Le Grande Boucherie
We’ve been to Boucherie before on 6th Ave near the West Village. We expected the food here to be similar but not the same as that location. I was craving for prime rib, and disappointingly, all the other places in the city were pretty expensive at $70 and up. But this restaurant had roast beef for a reasonable price, so I was expecting it to be similar enough to satisfy that hunger. So how was it?
Ambiance
The ambiance was quite interesting. It sits in a covered hall that cuts through the street. The outdoor area stretches the length of the block and is opened at each end. There’s a heater that is blasting, which any wind that flows through would carry the heat through. Arguably, it might not be the best use of the heater, but it’s quite impressive. The outdoor seating area can sit ultimately 150 diners year round, and the restaurant as a whole can take more than 400 diners combined in all areas. This outdoor area has an arched sky light and a heated floor. We opted to sit inside, so we were asked for our COVID vaccination card.
The interior has an upper and lower floor section. We were seated closer to the seafood area right next to the window facing outside. The tables were fairly close together similar to typical French brasseries.
We arrived here without reservations, but we had to walk through a roped line to get to the front. Because it was still only 5:30, it was easy to get in. After we left around 6:30 PM, there was a line of guests trying to get in. The restaurant crowd seemed to be getting quite full.
The best bang for the buck for value ($49) is going to be the pre-theater menu which is a 3 course (appetizer, entree, dessert) prix fixe that is available Monday to Friday 4:30-6:30 PM. The portion sizing is not timid at all.
The wait staff was excellent, very speedy, and attentive. When I asked them about portion sizing, they advised well such that we didn’t over order. For paying, they come with the remote tablet, and I remember that the pre-calculated tip is shown before tax.
Food
The La Vie En Rose ($19) came with grey goose vodka, giffard lychee, cranberry puree, lemon, and brut sparkling. The bubbles were very light, and the blend of fruity essences were a nice complement to each other.
The Picpoul de Pinet ($15 per glass) came from Domaine de la Madone, Languagedoc, 2020. This white wine was crisp and bold.
The bread was complimentary and at room temperature. My partner used this a lot with their appetizer below.
The moules marinières was the appetizer portion of the pre-theater menu ($49) and came with steamed mussels, white wine, shallots, and parsley. The broth was quite salty for me, but was it was fine for my partner. They also used the complimentary bread to soak the broth. The mussels were pretty fresh.
The soupe a l’oignon (French onion soup - $19) came with croutons and gruyère cheese. I ordered this separately as my appetizer. The broth was mildly sweet, and the cheese was plentiful and oozing.
The steak frites was the entree portion of the pre-theater menu ($49) and came with grass-fed NY strip steak, herb butter, and pommes frites. The steak itself was pretty good although not as tender as I would’ve preferred. The herb butter was pretty good, and the fries were crispy throughout.
The roast beef au jus ($48) came with an 8 oz cut of beef and au jus lathering the plate. This was very large for an “8 oz” cut, so I was really surprised. I only ate half of it and brought the other half home. The cook of the roast beef was decent, though my mind kept wanting to think of this as prime rib when it really wasn’t. The seasoning on the edges was very light, and there was no char anywhere which I guess is expected.
The horseradish came shaved on the side. It was very mild, and I wish it was creamy. It did not add much kick to the roast beef unfortunately.
The épinards a la crème (cream of spinach) was ordered separately. This actually could have used a little more salt, and I’m not even a salty eater. I only was able to eat a few small bites before being full from the roast beef. The day after was quite pleasant with a dab of salt.
The creme brulee was the third and final portion of the pre-theater menu ($49). This really is not much different than other creme brulees except two noticeable facets. The first is it wasn’t refrigerator cold. When you crack the warm crust of the dessert, you weren’t met with a cold blast of cream. The second was the flavor profile being much bolder and distinct than other restaurants. My partner fondly remembered their time in France where their professor made this from scratch.
Added April 6, 2022 on a revisit to this restaurant.
The bavette à la moelle ($49) came with Grilled Wagyu skirt steak, poached bone marrow, redwine jus, new potatoes, and petit salad. The skirt steak was ordered medium rare, and it was very delicious and tender with a lot of flavor. The jus was pretty classic and a great compliment. The potatoes were nice and crispy, and the salad was pretty typical but also good.
Final Verdict
Le Grande Boucherie is an excellent French restaurant, that serves pretty good food and is close to all the theaters. It covers much of the quintessential flavors and dishes from France. If you plan on coming during critical peak hours, definitely plan on reservations. Otherwise, it’s probably safe to walk in off-hours since this place can easily support a large capacity.
Yelp Jabs
We had to ask the waiter about our food and he said it was coming and that he would rush it. When we finally got our food, it was disappointing. Three of us ordered the wagyu burger (costs a whopping $38), and it was missing the sauce… Finally got the correct sauce after asking the THIRD time, however they only gave us enough sauce for one person. We had to remind them that there were 3 of us that had burgers.
That’s rather unfortunate to hear. My partner and I had a very pleasant experience with our waiter. I wonder if the large party exacerbated the entire issue. Regardless, the waiter should have been more accommodating and prepared for these types of curve balls. I think for a restaurant of this size, it’s quite difficult to keep the integrity flowing non-stop. I would definitely give it a chance again.
The price point of the main is a not a good match for the quality.
This Elitist resides in Long Beach in California where the prices are much lower of course. Quality wise, I think the food is pretty good though obviously not super top quality. Price wise, yeah it’s a little more than the usual, but you have to factor in the Manhattan prices. To us, the price is pretty typical.
Revisions
- Mar 6, 2022 - Added bavette à la moelle.
- Feb 18, 2022 - Initial revision.