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Sel & Poivre
Categories: Restaurants French Restaurants Mediterranean Restaurants Brasseries French, Mediterranean, Brasseries [Edit]
853 Lexington AvenueNew York, NY 10065
Neighbourhood: Upper East Side
(212) 517-5780
- Nearest Transit:
-
Lexington Av/63 St (F)
68 St - Hunter College (4, 6, 6X)
Lexington Av/59 St (N, Q, R)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 12 pm - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
26 reviews for Sel & Poivre
Review Highlights
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"After I had the Celery Root Remoulade with Red Beets." In 2 reviews -
"...last dish was the Terrne de Chocolate with Raspberry Coulis." In 2 reviews
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"...on Lexington, this little French bistro serves up fantastic..." In 5 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Kristine K.
New York, NY
Nice find in UES! The waiters greeted us warmly w/ "Bonjour" and graciously took our coats. Wasn't crowded and customers there were clearly from the UES..def no tourists! Great service w/ reasonably priced brunch and lunch prixe fixed menus. I had a mimosa, strawberry macadamia crepes (YUM!) coffee- all for $14.95 :) Ambience was a good representation of old France..ooh la la la;)
Bottom line: Classy, cozy, reasonably priced French restaurant in UES..def a rare find! -
Review from Ana K.
Rego Park, NY
2/16/2012
Had lunch here today with my collegues. They suggested to meet at this resaurant. I came little early, so i decided to have a seat and browse through the menu. I was greeted nicely by the host, but that was the first and the last plesant experience with the service! I was at the table waiting for the server for ages. I never got any attention, neither water nor breat until my collegues arrived.
During our whole stay the server never came by to ask how we were doing. He grabbed my plate, where half of the food was still left, and, before i could tell him i didn't finish, he put another plate on the top of the food!!! Outrageous! He never even asked if i was done with it!
The food was decent, but not great at all. For the price it could have been way better. The wine was just bad.
Won't come back to the place! -
Review from Nicholas G.
Manhattan, NY
9/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you're looking for scene - stay away. If you're looking for really fantastic french bistro fare at an excellent price with attentive service at a neighborhood spot - go here and go here often. This place has a very "cheers" like atmosphere if you're a regular everyone will know you're name.
There's food here I haven't had since being in France. Where else can you find sweetbreads, delicious succulent sweetbreads for under $25? Nowhere. I was here last night with my wife for a quick bite before running home. Great prix fix for under $30. It was perfect neighborhood night out. We sat and admired all the couples that seemed to be together for a million years and still going strong...
In case you wonder sweetbreads are of the thymus gland.
Some of the most delicious morsels you will ever try in your life
Enjoy! -
Review from Marie L.
7/28/2011
What a horrible experience I had here last night! I don't even know where to start.
I will say the food was decent - quality, price, flavor, etc. Decent, not great. Not a great selection of wines - decently priced, but the quality was lacking. They were one step away from offering Boone's Farm.
The service we received ruined our entire evening. Our server was blatantly rude, rolled her eyes when I asked for fresh ground pepper and more water (which she should never even offered), never once came back to the table after she took our order (I had to flag her down to ask for the pepper). It was unbelievable. The people at the table next to us commented on her attitude as well.
It all started when she served us a bad bottle of wine. I'm not an asshole, usually I will just drink it even if I'm not crazy about it, but this wine was actually really bad. She rolled her eyes, walked over to the bar (in plain sight), put a cork in it, came back and said, "This is a new bottle, try this." Then she said, condescendingly, "You know that all wine needs to breathe, of course. That's all it is." No, it's the same gross, vinegar-y wine, thanks, but no thanks.
Then to top it off when another server ran my credit card, he brought it back to me to sign and I happened to notice that the amount said, $493.50. I could not believe they rang my card up for THREE HUNDRED more than what our bill was. Again, when I pointed it out, I didn't even receive an apology. He claimed that he voided the transaction, but according to Chase, they voided and then immediately reinstated the charge.
*******Beware of this place's dishonest business practices. Reading other reviews, it seems that I am not the only one who has been overcharged.
Making an honest mistake is one thing, but deliberately practicing shady business principles is another!!! -
Review from Wafa Y.
New York, NY
1/25/2012
Fair.
They have a prix fixe lunch menu for $19 not so bad. -
Review from Dayna A.
