Plein Sud

The hustle is on. At least that’s what it felt like. On a date, so I’m trying to do that «getting to know you thing». I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like unfettered conversation during my dates. It’s hard to do that when the waitress is pressing you for drinks. Once we had ordered [honestly just to keep her from interrupting] she dropped us like a stripper who realized we’d run out of Franklins. You know, «how was the food?» or my favorite «do you need anything else?»
Was the food phenomenal. No.

I’m somewhat stunned by the fact that this place was absolutely deserted on a weekend morning — maybe it picks up later in the day? But Plein Sud is a must-​go if you’re ever stuck for brunch options in the in-​between of FiDi and TriBeCa, and let me tell you that the eggs Norwegian here are a must. If you’re not a fan of eggs benedict with smoked salmon, well… we can’t be friends, not even if you’re willing to share some of their delicious sausage with me. Maybe. Sigh, okay.
Aside from the fact that this place is shockingly affordable ($ 14 for eggs benedict in a hotel? Seriously?!), the décor is also intensely lovely (check out that wood ceiling!) and rustic without feeling too casual. Great place to hang out for a couple lazy hours over some good food and coffee.

Brunch here on a Sunday is quite relaxing. The atmosphere is southern comfort plus rustic. The price is a bit more expensive and I can’t justify that based on the food I had. Ordered the grilled chicken club sandwich (avacado, bacon, basil mayo) with fries (taste just like mcdonalds’) and a bellini.
Overall the food was ok, if the price was cheaper, I wouldn’t mind coming back again.

I went there this evening with my girlfriend and her family, I can say that we wont be going back again… the food was not that good, the duck dish was very salty and when we told the waitress she was confused on what she needed to do, she finally said oh I’ll take it back and ask the chef… the dish came back and was still too salty… we didn’t make a big deal of it, and just asked them to bag it to go… the kids also had some pizza and fries that they wanted bagged… the person who grabbed the dishes asked if we wanted them in separate box??? are these ppl kidding us? box the Duck dish with pizza and fries???
Any ways the check came and it was over $ 600, thanks to my girlfriend she noticed that we got charged for an extra bottle of wine… they corrected that issue and then just brought the togo boxes without a bag and gave it to us… we had to go to the manager and ask for a bag, they had to send someone to Starbucks to get a bag for us…
and extra 10 min we had to waste for a bag… that is not theirs.
So horrible experience and we won’t be going back…

Not sure what I was expecting from Plein Sud, as I work in the neighborhood and passed by it frequently. From the outside, it looked fancy-​ish, with lots of promise of unique approach to French cuisine. Finally, had an occasion to take out a friend for lunch, so what better way to celebrate than a class about your average lunch break. Hence I made reservations for two (the same day).
The hostess gave me a great big smile as I entered, guessing my name since my other party had already arrived and was seated. The place was at least ²⁄₃ or half empty. Mostly filled with «suits» and business talk. This was a bit of a disappointment as I try to avoid this kind of atmosphere.
The first item that got my attention from the menu was the French onion soup. Call it a search for the best French onion soup ever, so there was no contest I was ordering that (same for my friend). Knowing how heavy these things can be on one’s stomach I had to choose something else that was much much lighter. So I opted for the appetizer salad with greens, cherry tomatoes and carrots, as well as a side of Brussel-​sprouts. My friend chose the cobb salad.
The waitress took our order fairly fast. We were treated to some still water for the time being. Somewhat later our French onion soup came by. A little after that a bread basket appeared (too late). I definitely had better soup elsewhere. The stock was flowing with grease and oil, the piece of bread could have been a little bit bigger, at least to fill the diameter of the bowl and the cheese was ok, a side too thick for my taste. My favorite part of eating the French onion soup is dipping some bread into the broth (after I am done with the moist bread and cheese), alas our bread basket didn’t really allow for it. Another disappointment.
After somewhat of another wait, way after we were done with our soups, out came the salads. The cobb salad my friend ordered was a decent portion size (I guess making up for the cost?). My green salad with some shreds of carrot and a whole 2 of tiny cherry tomatos divided in half to give you the impression that it was like 4, was yet another disappointment.
I was happy I finally visited this establishment, but will be happier going somewhere else next time. There are certainly much better lunches I could get for $ 35/​person.

