Home > Restaurants > L'Ecole at The French Culinary Institute

L'Ecole at The French Culinary Institute

462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
at Grand St. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-219-3300 Send to Phone

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Reader Rating:
8.3 out of 10
|
3 Reviews | Write a Review
Cuisine: French

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Official Website

frenchculinary.com

Hours

Mon-Fri, 12:30pm-2pm and 5:30pm-9pm; Sat, 5:30pm-9pm; Sun, closed

Nearby Subway Stops

6, J, M, N, Q, R, W, Z at Canal St.; 6 at Spring St.

Prices

$28-$42

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

Lunch
Notable Wine List
Prix-Fixe

Alcohol

Full Bar

Reservations

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Profile

L'Ecole at The French Culinary Institute could be Manhattan's most instructive dining out experience; the food at this neat Soho spot is carefully prepared by FCI students. If the kitchen is their classroom, then your plate is their homework. Instructors supervise cooks as they craft French standards--items like bouillabaise, sweet breads, and house pates--as well as more contemporary fare, like seared bluefin tuna with ginger and coriander in a pepper crust. While eating at L'Ecole can be quite enjoyable, the best part of dining here is being part of the chefs' education. Patrons tend to be much more appreciative when they know there are students hard at work in the kitchen. If you think that they're doing okay, say so on the "report card" provided at the end of the meal. Keep in mind, menus and chefs rotate regularly. — Gabriella Gershenson

Prix-Fixe

Three-course lunch, 12:30 p.m.—2 p.m., $28; four-course dinner, 5:30 p.m.—7 p.m., $42; five-course dinner, 8 p.m.—9 p.m., $42

Note
Only lunch and the 5-course dinner are prepared by FCI students and change daily; the 4-course dinner is prepared by professional chefs and changes infrequently (menus available online).

Food:	6

Service:	3

Décor:	7

Value:	7

We went to lÂ’Ecole on a Monday evening and got the five-courses menu for 42$, and we added a bottle of wine. The products were of good quality, fresh and well cooked. Nevertheless, the cuisine was Â“old-schoolÂ”, not really Â“delicateÂ” and not surprising. The decor of the restaurant was nice, the presentation of the table was really pleasant and the room very quiet, even if a large table was sited closed to us. However, the service was very bad. The waiters (3-4) were not enthusiastic or smiling, took our plates before we really finished, didnÂ’t present the plates and brought them rudely, by almost throwing them in front of us. To conclude, we were disappointed, even if the cuisine is simple and of a good value, we didnÂ’t feel in a cosy atmosphere and upscale restaurant where people takes care of their guest, as we can expect from lÂ’Ecole.

excellent!!

sml44 from 11221 | Posted on 3/30/09

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)


Food:	10
Service:	10

Décor:	10

Value:	10

a great place for dinner. good location atmosphere service and most importantly food. a great way to experience nyc and cooking. fun to know chefs in training are helping prepare your food

Read All 3 Reviews >>

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