By Lil Nickelson
Café du Soleil is a cool French bistro restaurant located at 2723 Broadway (in between 104 and 105th Streets) on the upper West side of Manhattan that has a warm, relaxing and inviting atmosphere about it.
Café du Soleil is open seven days a week: breakfast on Saturday and Sunday begins at 9 am and for during the week lunch begins at 11 am. They are open late for dinner: until 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11:30 pm on Friday & Saturday nights. Their phone number is 212 316-5000 and their web site is www.cafedusoleilny.com.
We were greeted as soon as we walked in the door and escorted to our table with menus to ponder what our choices would be. It was a cold Friday evening the first weekend in May and most of the tables were full, yet my tasting team member and I felt the mirrors gave the room a more spacious feel that made it very easy for us to have a private conversation.
Our menu choices were the classic French onion soup, Arugula salad with red beets and goat cheese and we both chose the same entrée: pork chop with creamy mustard sauce and carrots puree and a side order of sautéed spinach. Since it was seasonally cold that evening we wanted something that stuck to our ribs. He devoured his soup and I made my salad disappear just as quickly. The double thick pork chop was sumptuous with the creamy mustard sauce and the twang of the sauce paired well with the natural sweetness of the carrots puree. The slight bitterness of the sautéed spinach it the last note of my taste buds that evening.
We were entertained that evening by blues singer Eileen Howard and her voice was incredible along with the band accompanying her; it was like the icing on the cake. I was so full that I didn’t even have room for dessert; I will make sure I save room for it on my next visit. The food, the atmosphere, the service and the music made our dining experience at Café du Soleil complete.
My compliments go out to Chef Matthew Tivy and his partners because Café du Soleil is one location in the restaurant and catering group they have developed that spans over six uniquely different locations in New York City. I have had the pleasure of dining at two of them and they showcase they are highly skilled in executing great dining experiences in multiple settings. My thanks go out to one of his partners, Nadine Chevreux, for the invite.
One sign of a good dining experience is when you’re thinking about your next visit before you leave a restaurant. Now that the weather is warm I plan on going back to Café du Soleil for brunch one weekend to soak up some great food and atmosphere. The restaurant has doors along the sidewalk that open and can easily transform and extend the space to a sizeable outdoor café and I want to experience dining out while I’m in their restaurant. Bon appetite.
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