Excited to stay in my hood for today’s #brunchbelle edition. visited #pleinsud and was thrilled with the decision. Showed up late for the Manhattan brunch crowd yet was met by a good hostess, fun bartender and overall very friendly staff.
Bloody Mary was tasty — nothing special but solid.
James Taylor and other 70s tracks (including KISS later on in the meal) wonderful back drop.
I started with French onion soup on recommendation. Just a bit of spicy flavor… wonderful texture. With my main course I enjoyed a Amazing white wine from Argentina. It was Torrontes — crisp and dry– perfect day white. For my main entrée, I ordered French toast with a side of maple wood apple bacon. This type of meal is why I love brunch — the flavor of the toast was simply amazing. Sweet and crunchy. The bacon was tender and just a hint of the maplewood — not over seasoned.
Plain Sud gets a 9 on the #brunchbelle scale. Wonderful food, cocktails, service and atmosphere!

What a little gem in downtown Manhattan. I hosted a business lunch at Plein Sud, and surprisingly, a menu with options for all types of eaters was harder to find downtown than I thought (vegan, vegetarian and carnivores in our party). Plein Sud has it all.
We made reservations and were graciously greeted promptly by our friendly host who asked our preference for seating (always nice), and was followed by a warm welcome from very polished, pleasant server.
As mentioned, we had all types of eaters and really didn’t have any difficulty finding lunch options to please all. Our server was available for questions when needed. The food is thoughtfully prepared with top notch ingredients, presentation and quality. One of our guests had the chicken club sandwich, and not only was the portion ample for two, it looked succulent with the fresh avocado and high-​quality bacon. Lunch was a crowd-​pleaser all around.
The décor is trendy rustic. The restaurant is huge and can seat large parties. We were comfortable, enjoyed the ambiance, enjoyed our quality service, and most of all, really enjoyed our meal. Delicious.

We went for brunch at around noon and I picked the place because of its location (relatively close to the battery park marina) and its great review & pictures on the Serious Eats blog.
Pro: The décor was pretty and airy.
Cons: The food took about 40 min to come (and our pastry basket came after) although we were the only customers at the restaurant. The coffee was a bit sour. I was a little disappointed my eggs benedict didn’t come with a tomato Provençal like it said it does in the Serious Eats feature.
The food was just okay but a little expensive for what it was.

Another restaurant week 2012 destination.
Appetizers & main courses lacked a lot. My flatbread was tasty, but unremarkable. My skate was decent but… skate.
**General complaint: PLEASE STOP PUTTING SKATE ON RESTAURANT WEEK MENUS! IT’S BEEN ON 3 OF 5 WE’VE VISITED. I KNOW IT’S CHEAP TO BUY BUT SKATE PEE THROUGH THEIR SKIN AND YOU CAN TASTE IT. SUCH A FOUL FISH**
My fiancé’s chicken was bland and not at all «french.» Overall pretty ‘meh.‘
The décor shouldn’t be more impressive than the meal, and it was. Plus side, the profiteroles were bangin’ but not good enough to make us want to come back and give this another shot.

Plein Sud wasn’t bad — to the contrary, it was good. However, the food doesn’t 100% live up to the caliber of dining it promises with its menu, prices, and ambiance.
Beautifully decorated — rustic, spacious enough, pretty stemware. Filled with suits and wine & dine client parties. Service was good-​ish — they were amazing… until we sat for literally 30 minutes waiting for our last course when not 1 other table was still in the restaurant.
Flatbread with mushrooms and truffle oil? Awesome. Light and tasty, well-​portioned, win all around. The skate wing was a very interesting dish — flaky and light, with a roasted tomato and pea purée. Yum. Profiteroles in chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream were pretty boring — the profiterole itself brought nothing to the dish, tasted like a communion wafer.
I’m not slamming Plein Sud, but nothing blew me away. The food should always outshine the ambiance — or at least match — and it wasn’t the case here.

