French Louie

Had friends staying in Prospect Heights, so ventured my way off the island on the C train to French Louie for a Sunday brunch.
I’d been here once before, but for after-​dinner drinks, so the memory is a little hazy. This is a spot that CAN be visited for dinner, but is much better suited for brunch. Dishes are inexpensive and delicious, and the menu is pretty creative. We were seated at the front, which is adjacent to a pretty, old-​school mirrored bar where the bartender was mixing plenty of cocktails pre-​noon. They offer a few iterations of the Bloody Mary — one with everything bagel spices.
Service was quick, friendly, and unobtrusive. I had the avocado tartine — was practically forced to, as it’s rare I’ll turn down a dish with avocado listed as an ingredient, much less listed in the actual name. It’s definitely tiny, so if you’re super hungry, order some side pastries or split it as an app– but it’s delicious and feels healthy. 2 poached eggs atop smashed avocado with pickled green tomatoes and country bread. Photographs beautifully too…

Decided on the regular menu instead of restaurant week.
Beef tar tar — good quality wasn’t crazy about the flavor. Edible not outstanding.
Octopus itself which I didn’t get to snap a pic of was excellent but did not like the sauce. Hubby liked it.
Foie Gras was on point.
Oysters well its oysters can’t go wrong.
Washington ones were awesome and plumpy.
Mains we had for the man a nice steak the dry age we asked medium requested it even be a little more rare than a little medium well. Almost perfect slightly more well on the outside sadly but very good. Salad and fries that came with were good too.
Mussels were excellent loved the mustard sauce overpowering as it might be. Hubby wasn’t a fan of the sinus clearing effects. The sweet toast that came with was great too.
For dessert the 1^st thing on the menu the 1 every1 orders is the 1 to go with. Nothing better than doughy gooey ice cream caramel drizzle nuts. It’s ok if you can’t pronounce the name order the munchkins lol.
Staff was excellent and service did not disappoint. Very cute date spot.

Went here for winter RW. Service was outstanding and the food was just as good. For me the must orders are the mussels for appetizer and trout for dinner. They had a good selection of beers and wines.
This was one of the better places I’ve been in NYC. What truly made this place shine was the attention to detail (both with the food and service). Definately on my radar from now on.

Such cute little spot, very date appropriate with its mood lighting :) I went here with friends, and it’s definitely also a great place for small groups. Went here for the restaurant week deal which is 3 courses for $ 38. I ordered the butternut squash/​sweet potato soup for my appetizer which was lumpy and didn’t have a very smooth, soupy texture as it should so thumbs down to that. For the entrée course I ordered the steak and frites, which was really tasty and was cooked medium (a tad on the dry side but it was tasty enough not to need so much steak sauce). My friend ordered the trout which I tried a little of — that was delicious. To finish off, I ordered the chocolate ganache cake with hibiscus mousse. This was slightly underwhelming… my friend ordered the profiteroles with ice cream which was spot on. I think there was some type of salted caramel sauce added because it had a malty, salty but sweet flavor to it. Service was excellent but I do have to minus the one star as I was disappointed with the appetizer and dessert.

Perhaps you’ve heard of a popular eatery called Buttermilk Channel? No? Well, it’s THE brunch place in the area, but some people like me were getting too lazy to walk all the way down there. Thankfully, it’s like the owners heard my thoughts, and opened up a spot less than a somersault away from my apartment. Yay!
There’s nothing to complain about here, expect the smidge of a wait on weekends for brunch. But otherwise, it’s all gravy (and biscuits)! There’s your typical heavy French options, with lighter fare as well, and A+ drinks to ease you into whatever kind of meal you wanna have. For example, I could chow down on some steak frites if I’m hungover, or have a fluffy scramble with sparkling water post-​yoga.
Food is great and perfectly portioned. Servers are sweethearts. Also… the atmosphere is adorable. Great for a cozy winter night in.

