen to?
Service:
Friendly, but a bit slow. The guy also seemed a bit confused when taking our order.

Amazing restaurant– great ambiance, attentive service, extensive wine list, and incredibly delicious food. I particularly recommend the lamb tartar, the scallops, and the duck. Will definitely be returning.

Came with high expectations after the new awarding of the Michelin Star– literally made a reservation for the next day. The restaurant itself is cute, but it felt dark and cramped. My boyfriend enjoyed the restaurant far more than I did. The menu has a very small selection, and there wasn’t a single item on the menu that sparked my interest. The waiter was not very helpful in explaining the menu items or making suggestions, so I randomly ordered the sweetbread and a fish entrée. My own fault I didn’t know that sweetbread is pancreas, but the fish was quite dry and bland.

First time eating by myself and this was indeed a unique experience for me, as I can fully appreciate the food and not being detracted elsewhere.
Everything here is a la carte, so cannot take the easy way out and select the tasting menu. I started with a glass of French 75, light and intimate. As a seafood lover, I would never miss the fluke sashimi, suggested by many other Unilocalers; and the halibut. Both were fantastic. The sashimi was especially fresh and delicious and almost melted in my mouth! Fish was juicy and soft. For dessert, I opted for the yogurt sorbet and it was really refreshing!
This place was for sure a bit noisy; nevertheless it presented me a familiar relaxing feeling that I have been looking for. Well done and congratulations on being rewarded the first Michelin star!

I wanted to love this place; the service was excellent and all the dishes were plated very well, but the food was just mediocre in taste except dessert. Dessert was my favorite part.
Food:
Fluke — ok
Scallop — decent
Lamb tartare — decent
Duck — delicious but a little overcooked
Grape clafoutis — delicious
Peach dessert — decent
Dulcey fondant — very good

I read about Rebelle in a NYTimes review and was intrigued by this nouveau French restaurant in Nolita. The location is on a very random dark street although the surrounding neighborhood has a lot of character. The food was creative and every bite was fabulous. Even the prices were remarkably fair for French food. I was there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and the food and service were so on point all night, it really made the experience special.
Food: For appetizer, I ordered the fluke with brown butter sauce. The fish was served sashimi style with capers and the brown butter sauce. The fluke was very meaty and tender and the sauce perfectly accentuated the flavors of the fish. My next course was the sweetbreads. I’ve never tried sweetbreads before and I was very intrigued by this delicacy. The sweetbreads were pan fried for a nice crunchy exterior while the interior was warm and creamy. The creamy sauce and peas that accompanied the dish were also very delectable. Finally for the main course, I ordered the pork tenderloin. I don’t usually like a huge hunk of pork but this was the juiciest pork I’ve ever had. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked and oozing juices while I cut it. The sauce was light and really brought out the natural flavors of the pork. All in all, the food was amazing and every bite was a joy.
Dessert: Since it was my friend’s birthday, I brought my own cake from a cute chocolate shop around the corner. However, the restaurant was nice enough to give us a free dessert. I really wished I remembered what it was called because it was fabulous. It was a chocolate ganache bar on top of crunchy rice puffs and together tasted like a very classy crunch bar. It was paired with a caramel (not too sure) ice cream that was so amazing also. I would absolutely order this dessert next time I come back.
Drinks: I ordered a pitcher of the ginger margarita for the table and it was so amazingly delicious. My table had at least 3 rounds of the drink. Not only was it delicious and fresh, it was very strong. We were definitely feeling even happier towards the end of the meal.
All in all, a 5 star meal and overall experience. I would highly recommend checking out this restaurant for well-​priced, delicious food.