Plein Sud, when 5 star dining is simply out of your budget, but you still want to be treated like a 5 star guest.
My waiter was Kyle, a very friendly and welcoming waiter. He was friendly, patient, and very helpful. Especially when the group runt decided to be the most difficult customer ever, asking for a flatbread that did not exist! But he got it.
Anyway, I had a chance to enjoy the duck liver mousse tartine, it was well balanced and flavorful. Perfect way to start a meal.
The trio of land and sea was solid, very tasty and well executed. My favorite was the scallop ceviche, that certainly stood out above the rest, the beef tartare was a close second.
For my entrée, I had the braised rabbit leg aux olives kalamata. The portion was big, dessert lovers beware, the meat fell off the bone, was moist and cooked well. The pasta in accompany was cooked to perfection and offered a delightful and giddy contrast to the meat.
For a drink I recommend the Cubano, which is off the menu I believe. But it provided a great median between trying to chose from a wine and a beer.
The restaurant itself is perfect for a night out in the town or a date night. On a surprising note, the music was fantastic. I will definitely come here again.

I spent the last week in NYC on a food adventure with my family and Plein Sud became one of our favorite spots. We liked the Toro Lounge they have down stairs so much that we ended up coming back to the restaurant two more times before we left.
Our server, Kyle, was super attentive and knowledgeable about all the items on the menu. He also made some great suggestions when I couldn’t make up my mind. I was being a complete pain in the ass with my special orders and he was still pleasant and accommodating to my every request. That’s pretty rare in NYC. I ate a at least 25 restaurants in the week I was there and felt more welcome there than at any other restaurant I went to. So if he is there, ask for Kyle!
As far as dishes go, the one that seemed to be the biggest hit with our table was the rabbit. The portion sizes were huge and it came with truffle spaghetti that was mind blowingly good. The rabbit was perfectly cooked and the two people that ordered it were having to fight off the rest of us trying to steal their food.
The appetizers were all tasty as well. We had the trio of tartars and the duck liver mouse. I’m not a big lover of tartars, but everyone else chomped them up and the mouse was delicious.
Their fries were actually the standout for me personally. They had a bit of texture to them, like maybe they had a flour coating or something. Not sure what they did, I just know they were fucking awesome. Leave it to me to have fries be my favorite dish! I guess I’m just a potato whore at heart.
We also went all out with the desserts and got a little bit of everything. The macaroons were fantastic, the Pleid Sud chocolate peanut better dessert was nice because the peanut butter taste was very mellow and not overbearing, and the crème brule’ was spot on.
If you want a really nice dinner in NY without all the stuffiness you get from the high end restaurants in Manhattan, this is the place for you.

Quaint, relaxing, comfortable and delicious brunch spot.
Even though Plein Sud is located on the ground floor of the Smyth Hotel, it doesn’t have the snobby and stuffy feeling of a hotel restaurant. It’s décor is very southern and country-​like with wood paneling and potted plants throughout.
I went with my girlfriend on Saturday at 1130am and it was pretty empty. Service was friendly and attentive, refilling waters and coffee pots. I ordered the ham, egg and cheese flat bread (tasty but could’ve used a bit more gruyère cheese) and the chocolate croissant (fresh, flaky, buttery and just the right amount of chocolate filling) while my girlfriend got the decadent pancakes (fluffy and buttery pancakes, generously covered with nutella, strawberries and bananas; highly recommend).
Yes, prices are slightly higher than other brunch spots but also you’re getting slightly better service and food quality. Definitely will be back again, possibly for dinner, and recommend to others if you’re in the area.

