Matisse

Always love a good French brunch, especially at a cozy little joint like this on the East side, where Sunday mornings are always so chillaxed.
Took the advice from Unilocal and ordered the Eggs Norvegiens — really loved the Hollandaise + Salmon combo. Salad on the side was surprising really good too.
Didn’t have a chance to venture into the acclaimed dinner items but do get the brunch prix fixe if visiting for brunch.

Matisse is a hidden gem! I went on a Saturday evening and didn’t have to wait for a table. There was live music and a great atmosphere. There service was good, we didn’t have to wait longer for drinks or entrees and our meal was delicious. I had the mussels and they were delicious (the rest of my party also thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well). 5 stars because of the combination of great food at a very reasonable price!

Great experience there ! I’m French and I loved the food :)
Choosing was the hardest part.
Beef tartare was excellent, well seasoned and not too small as it can tend to be in many places. They happily switched the fries with vegetables, which I really appreciated. My friend had the beef bourguignon, which tasted really good too.
For dessert, we shared the chocolate mousse and the crème brûlée, and they were both perfect in texture and taste.
It is a bit pricey for lunch — I would recommend it for dinner. Our waitress was very nice, smiling and chatting with us in both French and English.
The restaurant isn’t too big, I liked the décor and atmosphere overall.
I will go back !

Good French restaurant with authentic French food. We went there for a Friday dinner, at 7PM we got a seat without any wait. The waitress was very friendly, food has decent amount, my boyfriend tried the special — sea bass and I had a duck dish– tasty! We saw a number of old people dined there so I assume the restaurant is reputable with regular customers. We had three course as well as a glass of wine, ended up $ 100, good value and experience, recommend!

Je suis allé. J’ai vu. J’ai mangé — C’était délicieux!
Perfect departure from my usual brunch regimen and what better place to grub on brunch than from the kings of breakfast cuisine? Kicked the brunch off with the soup du jour, carrot soup! This was so fresh and tasty — a perfect wake me up for my taste buds.
Had an incredible omelette with smoked salmon and goat cheese oh please it was the bees knees! So delicate and fluffy with a perfect texture that will have you kicking yourself for more. The wife devoured her Eggs Norvegiens that was topped with one of the smoothest and richest hollandaise ever. Both are a must order.
Friends had the Croque Monsieur with a decadent Bèchamel that made for a most excellent, savory sammie. Lastly, we all shared the Moules Marinières Frites, perfectly baked mussels avec the crispiest battered fries. Drool…
Wish we had room for the crepes but instead we had to crush out the molten chocolate cake and the Ile Flottante — a floating island of soft meringue skimming through an exquisite Crème Anglaise. Oh la la this place had it all! Perfect for brunch and we are already planning on a return for dinner. A demain!

My friend and I came here for brunch. There was no wait, and I guess I understand why.
We both ordered an eggs benedict, which is my usual go-​to brunch item. A problem I experienced with the restaurant was though the waitress was friendly when she interacted with us… it was slow and it took awhile to get the check. An issue I had with my eggs benedict was that the eggs were nearly cooked fully. I prefer my eggs on the runnier side, and it was not anywhere near runny. That was disappointing…
I won’t be coming back. There are way too many other brunch places nearby to give this place a second chance. Sorry!

What a homey French bistro. I came in for lunch on a weekday. The interior was actually larger than I expected and not crowded at all. The time I came in they decorated it for Halloween which looked so out of place in the cute little bistro but was funny because of that.
I ordered the Croque Madame served with a side salad. Tasty with a fried egg on top, but hard to get wrong. My boyfriend got the Wild Mushroom Risotto. I wish I got this instead. The mushroom flavor was intense. I only had a small bite, but I think this was one of the best risottos I ever had in terms of flavor. Must be the truffle oil drizzled on top.

This place is as cute a button. It’s not exceedingly large and the floor plan is a box with windows along two sides at a typical New York intersection. When you enter, there is a small coat rack, and you are led to your table (preferably away from the door). We got one of the ones against the wall with the comfortable bench seating.
We weren’t super hungry, so decided to just order one entrée each and share a dessert.
1. Salmon salad: Per my friend, this dish was just OK. Not terrible, but the salmon itself was not that flavorful. The veggies seemed good though.
2. Lamb shank: I loved this! It’s a perfectly sized dish that doesn’t leave you hungry or stuffed, with just enough room for dessert. My lamb shank was fall off the bone soft. It wasn’t too heavy, and it came with cous cous and potatoes. Great dish.
3. Blueberry cake: Awesome dessert! I don’t remember what exactly was in it, but it had great texture and the perfect amount of sweet. The whipped cream on top was delicious!

