Students at the French Culinary Institute in New York City take a final exam every night. And it’s not just a single demanding professor they’re trying to impress. Rather, they’re “performing” in front of 70 or 80 fussy food-lovers who expect them to know how to braise, bake and make béarnaise perfectly.
Their classroom is L’Ecole, the charming, white-tablecloth restaurant attached to the FCI in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood. The Institute has been training aspiring chefs for decades. At L”Ecole, (French for “school”) they show off what they have learned.
It’s an attractive, well-lighted space with windows on two sides providing city sidewalk entertainment. There’s an air of excitement and anticipation, thanks to students who genuinely love what they are doing and diners who relish the creativity and uniqueness of the experience.
It’s also one of the best bargains in the city.
The prix fixe dinner is $42 per person. Book your reservation between 5:30 and 7:30 pm Monday through Saturday evening and that $42 buys you a four-course dinner cooked by graduates of the school. Reserve a table between 8 and 9 pm and the same price treats you to a five-course dinner cooked by current students.
(Lunch is also served Monday through Friday; $28 prix fixe for a three-course affair.)
I dined at L’Ecole last night with friends and was impressed by the polished performance of everybody involved. The FCI is, understandably, focused on French cuisine and the menu makes that very clear. The young chefs have clearly mastered the Gallic classics – an intense demi-glace,; a shiny red wine reduction; perfect pommes fondant (mashed potatoes); well-seasoned béarnaise; and a frozen apricot soufflé that soared way above its ceramic ramekin.
About the only minor disappointment was when they crossed the border into Italy. A gnocchi appetizer was wan in appearance and wimpy in flavor (though the fresh peas and grape tomato sidekicks were tasty.)
After a few stumbles by the front desk – we were first led to a table that was too small for our party of six – the service team went on to garner an “A” for its efficiency and enthusiasm. When we asked for a peek at the kitchens, our server arranged with the dining room manager to give us a tour after dinner (we were among the last customers in the restaurant).
Among the highlights of the meal:
A sensational pissaladiere, the wispy, thin-crusted “pizza” of Provence, this one topped with sautéed shrimp, diced tomato and basil chiffonade.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pissaladiere
White bean brandade -- a clever riff on the classic French puree of salt cod and potatoes.
Weensy weensy mushrooms – we’re talking the size of a pencil point – with big big flavor…served with a scarlet-hearted filet of beef .
The intoxicating aroma of verbena and lavender wafting from the pale pink “fruit soup” that featured strawberries, blueberries and kiwi. A crispy tuile hovered over the soup; a scoop of barely sweetened vanilla-ginger ice cream crowned the creation.
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