5/8/2011
This is my secret french restaurant in the francophile area of the E 60's. Prices are reasonable for UES and neither I nor any of my guests have had anything but a stellar flavorful meal. It is not 'hip' or a place to be 'seen' but it is for true locals who know what good cuisine is. Last two times I have been there, once a neighboring table sat a famous French chef and more recently, a former #1 US tennis player with his 80's rock star wife.
I would assume these people too, know where the good food is. -
Review from Andrea G.
Forest Hills, NY
1/3/2012
I recently had dinner here. When the bill came, my party realized we had been overcharged by about $90.00. The Servers were apologetic and corrected the error right away, but based on some of the other reviewers' feedback, I'd recommend scrutinizing your check to avoid overpaying.
There was also a GIANT cockroach in the bathroom. I would have come back here despite the issue with the check, but I don't dine at places that GIANT cockroaches call home.
Otherwise, the food was delicious and the service was good, but due to the overcharging and (more importantly) cockroaches, I will not be returning. -
Review from David L.
6/30/2011
I really like the food here. It's a classic French Bistro, though not as vast and cavernous as some. It really has the feel of a neighborhood joint. Regulars (most are Caucasian, most are in their 50s or above, and some are even a little under-dressed, think moo-moos and hair-curlers, truly treating this as an extension of their home -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing) have been the overwhelming majority of clientele both times I have been here (today for lunch, two years ago for dinner). The bus boys and waitstaff are definitely nothing to write home about, but they get the job done, and thankfully Christian--the extremely gregarious indefatigable fellow who owns the place--always has a sincere smile for absolutely everybody, which is very much appreciated.
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Review from Bradley H.
Astoria, NY
10/28/2010 6 photos
Such a delicious surprise. Inconspicuously tucked on Lexington, this little French bistro serves up fantastic fare without the fuss. Throughout the casually elegant room at intimate candle lit tables, predominantly locals settle in for a relaxed evening of multiple courses of sublime, simple, classic French cuisine. We dined and drank wine for nearly three hours, and hardly any tables around us turned over the entire time. Loyal customers return again and again for an escape from the city to get momentarily lost in the aromas and tastes of Paris.
Crisp & creamy white celery root remoulade is jazzed up with cumin, on a pedestal of tangy, glistening magenta pickled beets... the perfect autumn light dish. A robust fish soup is served with fresh croutons, garlic aioli, and swiss cheese shreds, the diner instructed to build tiny cheese boats to float in the rich broth, which blends with the aioli for a silky and decadent spoonful. Skate so lusciously tender it dissolves on the tongue is expertly sauteed, and blanketed with a delicate, lemon-caper beurre blanc. Exquisitely tender calf liver medallions are brushed with sweet caramelized onions in a buttery lyonnaise sauce, and NY strip is crusted with cracked red and black peppercorns, resting in a pool of velvety calvados poivre sauce.
The owner treated us as if we were long lost friends who had just arrived after a lengthy trip. Service was impeccable, and wines were brilliantly paired with each course. But be sure to save room for a little dessert. The chocolate terrine is a heavenly sliver of perfection, practically floating on a zigzag of tart raspberry coulis.
C'est magnifique!!! -
Review from Cindy C.
New York, NY
2/16/2011
Didn't expect to like Calves Liver at all... but I did!
If your a Calves Liver virgin or want to get rid of your bad experience, this is the place to go. Buttery, perfectly seared, tender... yes, anything is better with butter! And that brown sauce with onions... yuuuummmmm
I found my love for liver here...
For photos and full review, please visit my blog. -
Review from Claire Y.
Chicago, IL
2/5/2007
I used to patronize this place, often inviting my parents and friends to join me for lunch or dinner. The food is good - you will definitely enjoy what's on your plate without being rushed at all. But it certainly is not the best french food you'll get. The staff is very friendly, and the space is cozy and romantic (which I value a lot in a restaurant). If you make your way over here, try the salmon - it is GOOD! And for dessert, you cannot go wrong with the very traditional French dessert, profiterole.
Well, it's too bad that I don't ever want to return to this place - all because of a VERY unpleasant incident that involved their HUGE miscalculation of our money that summed to lots and lots of dollars and a surprisingly rude attitude from the owner lady.
I guess it's OK though - there are so many other charming little french bistros in town! -
Review from Marc A.
NY
8/26/2008
It's interesting how Lexington, between 59th and 75th, is basically a ghost town when it comes to brunch. There is a steakhouse (that looks like a dungeon), a few places that charge 17 dollars to throw on a bloody mary on a pile of lettuce, and a few italian places that don't seem to understand what eggs benedict is. It is, for all intents and purposes, pretty pathetic.
