Flyout Menu
My birthday night where the second number was a zero! I booked Le Coucou because it looked beautiful and peaceful. A chance to relax and enjoy our company together and get pampered with good food and excellent service.
As we entered, it looked fabulous in my eyes, and the dining area had a good buzz. We started off with a bottle of champagne, the excellent Les Monts Fournois Montagne 2012—a promising start to the evening.
Oysters – Camembert – Cream – Spinach
The service? Well, let us just say it was not their finest hour. At one point in the end, they sent over a Danish waiter to take over our table, presumably thinking it would help us feel more at ease since Swedish and Danish are closely related, and to charm us back into submission. And, embarrassingly, it worked a little—I left a tip.
Not the usual New York City kind, though. Just a modest 10 percent, which, in NYC, is the equivalent of almost giving the middle finger. Only one other restaurant in the city got a worse tip, Frenchette, which earned itself a solid zero percent.
First of all, they mixed up the starters; two plates were the wrong order. So, two of us finished our dishes before the missing one showed up. Rather than starting over and offering some champagne to ease the awkwardness, they carried on. Amateur hour!
Pike Mousse– Lobster Sauce
The sommelier suggested a 2007 Domaine du Pégaü “Cuvée Réservée.” I agreed. 2007 is a solid year in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and should have been fine. However, the taste was all wrong—definitely over the hill. It had probably not been stored correctly.
Still, I am convinced the sommelier knew the wine was past its prime and just wanted to get rid of the last bottles. Sell it to the tourists.
Anyway, we ordered something safer, a bottle of the Pinot Noir from Summer Dreams, Twilight 2020. The bottle was left on the table for us to pour ourselves—not an issue in principle, but it lacked the finesse one expects from a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Another annoying thing was that they did not clear the table of glasses. The empty champagne glasses were still there when the main courses arrived.
Maine Lobster – Sauce au Poivre
My starter was warm oysters with Camembert and spinach, sounded delicious, but they were more on the cold, lukewarm side than warm. The main was the lobster with green pepper sauce, which they are famous for. This dish, unfortunately, also missed the mark.
The pepper took over completely and obliterated the taste of the lobster. It is rare to find a dish that unbalanced—a total clash. And the lobster was overcooked. My accompanying pommes dauphine in a bowl, the two on top were lukewarm, but the rest was cold.
For the cheese service, they brought a spoon. Just a spoon—no knife, no fork. This was a new one, and how this could pass a Michelin inspection is puzzling.
Summer Dreams, Twilight 2020
Maybe the kitchen was having an off night, but to be honest, it did not feel like a one-time fluke. The entire evening was a chaotic mess of mediocre food, subpar service, and missed opportunities. Much like the over-the-hill wine, Le Coucou seems to have passed its peak and is now firmly on its way downhill.
The magical birthday dinner did not occur. But thankfully, I had my wife and friends with me, who said such kind and heartfelt things that I found myself getting a bit misty-eyed. In the end, they were the true highlight of the evening.
First time
One-star
Dinner
Cozy with good space to your neighbour.
Mostly French.They have a handful of wines under 100 dollars, but far more wines priced over 1000 USD.
Good buzz level—no need to raise your voice.
No
No, overpriced!
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