Libertine

New York restaurateurs have a habit of trying to recreate the bistro, most with middling levels of effort. So it’s easy to be suspicious of the obsessive Francophilia on display at Libertine. Those ubiquitous bistro chairs and big mirrors, the framed Serge Gainsbourg mugshot—it all gives “just got back from studying abroad.” Until you eat the French countryside cooking, and realize she’s fluent. 

Libertine leans in hard: The little tables are flown in from France, as is the art deco dishware, and the small mountain of butter from Normandy in the kitchen. Ask the waiter about it, and you’ll start wondering if he makes a commission on French imports. The effort is appreciated, though somewhat unnecessary. If we could afford it, we’d eat here twice a week, even if we had to sit on one of the staged wine crates on the floor.

photo credit: Kate Previte

You can find the day’s menu on chalkboards around the room: a short list of precise French classics that couldn't be improved upon by anything other than the perfect wine pairing and an after-dinner cigarette. A stunning lobster chou farci and the jambon persillé, with flavor-concentrated patches of gelatinous, bright green parsley, are some of the best things we’ve eaten this year. But the dish that ultimately makes us want to return to Libertine is the duck deux façons, which consists of perfectly pink sliced breast and a duck confit casserole. It costs $72, and we wouldn’t recommend skipping it.

photo credit: Kate Previte

As much as Libertine wants to be the casual bistro you’d meet up at in an Eric Roehmer film, you should be prepared to spend your monthly date night budget on a meal for two here. When you attempt to Amazon Prime Paris to Christopher Street, there will be customs fees.

Still, you could imagine looking out of the big corner windows, spotting a friend, and waving them in for some oeufs mayo and martinis at the red leather bar stools. You can’t, because Libertine is a hot New York restaurant with a tough reservation, but for a moment, you could see it.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Kate Previte

Oeufs Mayo

Oeufs mayo is an old staple of Parisian bistros, but we’ve never had a version stateside quite as delightful as this one. Boiled eggs, just jammy enough, are covered—completely—under a blanket of tangy mayo custard. Finished with trout roe and chives on top, it’s one of those dishes you’ll awkwardly ask the waiter not to take so you can surreptitiously lick it clean.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Duck Deux Façons

This one comes in two parts—sliced breast with crispy, golden skin and a piquant pepper sauce that actually has a kick beneath all that butter. Part deux consists of a confit casserole of duck meat under pommes aligot, and—we regret to inform you—totally makes the dish worth $72.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Lobster Chou Farci

Instead of ground meat, the cabbage leaves in this chou farci are stuffed with lobster and fish mousse, making for a lighter summer dish.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Jambon Persillé

Every bistro requires some ham or pate on deck, but Libertine has taken the most basic of bistro foods, and turned it into a showstopper. The thick, gelatinous slab of meat and bright green herbs is as flavorful as it looks, and should be eaten by itself, with a small swipe of mustard.

Saucisse Puree

This simple pork sausage and mashed potato dish is a disarming ensemble of fat, butter, and gravy that might have made us nostalgic for our first love if we’d eaten it before in the right country home.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Rice Pudding

Libertine doesn’t do showboaty desserts, but all of them stay with you for longer than whatever gold-leaf lava cake you last had in Midtown. This rice pudding is simple and stunning, with crunchy hazelnuts mixed in and a dulce de leche topping.