AMAZING. We called at 7pm on a Saturday night for an 8:30 reservation for 5 people and they made it happen, for being a pretty small place. We arrived and it was the cutest restaurant. The staff was friendly, they had the sliding doors open and the whole place opened on to the street. It was charming and they had a woman and band singing French music in the restaurant. It wasn’t too loud and the ambiance was fantastic.
Now on to the food… holy cow, so amazing. I’ve eaten at several French restaurants all over the place, mostly in San Francisco, and this one can hold a candle to them. They had a great selection and we had mussels, branzino, beef burguignon and it was all fantastic. The desserts were what really blew me away. So delicious and classic French. The waiters were friendly and attentive with water and the wine selection was nice.
It is a great little place to stop by if you are staying in Midtown. I’d definitely come back.

This is a very small restaurant, unassuming, but the food was pretty good and so was the service.
When we walked in around 6 or so, it was pretty empty which was a little worrisome, but it seemed to pick up after we had settled into our meal.
All 4 of us enjoyed our meals. Everything was solid. Wine was decent.
A little later in the meal there was a singer for entertainment which was pretty cool.
Overall, I’d give this a solid 3 ½.

I walked an hour from my hotel to try foie gras and was so so disappointed :(
Not many places in Austin offer foie gras so when I was in NYC, I made it an effort in my short time there to find some. It’s the only thing I wanted and I ordered right away.
It came out fast and was a large portion for only $ 17. Awesome!
Then the ball drops… so so so very oily!
Foie gras obviously is not the most healthy thing, but to place it on top of a bed of olive oil and arugula made it it so soggy, mushy, and just plain gross. I literally was taking bev naps and squeezing my foie gras to try and dry off the oil that had been soaked up. Faint flavor remained after doing this. Not cool :(
I guess I’ll just stick to fancy steak restaurants to get my foie gras fix.

An unlikely location for a French bistro, but hey, I ain’t complaining. Matisse provides the staples of French sustenance in homey digs, and that’s enough on most days.
The meal was brunch, the companion was a good chum of mine, and the omelettes and crepes are good. Our server sounded like a pretty legit francophone expat, so that gets bonus points.
The bloodies were decent, too. Enough for an extra round or 2. They do have a boozy brunch option if you want to tack on some bills.

Seared Fresh Fois Gras — Spiced pear, apple compote. I walked over to this place just for this dish. Only thing I ordered, oh and wine… you can’t order fois gras and not order wine. c’mon now!
Sadly this thing was dripping in oil, soaked in oil… it was a sponge of oil. get the idea? and black pepper everywhere… what the hell? I actually didn’t want to finish it. But for $ 18 bucks, figured I must.
Place was a little confusing, it’s a french spot, but I thought I was in Havana, music and decorations.
I’ll pass… olive oil is much cheaper at the grocery store.
(Friendly bartender-​service)

Came on a Saturday night with reservations at 6:30. We came late but they were very accommodating. The servers were very friendly and made sure that we were all enjoying our food. I had a duck salad with avocados and eggs. It was very refreshing and good. However I couldn’t finish it because I got full from the bread and an earlier meal. The doors were opened to the streets so sometimes it will get really noisy with passing cars.
The night started to liven up with the live jazz. It was my second time listening to french music and I can say it was very pleasant especially with a good wine in your hand and with good company.

Last year, my brother and I stopped by Matisse for a snack as we were roaming through the city. We ordered the Seared Fresh Foie Gras, which was fabulous. Because it is foie gras, it is very rich and I recommend sharing the order.
We stopped by in the mid-​afternoon, so we avoided the dinner rush. The service was good and we had a positive experience.
Recommendation:
–Share the foie gras
Verdict:
I had a positive experience and would consider returning.

