Championing Claudette…

Claudette Restaurant, NYC
Claudette Restaurant, NYC

Claudette, the elegant cottage styled Provencal influenced restaurant, has been on my bucket list for a while.

Before outside dining in New York City wraps up I wanted to pay homage to charming Claudette.

I usually do not find myself around lower 5th Avenue. Recently, I mapped out a nice walk on a beautiful afternoon and our final destination was Claudette.

Claudette
Claudette

We were delighted we made the journey. The year-old Claudette is an appealing, intimate restaurant with a delightful vibe. The restaurant shows full frontal and opens onto lovely sidewalk dining.

Claudette Patio
Claudette Patio

We hit up Claudette around 2 in the afternoon so it wasn’t too crowded in the compact dining room. Diners were nursing  cocktails and Rose.

The restaurant offers a $28, 3 course luncheon special.

David decided on the Salad Nicoise and we shared my three courses.

IMG_0300

We started with a spring salad of arugula, hearts of palm, string beans, onions, accented with mint and savory mustard seeds. The salad was truly wonderful and delicate.

Shrimp
Shrimp

The shrimp, prepared in a bag with couscous and vegetables, was unbelievably flavorful. The shrimp were sweet and tender and the entire dish was perfectly prepared.

Salad Nicoise
Salad Nicoise

David’s Nicoise was the most impressive presentation of a Ahi Tuna Nicoise I have seen. It consisted of luscious Ahi tuna, whipped eggs, haricot vert, crispy potato, mint and chives ($19).

Creme Brûlée
Creme Brûlée

We were offered three choices for dessert and selected a fabulous creme brûlée with a whisper of orange blossom.

Claudette is named after the 91-year-old mother-in-law (and mentor) of Reine Sammut, the chef of La Fenière in Lourmarin, France. Claudette owner, Carlos Suarez, ate a meal so memorable he sent the original Claudette chef, Koren Grieveson, who departed Claudette in March, to work in Sammut’s kitchen.

I would most definitely pay a return visit to Claudette. The sister restaurant, Rosemary’s, is only a few blocks away, but it is a completely different dining experience.

Claudette
Claudette

Claudette 24 5th Avenue and 9th Street New York City. Reservations on OpenTable.com. Open Monday-Friday 11:30am-11pm. Saturday and Sunday 10:30am-3pm and 5:30-11pm

4 Comments

  1. This looks lovely.

  2. My good good friend Chef Simone Bonelli (the one that got us 2 stars from Bruni at Perbacco) just took over the kitchen of the newly opened “La Pecora Bianca” in NoMad from the same owner of Claudette and Rosemary…we should go together !!!!!
    Love and miss ya.

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