I AM a fan of this place, so thanks to you Restaurant Week!
We came in here for dinner, and the ambiance was splendid, dimly lit, but not dark, had a nice feel to it really; really «datey» kind of place, or atleast it was on the night we went. The food however, was BRILLIANT.
I got the soup to start, potato and leek soup to be exact, and OH MAN was it good! There were only a few potatos in it, but the soup broth was delightful, seemed like the perfect soup for a rainy day or when it’s cold outside.
We both got the Grilled skirt steak and fingerling potatos as the entrée, and that was another good call. The steak was great, tender, and on top of that, the red wine sauce it was hanging out in was soooo delicious, the potatos were yummy as well, it was one of my favorite meals for all of restaurant week honestly. It was a good amount of food but not a whole lot of food, so you ate it and you were satisfied, not stuffed.
Of course for desert Crème Brulee was on the menu, because I hadn’t had any at any of the other restaurants I went to prior, and it was good. I’m not really a dessert guy anyway, but Crème Brulee is pretty easy to NOT mess up, so it’s pretty much always good. This is one French spot I think is a great place with a lot of cool items on the menu, definitely worth checking out.

I love it when I find new brunch places. Out of all my favorite brunch places this one is definitely on the higher end in terms of price but that’s just because my options for brunch usually include pitcher deals. The drinks here are VERY well made and I really did not mind spending on it. I had a sip of my sister’s bloody mary, and although I really despise bloody mary I have to say it was pretty good.
I ordered the croque monsieur. Biting into the bread, hearing the crunch, and feeling the cheesy goodness of the gruyère topped with the warm ham was uh-​may-​zing. The light salad that came on the side was a good addition. When I go back though, I’m really going to have to order the tartare. A couple of people ordered it from our table and no one had anything bad to say about it.
Plein Sud is definitely going on my list of brunch places.

This place?
It gets brought down by the atrocious service. Look, I know for whatever reason New Yorkers still appreciate the snoozefest known as baseball– but appreciate it on your own time.
I do not need to be watching my server’s eyes glaze over whilst staring at the television for twenty minutes at a time.
To make things worse, I was over charged. Bought a dirnk at the bar before dinner party showed up. The server insisted on having me cash out before being seated in the dining room. Okay – no biggie. Except they presented me with the wrong check. And then had to take it back and give me the correct one after I’d signed for it, saying of course the charge hadn’t gone through, oh no, you won’t be charged.
Not only was I charged, I was charged three times. Once for the wrong bill, and twice for the right bill.
if you want to know about the food, ask someone else. There are plenty of French restaurants with better service in the city.
Final note: I hadn’t realized the executive chef was on Top Chef either. This admittedly makes the whole experience a lot less appealing than it already was. If not more understandable.
Plein Sud, c’est de conneries.

Despite the dreary sodden morning, we decided to brave the sheeting rain to sample the breakfast so enthusiastically touted by Serious Eats. We entered to find the place quite welcoming despite the weather. Several tables were already seated, enjoying attractively plated breakfasts. Unfortunately, our experience would not be so quaint and lovely.
To compare this pancake experience to the most recent pancakes I’ve sampled, namely the macaroni and cheese pancakes at Shopsin’s drizzled with homemade hot sauce and syrup, would be like comparing a gimpy ballerina to a headlining stripper in a sexalicious dance off.
I persuaded my dining companion to split the Eggs Florentine ($ 14) and the Blueberry Pancakes ($ 14) and we accessorized breakfast with a Diet Coke and a tea. I’m not entirely sure how much my Diet Coke cost, but we were astounded to see a $ 5 charge for the tea on our bill. Perhaps we ought to have been more meticulous in checking out prices BUT regardless of how fancy the tea bag was, I’m pretty sure that $ 5 is an outlandish price for some hot water and a tea bag. Shame on you, Plein Sud. Strike One!
The Eggs Florentine were delicious if somewhat gimmicky. Basically the kitchen toasted an english muffin, buttered the halves with creamed spinach and nestled a pair of perfectly poached eggs on top. The accompanying tomato was good and the home fries were average.
The Blueberry Pancakes were unable to live up to my high expectations because they arrived sans vanilla marscapone cream. Worse, our waitstaff neglected to give us the head’s up when we ordered. When we inquired, the kitchen informed us that the deliveries had yet to arrive. One of the reasons we chose Plein Sud was expressly to try the famed Blueberry Pancakes, and while the pancakes were good on their own, crispy, fluffy and full of berries, they were incomplete without the «icing» of vanilla marscapone cream. Strike Two!
Perhaps worst of all was the lack of responsiveness when we confronted the staff with the case of the missing marscapone. Apparently, the delivery, which was supposed to arrive at 5am, was severely delayed. Little effort was made to remedy the situation except for an offer of butter… eh, no thanks! Strike Three!
PARTING THOUGHT: I was really disappointed by my experience at Plein Sud. From the overpriced beverages (our bill totaled $ 50 after tip and tax) to the incomplete headline item to the lack of a head’s up, this was not a breakfast that I plan to repeat