I came here with my cousin for Jan/​Feb 2016 Restaurant Week (lunch) — I ordered the Steak Tartare (egg yolk, chile oil, and pickled mustard seed), salad niçoise socca (chickpea flatbread, rare tuna, olive aioli, soft boiled egg, and salad greens), and the profiteroles (vanilla ice cream and cardamom caramel). My cousin ordered the snug harbor greens (banyuls vinaigrette and torn herbs), grilled trout po’boy (remoulade, red cabbage and fennel slaw on a sourdough baguette), and the profiteroles (vanilla ice cream and cardamom caramel).
After studying through the RW menu, reading countless Unilocal reviews, and sifting through delicious photos of food, I was thoroughly convinced that I would have to try this place. Everything on their RW menu looked very appetizing and I had a difficult time choosing what I wanted for my first and second course. The third course however was going to be an easy one. You have a choice between the profiteroles or something called «Nancy’s Camembert» (rye ficelle, huckleberry jam and endive), which hands-​down I was definitely going to choose the profiteroles.
As for the first and second course, I thought the best thing to do would be to just order whatever would normally come out to be the most expensive, as I would maximize on my savings. Honestly, had I gone with that strategy then I would’ve ordered the steak tartare and the moules frites. However, for some reason, I decided to get the salad niçoise socca which turned out to be the worst mistake. At the time that I arrived at the restaurant, I skimmed around the dining room to see what the other patrons were ordering. Two women sitting next to me had ordered the salad niçoise socca. It looked appetizing, and on the normal lunch menu the salad would’ve been a pricey $ 16.
I started off with the steak tartare, and it was good. I wish; however, that they served the plate with a few more pieces of toast. As other people started on their second courses, I saw how delicious the po’boy trout looked as it was coming out of the kitchen. The moules frites looked even better. At that point, the salad niçoise socca looked like rabbit food, and I was becoming regretful. It was too late to change my order. The second course arrives at our table and I immediately made a sad face. Thankfully, my cousin gave me a piece of her trout po’boy because the salad niçoise socca was not good. I didn’t even take a photo of the salad because I was so disappointed with the dish. There were 3 small pieces of rare tuna. Most of the mixed greens were rotten (on that note: my cousin ordered the snug harbor greens for her first course and most of the mixed greens in that dish were also rotten). The chickpea flatbread as it was placed under the salad had been soggy. This is possibly the worst dish a person could order. They should not include this on their RW menu if they really want to showcase their best dishes and have people come back (because isn’t that really the purpose of participating in RW)? Had I not been able to taste the trout po’boy, I probably wouldn’t have rated this restaurant has high as I did, and I probably wouldn’t have come back. The trout po’boy really saved it. I would definitely still come back for the trout po’boy or for some of the other dishes that I didn’t get to try.

nice casual french bistro in boerum hill. came here for restaurant week (RW) and the menu is rather extensive compared to lots of other RW offerings around the city. specifically, they offer lots of items that are actually ON their menu. I enjoyed the generous portions of mussels normande to start. could really taste the mustard at times. I couldn’t decide between the trout and steak frites, but I succumbed to the steak frites. the bavette steak was nicely seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium. can’t say the fries were that great though, but they were decent. my fellow Unilocaler peter y let me try some of the trout and it was delish as well. finished off with the profiteroles which were a nice light dessert. overall, great meal in a charming setting.

I came to this restaurant for restaurant week and it was great!
Food was delicious and service was outstanding. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Very friendly staff.
But, horrible food! Wrong decision to go to this place for dinner. The worst squash soup I have ever had, tasteless and too thick with raw prices of carrot! pan fried trout: two thin layers of tasteless fish, no sauce, some pieces of Apple! The dessert, chocolate mousse? Horrible. Grainy texture no taste of chocolate. I bet the chef has never tried their own food. Oh, and the wine, cheap wine for $ 14 per glass. Is his a joke? Absolute rip off.