My girlfriend and I stumbled on this little french bistro on a beautiful summer day to find that no one was sitting near the windows and the place was practically empty. We took over a table by the front window to people watch while we ate. My girlfriend had the eggs benedict, I enjoyed the French Onion soup, the burger, and the old bag lady who would went by the window 100 times. The eggs benedict was small but full of yolk and delicious sauce. The french onion soup was okay; the broth wasn't very thick, it was full of more onions than cheese, and the bread wasn't as crutchy as I would have liked. The burger looked small but was a good portion sized. The bread served before the meal was very crusty, crutchy, but delicious with the butter than came with the meal.
Sel & Poivre is your standard french bistro with the food being a tad underwelming. The service was very good but with a million other french places in the city, it's hard to get excited by Sel & Poivre. -
Review from martha m.
10/14/2008
Classic and cozy interior and atmosphere. Good for a date.
Get the prix fixe lunch or dinner. -
Review from CiCi L.
New York, NY
3/20/2011
Sel Et Poivre serves classical French bistro. This place is cozy, intimate, and romantic. Highly recommended the skate fish and calves liver! The well-accentuated Skate Fish with lemon, capers, and served with basmati rice ($17.95). Calves Liver a la Lyonnais ($18.95) would be a very good choice. Served the old-fashioned way, thin-sliced, and sauteed with lots of onions -- my goodness! -- it's super juicy!
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Review from Krissy M.
San Francisco, CA
2/14/2006
There is not much in this area as far as good lunching is concerned. I know because i work on 64th and I am always amazed at the lack of competition when it comes to a great lunch place - esp. with bloomies down the block and the price range of this neighborhood.
Sel et Poivre may be the only decent and fairly priced meal in the three block radius. At lunch it is always empty, and even then the service is either too much in your business or never around. The food is decent, not the greatest Moule Frites, but not the worst either.
I am only giving it three stars because it is a consistently bland, boring restaurant that I head to when I need to take someone from the office out.
Not a huge fan. -
Review from Colin F.
Brooklyn, NY
6/8/2011
Service was friendly, interior was fine, food was just alright. I think that for the prices you can do better in the area.
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Review from Romo C.
Los Angeles, CA
6/12/2010
The service was inexcusable for the prices they charge. Not rude, just virtually absent. Had to tell the hostess three times we had a reservation.
Too bad, because the food (though not huge portions), was very well-prepared. I had the pork chop ($19.95) --perfectly cooked-- and started with the french green bean salad (kinda tiny for the $9.95 price).
When you charge $16.95 for a plate of steamed vegetables (and not fancy ones at that), you have to at least be a little bit attentive. We had to flag down our waiter for everything, and eventually had to get the bartender to handle our check. Also I had to ask the waiter about the specials, which to me also shows poor training/management.
They weren't terribly crowded on a Friday night, so I don't know what the story was. Probably just complacent.
Until they lower prices and/or improve service, I won't be back. I really want to like this place. -
Review from Alessandro A.
New York, NY
12/1/2010
Sel et Poivre is a French bistro in the Upper East Side which has been around for 21 years. It has become a local favorite amongst people living in the area as it offers a very "homey" feel with good and authentic French food. The restaurant itself is cozy with dark wooden tables and dark leather banquettes. The front of the restaurant is great for lunch when the weather is warm and the restaurant keeps its windows open though I'd much prefer to sit in the back of the restaurant for dinner. The charm of the restaurant also comes from the humble and kind service that leaves the pretentiousness of other French Bistros in New York outside.
The menu consists of typical French food such as Frog Legs a la Provencal and Duck a la Orange and doesn't brake the bank which is always nice. To start I had the Fish Soup which was prepared with red snapper and consisted of a side of rouille (garlic aioli with crushed red peppers) and small sliced bread croutons. The fish soup itself was a bit salty but when paired with the rouille the flavors mixed well and made for a great dish. After I had the Celery Root Remoulade with Red Beets. The sweetness of the beets went well with the celery root remoulade and surprisingly both combined weren't overly sweet but were rather refreshing which was a great way to transition into our main courses.
