Since mid-summer, I’ve wanted to eat here. Situated on Park Ave in Gramercy, it sits next to some of the most baller bars in Union Square (Olive, Underbar…) as well as some of the most revered restaurants (Gramercy Tavern & Union Square Cafe). The white lights that hang from the windows, the dim candles that light the ambiance, and the French name made it all the more appealing.
So this made a great pick for our suitemate + Adam dinner. There’s a bar directly to the left when you enter the restaurant and the dining room is on the immediate right. The restaurant, though opens 24 hours/7 days, was pretty much full when we arrived. Luckily, we made reservations and had seats right away.
Seeing how I felt sick that night, I ordered a Caesar Salad (no chicken, I’m trying leaning towards being a vegetarian). Megan, the most decisive, ordered the Wild Mushroom Ravioli and Adam decided on the Vegetable Lasagna. Lisa and Suki, however, wavered between a couple of choices. Lisa settled with the special of the day, Chicken Sausage De Jour (meaning -of the day- in french) and Suki finally on the Steak Frites.
It would be an understatement to say that I was disappointed with the salad. I think I could have made a better one by running to Trader Joe’s and picking up a bag of salad mix. Then again, I guess ordering a Caesar salad at a French Bistro is pretty dumb even though I think it’s pretty tough to screw up a Caesar salad. Everyone else pretty much enjoyed their dishes. Though I thought Lisa’s chicken sausage was a bit chewy and dry (again, Trader Joe’s has better chicken sausage!), Lisa and Suki disagreed.
But giving the restaurant some credit, Suki said, “Man, I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. I had a baller meal, and let me tell you… it was great!†Her dish was around $20. Supposedly the cow was grass fed and the fries were a classic.
The portion sizes are small, but decent. They’re what portion sizes should be anyway. L’Express isn’t a place I’d go to in the near future, but if I ever do, I’ll probably try one of their main entrees.
MENU
249 Park Ave. South
New York, NY 10003
at 20th St.
See Map | Subway Directions 
212-254-5858
You should also check out:
- Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever
- Saturday brunch at Locanda Verde
- Bobo in the West Village
- Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill: Brunch
- Five Napkin Burger