Plein Sud served us a meal — to get the obvious homophone out of the way — that was plain unmemorable. This is straight forward French fare — tasty at times and thoroughly dull at others — which never breaks the plane of excellence. It’s also food that isn’t on the same plane with its aggressive price, and uses the opulence of the neighborhood as an excuse to overcharge for average food.
There was an excellently seasoned steak tartare ($ 14) served with good crusty country bread — a French classic that Chef Ed Cotton knocked out of the park. He also does justice to the Escargot Persillade ($ 14) that was appropriately buttery, wickedly garlicky, and just plain out good. Cotton also shows a knack for charcuterie, and sent plainly presented but decent preparations of duck liver mousse ($ 13) and duck and foie gras terrine ($ 14) with more of that lovely grilled country bread.
But he shows less respect to vegetables in an unfocused salad of watercress and endive ($ 14) — so sloppily presented that I wondered if a grade-​schooler with ADD was staging at Garde Manger that night. A marinated beet salad ($ 12) was woefully stingy with beets, which ingredient cost-​wise, are ridiculously cheap to procure.
That miserly plating carried over to a preparation of roasted branzino which was easily dispatched in 5 – 6 healthy bites — that’s for $ 25. A thimble full side of good, but scarce mac and cheese was $ 10, and a blundering and stodgy artichoke gratin was far from a bargain at $ 8.
On the other hand, I couldn’t fault the service, and the most memorable part of dinner happened right around closing time. An older lady, unmistakeably homeless, came in from the cold and was seated near our table. Unkempt and rambling, she ordered a beer and asked the waiter if she could stay for a few minutes and wait for her friends to arrive (they never appeared during our stay). She claimed that her friends would pay for her drink, and they should be here ‘any minute’. Our waiter patiently accommodated this request, likely knowing full well that he wouldn’t see a dime out of this customer, and he fetched her a tall cold one without blinking an eye.
I left happy, not from the food, but from our charitable waiter — now that was just plain nice.

