At Chez Fifi, you can listen to Pink Martini and eat $160 chicken - Review - New York - The Infatuation
"Can a restaurant with a $160 roast chicken on the menu ever truly be, as one server describes it to us, a "little local spot for regulars"? Even factoring in its plush, Upper East Side townhouse digs, Chez Fifi just barely pulls it off. For the diner next to us who ordered that chicken—which comes carved and stacked over a pool of thin foie gras jus—and realized he’d eaten it before at the owners’ family home in France, this bistro might actually be the kind of place to casually drop half a grand on some fine but forgettable food for two. If that qualifies as more of a special occasion budget for you though, go elsewhere. photo credit: Alex Krauss photo credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Connor Cowden Pause Unmute From the brothers behind Sushi Noz, Chez Fifi is certainly charming: an inviting, low-ceilinged, dark wood box, bustling with staff all doing their best to promote an air of convivial ease while bundling furs off to the coat check, pouring wine into vanishingly thin glasses, and lining up empty bottles on corner ledges. If you tell someone you feel like smoking, they’ll bring you a cigarette and a lighter on a silver tray to take outside. But from the Pink Martini/Edith Piaf soundtrack, to the Parisian street sign that says "Bistrot de Fifi," it's also all a bit contrived. Sure, it's nice that the complimentary baguette and butter come with little red radishes, and the chicken comes from a family recipe, but for the most part, the food feels impersonal, too. Take the frogs’ legs: fat and juicy, but somewhat oversalted, with a one-note persillade. The obvious comparison is to Le Veau d’Or 15 blocks south—where the French-ness isn't pretentious, and where the frogs' legs come practically dancing in sizzling hot butter and hopping with flavor. photo credit: Alex Krauss photo credit: Connor Cowden photo credit: Sonal Shah Pause Unmute Upstairs, in the Salon de Fifi À L’Etage, a regular walks her friend past a Calder, a Miró, and a black marble fireplace to look at the portrait of a Foulquier matriarch. They stop to murmur appreciatively at the giant rock on the matriarch's finger. Even with the world-class artwork looming on the walls, the bar feels looser, closer to a family-run spot, and—if you're still curious about this place—it's where we'd suggest dropping in for some charcuterie and dessert, along with an excellent $26 cocktail, like the tiramisu-ish espresso martini, served in an beautiful etched glass teacup. But unless you own property in the area and also in Paris, you don't need to go out of your way. (In fact, just go to your home in Paris.) How to get into Chez Fifi Chez Fifi releases reservations at midnight, three weeks in advance. Later reservations are occasionally available at shorter notice. Alternatively you can walk in to the bar upstairs for snacks and dessert, or email reservations@chezfifinyc.com to reserve a group dinner for around six people in a cozy, curtained-off private room. Food Rundown Foie Gras Terrine Maison For $48, you’ll get a generous slab of terrine, thickly capped with salty butter and a few slices of poached quince. Simple, classic, and delicious, though not essential. photo credit: Connor Cowden Frogs’ Legs Persillade These chunky amphibian thighs from Louisiana are thick and juicy. The persillade leans a little too hard on salt for flavor though, lacking a necessary bright herbaceousness. photo credit: Sonal Shah Txangurro In this Basque-style dish, deviled crab is cooked in a gentle tomato-garlic-white wine sauce and baked in its carapace with a little hint of cheesy au gratin. It won’t change your life, but it’s a comforting crab dish. photo credit: Connor Cowden Littleneck Clam Rice This almost risotto-like bomba rice is made in the broth from cooking clams, and it’s got some plump cockles in it too. An unchallenging but appetizing mid-size dish, it pairs well with the crab. photo credit: Sonal Shah Wild Dover Sole A La Plancha This is a nice, plump sole, all the way from Europe. Given that there isn’t a whole lot of room between tables, it’s fine that they don’t do anything tableside, instead just bringing the fish to the table partially filleted and strewn with capers. For $162, it's a pretty anticlimactic dish though (especially if you’ve had the very similar buttery sauce in the frogs’ legs), so we’d do what most people are doing here and just get the filet mignon. photo credit: Sonal Shah Filet Mignon Au Poivre, Frites If you have a full dinner at Chez Fifi, the filet mignon is the way to go. It’s rosy on the inside with a peppery crust hidden under a caramel-colored au poivre, and surrounded by excellent frites. photo credit: Willa Moore Frites A moment for those frites. For $16 you get a generous bouquet of exceptional skinny fries, some edged with bits of skin, and a generous dish of aioli. Oversalted, but in a good way. Poulet Rôti, Foie Gras Jus, Pommes Fifi, Salade Verte This $160 chicken is supposedly what Fifi’s family ate on Sundays. (Needless to say, we wish we were a part of that family.) The au jus tastes like fairly standard pan sauce—we'd expect the foie gras to come through more—but it's a tender heap of meat with salt and pepper-studded skin. We also appreciate that it comes with a highly acidic green salad and the pommes Fifi—golden-brown chunks of potato that give way to a buttery soft interior. photo credit: Willa Moore Baba Au Rhum The best part of this baba au rhum is the winking way they serve it with a shaker bottle full of more rum to sprinkle on top. The extra booze is unnecessary—this is a very good, moist dessert. Just make sure to release the candied pineapple in the middle before you eat too much of the sweet bread, otherwise the fruit can be a bit overwhelming. photo credit: Sonal Shah" - Sonal Shah
