Le Coucou (restaurant) explained

Le Coucou
Current-Owner:Stephen Starr
Chef:Daniel Rose
Rating: Michelin Guide
Street-Address:138 Lafayette Street
City:Manhattan, New York City
State:New York
Postcode:10013

Le Coucou is a French restaurant in the 11 Howard hotel in New York City. Opened in 2016, the restaurant is owned by Stephen Starr, with Daniel Rose as its chef.

History and menu

History

Before beginning Le Coucou, Rose was a chef in Paris at his own restaurant, Spring.[1] Rose continued to operate Spring after founding Le Coucou.[2] Before formally partnering with Starr, Rose worked briefly in the kitchen of Starr's restaurant Buddakan.[1] Rose has a reputation as a "cerebral" chef, in contrast to Starr's "mass-appeal" restaurants.[1] However, Rose found Starr's existing roster of restaurants comforting as a source of support for Le Coucou.[1]

The restaurant opened in June 2016.[3] Roman and Williams designed the restaurant's interior.[4] The décor includes a mural by artist Dean Barger, inspired by the works of French painter Hubert Robert.[4]

The restaurant was closed for over a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] It reopened in November 2021.[6] Four months were spent preparing for the reopening.[7] Though Le Coucou serves primarily French food, the reworked menu included dishes based on recipes from Spain and Portugal.[7] Rose has said these were included "to give people a sense that there’s a big wide world out there, even while travel is still a bit curtailed"[7] due to the pandemic.

Anna Sorokin ate at the restaurant frequently while living in 11 Howard.[8]

Menu and offerings

Rose has said the closed New York City French restaurant Lutèce inspired the menu at Le Coucou.[2]

Reviews and accolades

Reviews

The restaurant received three stars from New York Times reviewer Pete Wells.[2] Wells praised the restaurant's ability to downplay the intimidating aspects of haute cuisine while maintaining a sense of formality, writing that the restaurant has "an elegance that is well outside the everyday rumble of New York life but that doesn’t have...the off-putting reserve...from the old days."[2] When comparing the restaurant to New York City French mainstay La Grenouille, Wells wrote that Le Coucou was superior in the quality of its food, service, and wine list.[2]

Accolades

Pete Wells placed Le Coucou in fifty-eighth place in his 2023 ranking of the hundred best restaurants in New York City.[9]

The restaurant won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in 2017.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Gordinier . Jeff . Daniel Rose, an American in Paris, Comes Home to Cook . 25 January 2022 . The New York Times . 18 April 2016 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125163031/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/dining/daniel-rose-chef-le-coucou.html . live .
  2. News: Wells . Pete . Le Coucou Pays Rich Homage to Old-School French Cuisine . 25 January 2022 . The New York Times . 1 November 2016 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125173939/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/dining/le-coucou-review.html . live .
  3. News: Dai . Serena . Stephen Starr and Daniel Rose's Le Coucou Opens With White Tablecloths And Chandeliers . 25 January 2022 . Eater NY . 17 June 2016 . en . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125163419/https://ny.eater.com/2016/6/17/11963048/le-coucou-opens-menu-daniel-rose-stephen-starr . live .
  4. News: Inside the Roman & Williams–Designed Le Coucou Restaurant . 25 January 2022 . Architectural Digest . Morris . Lacy . 6 July 2016 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125163420/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/roman-and-williams-le-coucou-restaurant-soho . live .
  5. News: Fortney . Luke . The Lights Are Back on at Michelin-Starred Le Coucou After a Year-Plus Closure . 25 January 2022 . Eater NY . 1 November 2021 . en . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125201258/https://ny.eater.com/2021/11/1/22757847/le-coucou-reopening-stephen-starr-daniel-rose-soho-french-restaurant . live .
  6. News: Cuozzo . Steve . Le Coucou — NYC's best new restaurant in decades — is finally back . 25 January 2022 . New York Post . 3 December 2021 . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125201340/https://nypost.com/2021/12/03/nycs-best-restaurant-le-coucou-is-back-and-better-than-ever/ . live .
  7. News: Platt . Adam . Daniel Rose Is Ready for Some Magic . 25 January 2022 . Grub Street . 16 November 2021 . en-us . 25 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125201513/https://www.grubstreet.com/2021/11/daniel-rose-le-coucou-reopening.html . live .
  8. "She Paid for Everything": How a Fake Heiress Made My $62,000 Disappear . 19 February 2022 . Vanity Fair . Williams . Rachel Deloache . 13 April 2018.
  9. News: Wells . Pete . The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City . 18 April 2023 . The New York Times . 18 April 2023 . 18 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418033550/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/dining/best-nyc-restaurants.html . live .
  10. News: Fabricant . Florence . Le Coucou Named Best New Restaurant at James Beard Awards . 19 April 2023 . The New York Times . 2 May 2017 . 18 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418040135/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/dining/james-beard-award-winners-le-coucou-best-new-restaurant.html . live .

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