Bravo, PLEIN SUD. Had an amazing food fueled experience here. Not only is the food 5 star worthy, our waiter was also superb.
Going into the experience, I was lukewarm in my expectations. The Unilocal reviews here are middle of the road and other reviews I’ve read were mediocre also. Still, I hoped that these reviews would be proved wrong because (1) I pass by the restaurant often and the décor is super appealing (2) I love Ed on Top Chef. I know, décor + personable chef don’t always equate to a good dining experience but in this case it got me through the front door.
Made a 2 person 7pm Friday evening reservation through OpenTable… initial impression from that site alone is that they are WIDE OPEN on reservations. I had my veritable pick of what time I wanted to come in on a Friday night. Problematic? Definitely not for reasons of ease, but it made me again skeptical to the type of experience I’d have. In NYC, packed = good, not packed = not good? In general I’ve found that to be true… so I was a little intimidated by this lack of competition for a time slot. However, don’t be scared — take this as a GIFT. The food here rocks.
Started at the bar with Bardot — A delcious $ 13 cocktail. The waitstaff at the bar is really attentive and kind. I sat at the end of the bar and there was a big glass box displyaing wine blocking me from the bartender, and she’d actually come AROUND the bar to take my order and give me my drinks so I wouldn’t have to maneuver around the glass box. (they should remove that glass box)! I was impressed with that.
Moving to service, we were sat at a cute round table and the waiter came and introduced himself. I wish I remembered his name b/​c he was absolutely the best waiter I’ve ever encountered in my 10 years in Manhattan. I’m not kidding. He took us through every menu item, listened to our ridiculous questions, talked to us several times throughout the night… basically the complete package. The first moment of our experience was a bit disappointing because my boyfriend really wanted the frog legs, but the waiter told us that the frog legs didn’t come through that day. (he was pretty apologetic about it and suggested other options). I can’t really hate on Plein Sud for not being able to get frog legs on a particular day and we’ll definitely be back to try them. However, we quickly moved on and ordered the following:
1) Foie Gras and Duck Breast Terrine: Awesome!!! If you like Foie Gras and you like Duck, you’ll LOVE this. I really liked putting together the combo of pickled veggies, a piece of terrine and perfectly crisp bread. It was a big piece and perfect for 2 people to share. This is the only appetizer we ordered and gladly so because it was extremely rich and decadent.
2) Skirt Steak: Fantastic, the best skirt steak I’ve ever had. It came perfectly cooked medium rare on a bed of zuchini/​potato hash, carmelized onions, and crisp onions on top. I couldn’t stop eating this and couldn’t believe skirt steak could be cooked so well. For $ 22, this is a real bargain.
3) Lamb: My bf LOVES lamb and this was done very nicely. I don’t like lamb and even I LIKED IT! You could tell it was very quality lamb meat and it just had a very hearty/​earthy taste. I believe it was medium/​rare and just perfect. yum!
4) Side: Cauliflower Gratin — the best tasting «veggies» i ever ordered. haha, to be honest these are fake veggies b/​c it’s covered so entirely with cheese and bechemel that it may as well be Mac and Cheese… but it was sinfully good. I really had to restrain myself from inhaling the whole portion.
5) Dessert: Berry Parfait. Wow. We wanted a light desert and this really hit the spot. Not only are the berries delicious, the cookie crumbs and goat cheese foam or cream on the parfait made the whole thing perfect! It also came with 2 coconut macaroons that were the best tasting macaroons I have ever had. I don’t pretend to be a macaroon expert. but you HAVE to try these!
I highly recommend Plein Sud. Food + Service + Décor… this place has it all.

Nothing Plain about Plein Sud
French Gastro Pub
It was one of those days when you wish that you were hungrier when you looked at the menu but you just couldn’t bring yourself to eat too much. The décor is stunning, crisp, clean, and cozy all at the same time. The bar (a coffee bar for the next few weeks) was a great place to dine and staff seemed eager to please.
Their rendition of Paris Mac and Cheese is by far one of the best in the city. With generous chunks of Ham, delicious cheese, and just the right amount of crispy crunch on top certainly it will not disappoint. The cauliflower soup will also leave you wanting more, thick, creamy, and bursting with flavor — loved this dish.
Unfortunately their Hamachi was a let down. The small pieces of fish, minimal radish, and unripe avocados hopefully will be fixed in the future. You can hardly call this dish a salad and at $ 14 it’s one you may want to skip. If you want to see a similar dish worth the price tag check out the Hamachi app at Quality Meats near Central Park.
Next came the flatbread. Perfect amount of goat cheese, excellent roasted tomato, beautiful beautiful presentation, but the crust comes out a little too thin. Hard to eat with a knife and fork, and folds up when you try to eat it with your hands. Trust me it’s a great taste but could make a huge difference if eating it was a little easier.
Their carrot slaw with coriander was tasty; if you enjoy curry then you’ll find the taste well executed and unique. I had a few bites and enjoyed them but this is not an item I will order again.
Chilled Pea Soup. Though I only had a taste and not the full dish I was not a fan of their cold rendition; lacking contrast in texture (yes I know it has cheese in the regular portion) it reminds me of a smoothie and just missed the boat for me.
All around superb experience here. Certainly a place you will feel comfortable in business casual or a little dressed up. Lovely dim lights, great ambiance, without being overwhelmingly large. They’ve got stay power, and with a few little adjustments I’d say they’re well on their way to becoming a neighborhood staple.
Date Rating: 8
Pick up Scale: TBD (They just opened a week ago. Since they’re still waiting for their liquor license it’s a little quiet. Hard to say what it will be like until they start to have regular customers/​scene.)
Bar awaiting liquor license if you dine here they give you a complimentary glass of wine before or after your meal. Go with the white the red was a disappointment.