I came in for brunch the other day with my girl Adeline L., and my 4 year old, after visiting the Hello Kitty Time Capsule right in front of the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, just walking distance from Matisse. I remember it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, too sunny to dine outdoors so staying indoors was a cooler idea.
The food was so so, not much to say. The brunch menu wasn’t extraordinary except that my Crêpe w/​Spinach & Mushroom sounded interesting. It had good flavor, just the crêpe turned out soggy. Service was nice, no trouble at all except that it was a bit slow.

We were going to eat at the Thai next door but I peeked in and decided to take my party of 5 to have something different. I’m glad I did. The ambiance is pleasant, intimate and the lighting is a little dim, but that’s okay.
The escargot appetizers were cut up, which made it easy to spoon on top of bread, the tuna tartare was just okay.
The daily Monkfish special didn’t appeal that much so I decided to try their Calf Liver, medium rare (as recommended by the server). It was awesome! If you like liver, this is it — not too big, perfectly seasoned and flavorful with some mashed potatoes and string beans. If you haven’t tried or don’t like liver, this one will change your mind. Really. Washed it down with some Pinot Noir for a perfect dinner.
Daughter #1 had the Duck, which I tasted, very good, and daughter #2 and wife had the Rib Eye, which was excellent.
One issue is that most wines were over $ 45 and only from France, so we only had one. Dessert looked really good — too bad I’m not really into sweets.
It’s a little more expensive than it should be, but this is midtown Manhattan.

This place is a nice respite from the midtown madness of power walking suits. The interior is rustic and is reminiscent of a Brooklyn café, white brick walls and all.
During a weekday lunch stop, I had the croque monsieur which came with a side salad. Since the fries were a top mention here, I ordered a side of that as well. My entire meal was delicious but I did notice the portions were small — even for lunch meals.
The service felt rushed and I couldn’t figure out why since there were more empty tables than people, but overall cute spot.

I never loved French food until I visited Matisse with my boyfriend some time last year.
The place is very intimate and cute. The food, amazing. We went in without reservations and were seated quickly. I ordered the beef bourguignon and my boyfriend ordered the hangar steak. If I could eat the beef bourguignon every day, I would do so without any regrets. It was AMAZING. Extremely flavorful, the meat very tender, and I just want it in my belly right now. The boyfriend enjoyed his hangar steak, and overall the meal was very enjoyable.
I would definitely go back just for the beef bourguignon. The service was friendly and on point. One thing that threw me off though, was that for such a intimate and cute place, they served us water in plastic cups. Like the red tinted large plastic cups you used in elementary school. I’m not hating though. The other thing is, while the atmosphere is very intimate, it was almost too dim in there. I remember I had to hold my menu up to the candle and squint to be able to read.
Would definitely recommend for a nice dinner though!

*This review is based on dinner experience
— — — Overall Verdict:
SERVICE: On the slow side, but very polite and friendly
VENUE: Dim lighting and intimate
FOOD: Pricey, but well-​worth it for once-​in-​a-​while outings
DESSERTS: I took a bite, died and went to heaven
ADDITIONAL DETAILS: They have live music with a great French singer and a great guitarist.
VERDICT: I can still taste their dishes *yummmmmm*!
— — — Experience/​Venue:
With its low-​lit and small space coupled with French music in the background, Matisse gives off a very cute, intimate and French ambiance. We arrived on New
Year’s Eve with a large group reservation of 10 people and were seated immediately around 7pm. Although, I would say you wouldn’t need a reservation until about 8:30/9pm when the place gets packed. It was practically empty at 7pm. The live music also begins around that time. The staff was friendly and kind but our orders came a bit slow based on what I’m used to. However, the wait was worth it.
— — — Food/​Desserts:
They had a pre-​fix menu for New Year’s Eve, but we opted for the regular menu. Their dishes were heavenly; the type that really melts in your mouth and oozes of flavor, making your taste buds want more and more each time. For appetizers, we ordered the Seared Fresh Foie Gras (so delicate!), Onion Soup (typically dislike onions, but this one was really yummy!) and Lobster Bisque (very flavorful!). For our entrées we tried the Sautéed Salmon, Filet of Sole, Filet of Branzino, and Beef Bourguignon — all very tasty! My favorite was the Filet of Branzino. Then for our dessert, we had the Crème Brûlée (average) and the Blueberry-​Almond Frangipane (this is a must-​try! Warm, soft and oh-​so-​good!).