Don’t miss out on restaurant week 2016 at French Louie! $ 38 for a three course dinner. The restaurant was packed on a snowy Friday evening buy the service was remarkably relaxed and friendly. They have a nice cocktail menu and a good selection of wines and beers (try the sour ale)!
Appetizers: the butternut squash soup was fine but the mussels were outstanding. This is a GIANT bowl of seafood and the mussels themselves were plump and juicy. The mustard cream sauce they were served in was excellent.
Entrees: the steak frites was a large, filling portion and the steak was nicely cooked. What really made this dish shine, however, was the incredible house steak sauce. Make sure to ask the waiter for this! The trout entrée was also nice and the bread salad it was served on top of was very flavorful.
Dessert: the cheese was okay but the profiteroles were a better choice. These little morsels were drenched in a caramel cardamom sauce and were a great way to end a lovely meal.

Our experience at French Louie was tre magnifique! We really felt transported to a classic French bistro via the amazing food and considered service. Our waitress may have been a bit new (as she seemed nervous) but she did a fantastic job walking through the entrees and offering suggesting for our drinks.
For food, we had:
— Chicken Liver Pâté — I love pâté, but this was not my favorite, but it may be a matter of texture. The pâté was a lot more fatty than I anticipated.
— Pickles — Get them! I loved the carrots the best
— Roasted Butternut Squash Soup — I know we got the least French dish on the menu but hear me out. Everyone in our party of four loved the soup. The chickpeas were so tender and the butternut squash was incredibly flavorful. It was also a fairly dense dish all things considered.
— Bavette Steak — I did not try the steak but damn those french fries were amazing! The accompanying salad was also thoughtfully dressed.
— Gnocchi — this was a solid vegetarian option as the gnocchi were incredibly soft and tender.
— Goat Cheese Ice Cream and Profiteroles — the profiteroles were not my favorite but I loved the homemade ice cream. Don’t be thrown off my the goat-​cheese flavor — it’s actually very subtle.

one of the best lunches i’ve ever had!
came here with coworkers for lunch on an offsite. LUNCH WAS SUPERB. i had beef heaven overload with the steak tartar appetizer, followed by steak frites, cooked perfect at medium rare. YUM. their fries are amazing. Not to mention; enjoyed with a Cote Rotie (thank goodness, paid on company’s dime $ 115 a bottle) for dessert, i had the chocolate pot de crème with orange madeleines. super rich but delicious. perfect with espresso! belly was very happy. will definitely be back for dinner one day!

Atmosphere: Extremely romantic, dimly light. Perfect for date night. Cute tiny little bar up front to sit at while you wait for your table.
Food: I had a salad and the roasted root vegetables which were delicious. HOWEVER, my date ordered his steak medium rare and it came out VERY WELL DONE. No, no, no.
This is the only reason I give it two stars. For a French spot, you should be able to properly cook steak and frites! Get it together, Louie.

Wow! What a lovely place. The Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu was spectacular! My wife had the French Toast which was awesome!
Service? 5 Stars
Kichen? 5 Stars
Atmosphere? 5 Stars
This was the best brunch I’ve had in years. Don’t walk, run.
Shout out to Rezeta and Doug! Thank you!!!

Outstanding. An amazing brunch, with one of the best bloody Mary’s I have ever had. The Everything Mary. The vodka is flavored with all the good stuff that’s on an everything bagel. Insane. And it wasn’t too spicy as some Mary’s can be.
My friend and I both had eggs because brunch. I went for the eggs Louie, which is little strips of croissant with an over easy egg and pimento sauce with hollandaise. Just the right size to be filling and not overwhelming. It was fancy resto brunch not diner brunch. Quality over quantity. Yum.
They serve counterculture coffee.
Waited only about 15m to be seated on Sunday at 1, and the hostess was really on top of the waiting list and super friendly.

Had a quick Saturday brunch with two friends. I ordered the socca — delicious, one friend got the smoked trout with crème fraîche scramble — delicious, and one friend got the crème brûlée french toast — very rich, decadent, sweet and huge!
Very good, attentive service.

French Louie is a very cute brunch spot! The food is good (although not crazy outrageous but definitely solid). I ordered the smoked trout eggs and they were more soft scrambled and topped with crème fraîche and scallions. It was a deceptively large portion and difficult to finish but was truly yummy. The toast it was served with was good but a little too crusty and very difficult to bite into. The salad is was served with was fine. The eggs tasted great with a side order of the duck fat potatoes which were delicious. We also ordered the warm madeleines which were nice and served with a yogurt dip (with a hint of cardamom that I honestly could have lived without).
This place is so cute and there are so many other delicious sounding things on the menu that even though the food wasn’t perfect (although the service was!), I’d definitely go back.