Despite all the good reviews and the recently awarded one Michelin star, I thought Rebelle was just mediocre. Rebelle lacks the meticulousness executed in other Michelin rated restaurants. I made a reservation and was seated promptly at a table for four even though we only had two people. That was sweet of them to offer us such a spacious table. When I arrived I ran into an awkward moment in which the hostess was telling two diners that they must return the table at 9 P.M. I found their exchange extremely uncomfortable.
Upon sitting down the waiter came to greet us. He was friendly, but he never explained the menu to us. I am used to the over-​the-​top service at other Michelin star restaurants, but the service here was just fine. There other servers seem a bit new and discombobulated. For example, when the first appetizers arrived, I had to pick up the bread plates to make space when that should’ve been taken care of. Also, the entrees were placed in front of the wrong people. I know I’m being nit-​picky, but there is really no room for error for a restaurant at this caliber.
For the food, everything tasted average and nothing blew me away. The food also all tasted a little cold.
Overall, I am glad I tried this restaurant and knocked it out of my list, but I don’t think I’ll be returning.

IN SHORT: Haute, French-​influenced food in a space that is large, loud, fashionable, and grungy in the way only New Yorkers love.
THE STORY: Not too long ago in Paris, a group of young, ambitious chefs pioneered the idea that extraordinary food didn’t need to come at an extraordinary cost, and that a casual, bistro-​like setting was just as appropriate for a quality, four-​course meal as a soaring, majestic space in the 4^th arrondissement. At some point, this movement was termed «bistronomy,» and it has shaped the experience of dining in Paris over the last several years.
Now, while this might not sound like a particularly ground-​breaking idea to a New Yorker who is already innately comfortable with finding a Michelin-​starred restaurant in Boerum Hill or, conversely, spending $ 400 on a dinner in the Lower East Side, in Paris, this was a radical rewriting of traditional gastronomic values. One of the restaurants at the front of this evolution of modern French cuisine was Spring, and one of those chefs was Daniel Eddy, who has since returned to his native homeland and with the owners and wine director of the neighboring Pearl and Ash, has given us Rebelle.
Yet because New Yorkers have been bred to not think twice about walking down a rather rough stretch of the Bowery in search of Michelin-​quality food, we do not see Rebelle as revolutionary or rebellious, and we do not gain insight into a progressive culinary movement in France. Rather, we see a familiar combination of technique and skill in an affordable, casual setting. We see what we already know. We see home.
So, if it were really trying to define itself more honestly in its current circumstances, Rebelle would branded as New York cuisine, influenced and executed with classically French techniques.
Its menu is organized under four numbered categories, and your waiter will try to sell one of each to you. This is not necessary. A table of two can easily split a «First» course for $ 14 and a «Second» course for $ 16 and each get a «Third» course for $ 28 and be completely satiated at the end of the meal, particularly when one of Rebelle’s 1,600 bottles of wine are included.
Despite this rather odd organization of an a la carte menu by price, there are several successes. One of the first is the raw fluke with a handful of crispy, fried capers, sitting on a brown-​butter sauce that is simultaneously rich, silky and mellow, an ephemeral quality that many of Rebelle’s dishes can claim.
The sweetbreads, too, sit under the foamy haze of a lobster-​based sauce like a luxurious, tender pair of perfect chicken nuggets. They are flanked by bright fava beans and artichoke hearts whose complementary tenderness again highlights an elegant, deeply delectable lightness.
The third course of pork, however, was unable to achieve the same level of subtle, modern sophistication as the smaller plates. Tough and overcooked to an almost exhausting degree, and then paired with exceedingly bland radishes, the only redeeming element of the plate is the tragically named «headcheese,» which is really just a steamy, fried croquette made from the cheek and neck of the pig. It is a creamy, salty bite of relief from an otherwise regrettable dish.
So, while no one should order the pork, guests should most certainly order the chicken or the duck. The duck in particularly has an almost spicy, fruity sweetness from the plum and sour orange, which is then subtly tempered by the brightness of the watercress. It is a dish that is elegant yet fresh, taking a protein and a preparation that is familiar and accessible and making it just ever so slightly brighter.
This is all well and good, but at the end of the meal there is nothing particularly rebellious about Rebelle. Though perhaps we feel this way because us New Yorkers are always in rebellion, and Rebelle feels utterly comfortable, exactly what we were looking for.
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Rebelle is a cute spot for a date and some good food. The plates are small so they suggest each person get about 3 plates. We tried the fluke — so delicious. The scallop was nice and flavorful. The sweetbread was interesting. I think my favorite part about it was the lobster sauce though. We also had the pork and the headcheese was exquisite. For dessert, you must try the dulcey fondant. Oh, the textures and flavors — such a blend of awesomeness. I could have 10 of these. You’ll definitely leave with a happy belly.