The Skate with Capers and Rice was an excellent dish. The skate was cooked perfectly and the lemon and capers complemented the delicate flavor and texture of the skate. Though definitely not a dish for people looking to watch their cholesterol, this is a must have when visiting Sel Et Poivre. Next I had the Calves Liver a la Lyonnais with Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli. Usually I'm not a fan of any form of liver (even Foie Gras) but I must admit that I really enjoyed this dish. The texture of the calf liver, though fatty (which is of no fault of the chef since calf's liver is very fatty to begin with) , was tender and the dish was shockingly not heavy at all (most French restaurants prepare cooked livers with a lot of butter and oil which makes the dish almost inedible by the time you're half way through eating it...but not Sel Et Poivre)! The next dish I had was a Veal Sirloin in a Poivre Sauce. The veal was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by a pepper corn cause that was smooth and flavorful.
The last dish was the Terrne de Chocolate with Raspberry Coulis. Overall it was a very typical, rich, dark chocolate cake with a sweet and decadent raspberry sauce.
Sel Et Poivre is a local favorite amongst people in the area. Its a great option for those who work on Lexington Ave and families who live in the near by area. Its almost like a French version of Sette Mezzo except the food is much better and a lot less expensive at Sel Et Poivre. I was very pleased with my visit and recommend it to those looking for a low key dinner with great food! -
Review from Marcia E.
Blacklick, OH
4/15/2011
Excellent food at a moderate (for NYC) price. Cozy French bistro feel. My husband had escargot and then calves liver and said they were both excellent. I had the french onion soup which was adequate but not outstanding, and a delicious grilled chicken with a wonderful creamy mushroom sauce. It came with a mixture of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower that were some of the best prepared veggies into which I have ever sunk a fang! I look forward to my next trip to this tiny slice of France.
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Review from JK L.
Manhattan, NY
Updated - 9/29/2010
We are now giving Sel & Poivre 1 star for the service and management. We wrote them a personal letter describing our last experience. It seems that other yelpers are right, and they do not care about their customers. Especially since in our case, we are long time regular customers. And so are the friends who brought us here. They must not know or care that it is harder to recruit new customers, than to maintain a regular client base. Goodbye Sel et Poivre. We will miss your pear sorbet but it's not enough to make us overlook your faux pas.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We received this email below from YELP after all this time. We tried writing back to ask why they removed our receipt photo, since we are okay with it, and the restaurant owner never replied to us even though we contacted them several times. However, we could not find a contact method that would go through. I think YELP should have a way that we can respond back to them, rather than a one way 'we are removing this' communication.
OCT 12, 2011 | 02:15PM PDT
Hi there,
We're writing to let you know about our decision to remove your photos of a receipt associated with Sel & Poivre. Our Support team has determined that the photo captions ("Receipt (first half)" and "Receipt (second half)") fall outside our local Content Guidelines: http://www.yelp.com/gu....
Thanks for keeping our local Content Guidelines in mind the next time you upload a photo.
Regards,
Miranda
Yelp User Support
San Francisco, California1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/9/2010
My bf and I have been regulars after some of our friends introduced us to it. The food is decent,… Read more »
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Review from Nico Raphael S.
Newark, NJ
2/24/2011
When looking for an intimate place to take your love, head to 853 Lexington Ave between 64th and 65th. My gf and I came here for V-Day and loved everything. I suggest trying the escargot and crab cake as an appetizer. For the right price, this is where you need to be. My gf deemed this as "our spot."
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Review from Ames F.
New York, NY
6/15/2007
Disappointed. And I had such high hopes.
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Review from Diana B.
New York, NY
1/22/2006
French food. They accomodate even fussy eaters, with special orders.
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Review from Jesse M.
Newport Beach, CA
2/4/2006
What a charming little place. The menu is accommodating to some of us who don't fancy french flavors. The low candle lighting, and the steaming mussels certainly created a wonderful atmosphere.
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Review from Melanie T.
Manhattan, NY
6/20/2011
The interior is pretty shabby. The food was pretty good, but definitely nothing special. I ordered the frogs legs au provencal. When my dish came to the table I was shocked by the meager portion and meek presentation. The French pride themselves on presentation and good food. Despite my apprehension I dug in, not so bad as I thought they would be. Although I was still pretty annoyed at only having received 5 frogs legs, considering the amount of meat per frog leg this is not much at all. The tomato sauce was nice, tangy, with creamy undertones. The frogs legs were tender, but lacked seasoning and tasted a bit like plain chicken. Most of the sauce had ended up on the plate, and there wasn't too much sauce to begin with. My friend dubbed this place a "fake French restaurant." Due to oddly un-French dishes, such as a chicken salad, which resembled a chicken caesar salad. The service was quick though. I'm not likely to return.
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