“People want happy places,” says Yves Camdeborde, the French culinary master credited with coining the phrase “gastronomic bistro” to describe a venue serving high quality, innovative cuisine in a casual environment with lower prices. “They should be able to laugh out loud.”
Happy is the definitive word to describe the festive ambiance of Chat Noir, a lively new uptown gastro-bistro off Madison Avenue from the team behind the trendy La Goulue, known for good food and vibrant people watching.
Housed inside a pretty, landmark 66th Street townhouse, Chat Noir sparkles with the romance of a Parisian Montmartre cabaret. Mirrors and brass Belle Epoque light fixtures brighten the room, while the impressionist art painted by the owner’s grandfather, Louis Latapie, creates a mood of fun and excitement.
During a recent Sunday brunch, Chat Noir bustled with what looked to be an Upper East Side crowd, full of conservatively tailored jackets, reptilian designer handbags and tasteful gold earrings. Hermes scarves and Chanel sunglasses are de rigueur.
“Can you describe the salmon papillotte?” I ask our pretty blond, French waitress, having glanced at the menu offering steak, omelets, eggs benedict, cheese soufflé and more.
“It is … diet,” she replies, struggling to find the words in English.
Crackberry, my Blackberry addicted friend, glances up from his device and orders the grilled veal paillard.
As a salmon snob, I really wasn’t expecting much for $18. But the tender pink salmon (steamed with vegetables in paper) tasted rich and buttery and had a silky texture that melted on the tongue. Crackberry liked the pounded veal ($22), enlivened by sautéed wild mushrooms and a salad of peppery arugula.
Late dinner on a recent Friday evening reveals a more diverse clientele: groups of giggling twenty-something friends, shy second-date couples and boisterous La Goulue regulars who chat up the owners—bubbly blonde Suzanne Latapie and her partner—the more subdued (exhausted?) Quentin Dante.
Affordable wines by the bottle span the globe (Spain, Argentina, Italy, California, Long Island) in addition to a carefully chosen wine by the glass list. After glancing at dishes served to the youngish, casually dressed couple at the next table (skate sautéed with capers, served with a warm lentil salad, $17, and steak frites, $26), we order seared whole Loup de Mer ($24) and roasted rack of lamb ($27).
Crackberry liked the fragrant, four-spice lamb, served with a red beefsteak tomato and Gratin D’Auphinois (potatoes baked in milk and browned on top), and thought the four chop portion especially generous. The Loup de Mer arrived with a circular, green, spinach-eggplant flan. Surrounding the dish was a citrus vinaigrette, curiously sweet, lightly jammy and the vivid blood red color of Campari. I liked it and wondered if it is one of the regional specialties executive chef Sebastian Baud has created based on his upbringing in the Atlantic side of France, where seafood rules.
“They’ve only been open a few weeks,” volunteers the steak eater at the next table, not happy with his steak but refusing to let the waiter take it off the bill or provide a substitution. “It’s natural the kitchen will need time to run smoothly.”
After dinner the ambiance felt so relaxing that we ordered more inexpensive Argentinean vino and gossiped about the animated crowd. Who’s that old bald guy in the rat pack suit with that hot blonde in black leather? Will the timid couple across the way make it to its third date? Why is it that bistro waiters, male or female, are always so attractive?
We also make predictions about the ideal time to return, which for me is on a frosty night when the burst of warmth upon entering the restaurant and the promise of good food and drink will fill me with cheer. A happy place, as Chef Camdeborde remarked.
With Picasso exhibitions opening at almost all the museums in the city this season, Chat Noir is really a fun place to time travel back to turn-of-the-century Paris and experience the ambiance, the art and the flavors of a romantic bygone era.
Chat Noir
22 E. 66th St. (betw. 5th & Madison Aves.)
212-794-2428
