Jason M.
Yelp
I usually take lead when it comes to planning my work's holiday outing. I try to change up the cuisine year over year, and since we had never done French food before I thought we would give it a try. That being said, I did some browsing and Pardon My French landed on my radar - reviews and pics looked great, and as bonus points I was able to book a table for 13 without having to go through group booking. So, off we went.
Located in Alphabet City, PMF is a decently-sized restaurant. It has a rectangular shape that is common among Manhattan eateries, but is wide and spacious with high ceilings. The space is roughly broken up into two main areas - the front where the bar is and the back where majority of the tables are. Additionally, they have a side room that I assume is used for private events. The decor is pretty simple, with and earth-toned color scheme throughout the space.
We decided to split a bunch of apps to start. But first, wine - as a French restaurant I expected a wide selection, which they delivered on. My colleague took reign with that and made a great choice for us. For apps, we shared the beef tartare, escargot, shrimp puff pastry, and charcuterie board. The apps were good - my favorites were the beef and the shrimp. Both had an interesting presentation with great flavor.
For my main I got the salmon. This was fine, though they did not ask how I wanted it cooked and as such, it came out well done (ie, dry). Outside of being parched, the sauce it came with was tasty. We also ordered sides of frites and Brussels sprouts for the table which were both good.
Service was the weakest point of the experience for me. They were efficient, and food came out/tables were cleared at a good pace, but they weren't the friendliest - it lacked a warmth that would have added to the experience. That being said, I had a pretty good experience at Pardon My French. I would be open to returning, but perhaps for their brunch in lieu of dinner.