French Bistro Fare in NYC

One great thing about going to a French restaurant is that you can sample the various dishes out there that you have never tried before.  For this week’s post, I stopped in to Pigalle at 790 8th Avenue in New York City.  It’s just a block away from Times Square, but filled to the max with tourists from different countries.  There was definitely a flood of different languages around me.

For starters, I decided to get the Pigalle Country Pâté.  The service was so quick, I had my first course in less than a few minutes.  The hefty slice of cold pâté came with cornichons, dijon mustard and vinegar infused onions.  All in all, it reminded me of liverwurst.  In other words…I’ve had better pâté.

For the main entrée, I ordered the seared cod which sat on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes, mushrooms (I believe they were porcini, I could be wrong)and artichokes.  The artichokes could have been put to the side, but the mushrooms with the mashed sweet potatoes was divine!  I never thought of eating the two together.  It was so tasty!

The seared cod was very good on its own dipped into the olive oil and seasonings.

Now, the best thing about this meal?  What else? The dessert.

What made Pigalle worthwhile was the Profiteroles Sauce au Chocolat. Basically, this dessert features 3 miniature cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, covered in chocolate sauce and almonds.  It was so delightful, I was licking my chocolate covered fingers in happiness.

Would I recommend Pigalle?  If you’re looking for a Parisian Bistro type of place with a ‘NY diner’ like atmosphere, but with better food, sure.  Will I go back again?  Probably not, because there is one French restaurant in NYC that has spoiled me, my taste buds and my tummy.  You’ll read about them next week.

I will say this…kudos to Pigalle for the speedy service.  I’ve never seen food service that quick anywhere in Manhattan…not even at McDonalds.