~*Review #500!!*~ That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Been a fan of Buttermilk Channel, so I was eager to try their fancier French sister.
The space of the restaurant is HUGE, and toes the line between fancy and casual. On one hand, you have candlelit tables and nice lighting. On the other hand, you have cartoon stencils and a cartoon mural on the wall. It makes for a nice, chill vibe.
The place was quite packed, and we were given the choice of a table in the front by the bar or outside in the backyard. We picked the backyard, which is spacious and beautiful, but it was so humid that day that we changed our minds and asked to sit inside. The servers were very nice and understanding, and even gave us a better table than before!
The menu is pretty awesome, and we were hard-​pressed to choose. We started with the grilled foie gras, which was amazing and probably one of the best I’ve had. It was served with pickled grapes, shaved fennel, and rhubard, and while those were great, the unadorned foie gras itself would have been perfect on its own.
For mains, we shared the Bavette steak frites and grilled trout. Sort of a good offset, one heavy dish, one light dish. The steak frites were well done, although the steak was more medium than medium rare as requested. It was still really tasty. And the fries were spot on. The grilled trout was very light and crispy. It was served with fingerling potatoes that had the most amazing smoke flavor, cucumbers and radishes, and trout roe.
We finished with the profiteroles with cardamon caramel sauce and pistachio ice cream for dessert. Incredibly sweet and indulgent. Definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!
Service was great throughout, and while it’s pricier than Buttermilk Channel, it’s definitely worth the extra $$$. Definitely going on my list of favorite places!

French Louie is one of my new favorite restaurants in Brooklyn. And that’s not that much of a surprise, considering the pedigree of the owners and chefs (most notably Buttermilk Channel).
It’s not an every week type of place, but more of a semi-​special occasion spot. They have tons of seating inside and out (including a gigantic backyard). I thought it was going to be classy to a fault, but it was actually surprisingly casual. We were originally offered a table by the door, but decided to go outside, but it was the most humid day of the year, and they were nice enough to bring us back inside at a nicer table in the back. The waitstaff was overall amazing.
Not to be outdone, the food is also top notch. Started out with the grilled foie gras (because why the hell not?). It was served with pickled grapes and fennel. The foie gras was incredibly rich and needed nothing because it was the best I’ve had in a long time. But nevertheless, all of the added flavors really boosted the dish (especially the grapes). Great for sharing.
All of the entrees sounded amazing, but we eventually decided to share the grilled trout and the Bavette steak frites. The steak was slightly overcooked (more medium than medium rare), but the flavors were excellent. Great fries too. And the salad, while completely unnecessary since I’m a carnivore, was actually a nice addition; it wasn’t just a few pieces of lettuce thrown together, but seemed thought through.
The grilled trout was a much lighter dish, with a flaky with a crispy skin. It was also served with these delicious smoked fingerling potatoes. They had a crispy exterior and a smooth silky interior. Kind of like smashed potatoes that weren’t smashed. It was all topped off with some trout roe, which was just the icing on the trout.
For dessert, we had the profiteroles, which… let me just say, save room in your stomach. Pistachio ice cream over half of a cream puff shell. Three of them. Yummy.
They also have some interesting cocktails, and a great whiskey and apertif list. One of the bartenders actually came over and gave me a personal recommendation on an armagnac when I couldn’t decide on my last drink.
All in all, French Louie is doing everything right. Can’t wait to be back. Hopefully, I’ll be back sooner rather than later for their Monday night dinner prix fixe!

I was so excited to try this place, it looked cute and delicious.
My friend and I went for brunch. It took them an hour for them to bring us our food. People who arrived after us were served before us. They gave us a free brioche in an attempt to mitigate this, which I appreciate, but still. An hour after ordering to get our food. Which wasn’t that great. The burger was overpriced (17 $) for it’s small size. And it was bland. I am disappointed to have wasted money and calories here.