At 9:30 P.M. on a Tuesday (the time of my reservation) I receive a text from a 917 number «Your table is now ready at Rebelle». On a whim I reply «coming», not really expecting a response, however, a minute later I receive a reply «Thank you :)». How nice, I thought to myself. 15 minutes later, I walk into the bistro which has an industrial and trendy vibe. I attempt to say «I have a reservation under…» but before I could even complete my sentence, the hostess just smiles and says «I know» and promptly escorts me and my date to a table. I was thoroughly impressed, but I tried to act nonchalant about the VIP customer service I was receiving to keep up appearances.
I order bottled water and they bring a beautiful bottle of Hildon Mineral Water. I normally only drink Voss water with Frozen Voss ice cubes, but this water was phenomenal, and the bottle was even classier looking than a Voss bottle. The menu is concise and organized into 4 sections, First, Second, Third, and Fourth. So unpretentious for a French Bistro. I was also relieved by the minimal use of French words that I cannot pronounce on the menu, so I could order with confidence.
We ordered the Fluke and Lamb Tartare for our «First» which were absolutely phenomenal starters. The Squash along with Scallop with apple green juice and little slices of apple which made for a delightful contrast as our «Second». The Halibut as our «Third» which was a good, albeit forgettable dish. As our Fourth we had the Grape Clafoutis. Ive never even heard of Grape Clafoutis but I will certainly see this gluten free dessert in my dreams for a long time to come. I was blown away at the deliciousness of this dessert and it easily brought this restaurant over the edge and worthy of a five star rating in my mind. Overall the food was Unique, Delicious, and Artfully Presented. The service was exceptional. I will certainly visit again and recommend. And now to my Grape Clafoutis filled dreams.

Currently slightly drunk while typing this on the J, but coherent and aware enough to realize and understand the beautiful restaurant that is Rebelle. I came here with a former server-​friend of mine and was so happy that I did. I’m on a grad school budget but was happy I spent that budget here. The ambiance, food, drinks, and company made this a wonderful experience. I had fluke, duck breast, and three different desserts. I loved every one. I also had a white and red wine which hit the spot. A great place to come with a date or friends.
Wonderful, honestly.

Went here with my foodie friends. So I knew I was going to have a good time. Even if food wasn’t good. :)
But the food was good. Hooray!
It’s super loud in there tho. We had to scream to be heard. Unfortunately they can’t do anything about this unless they completely re-​do the restaurant. Not sure they will.
I requested a white lady for my starting cocktail (not on menu) and they did great job. We had a Beaujolais for our meal. Excellent.
We ordered the whole menu. This was August 2015 so whatever was there we got. Starting with foie gras. I loved it. But the others didn’t. I’m a foie gras fan so…
I loved all the veggie only dishes. Superb! The meat dishes were good too but some better than others. Sweetbread was good the head cheese was not :(. The other meat dishes were great.
Desserts, tasted full menu. Favorite was the clafoutis. Reminded me of my time living in France. Perfectly made.
Friendly waitstaff. Good service. Overall good time. Wish it wasn’t so loud :(

I’m all cranky about these new Bowery spots with their huge spaces and their hyper-​designed décor, so I was expecting to dislike Rebelle.
Lovely staff across the board. Everyone we dealt with pleasant and nice and friendly and smart and all that. Cool selection of cocktails to start. Wine list was great. Menu is divided into three courses — we only did two courses — and will probably have something for everyone.
I can’t recall what dishes we started with, but they were generally vegetable based and all tasty. Many of us ordered the duck and it was stupendous.
Nice work Rebelle.