Chez Josephine
“The piano player takes requests, so be sure to bring small bills to tip him!!!”
“Lobster Bisque – 5 stars – $10 for a huge bowl
Steak Tartare – 4 stars – with a quail egg!”
“Jean-Claude's personality adorn those walls, the decor of the restaurant is european luxe and extravagance.”
Chez Josephine
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This was part of the NYC Summer restaurant week series. It was our fellows first night out together and so we chose to go French! Restaurant week is a week where participating restaurants will give a 3-course fixe prix lunch or dinner and allow people to try various parts of their menu without blowing their wallet. For NYC however, they like to make it long as this was a three-week series! There was a gruyere popover for the table, but my 3-courses included the following:
-escargots
-fried soft-shell crab
-coconut panna cotta with passion fruit sauce
Gruyere Popover:
PROS
-very light and airy, but not too airy where there isn't any sustenance to the dish
-great flavors: not overwhelmingly cheesy but a good amount of Gruyere was placed to bring out the flavor
-not super greasy
CONS
-too small for such a delicious treat. I think I could have popped the whole thing into my mouth and swallowed it in one bite.
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Escargots: snails in a parsley garlic butter sauce. It's not really a sauce as it is melted garlic butter, but that's what makes it so darn good!
PROS
-fantastic quantity, definitely shareable or tryable if majority of people haven't eaten snails before
-good flavor: the not overwhelmingly garlicky but more importantly, not too much parsley
-tons of leftover garlic butter which is great for dipping bread into, like french baguette slices
CONS
-slightly on the salty end, but I feel like this has been consistent with all the escargots dishes that I've tried so this may just be how the dish is.
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Fried Soft-shell Crab
PROS
-it's a whole crab. If they had served me half a crab, I don't think this would have even made it to two stars
-good flavors in the batter: well balanced without one flavor overpowering the other
-carb-less: it's served with vegetables but I like there aren't any carbs on the plate, especially when there is a never-ending bread basket for the table
CONS
-the breading was soggy. Breading should be crispy, at least on a fried soft shell crab. If it's soggy it just means it was sitting in its own oil after being fried for awhile.
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Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Sauce
PROS
-very light and not heavy, smooth consistency with no lumps
-the passion fruit is a nice way to round out a heavy meal, especially with the escargots and the crab.
CONS
-none really. It didn't blow me away but it was a good solid panna cotta.
I'd totally come back again, especially for the escargots. There's something about hot garlic butter sauce with bread that just sounds so ridiculously fulfilling.
Decided to try this sexy, sultry, romantic piano bar to kill almost two hours before our show and we were a bit hungry too; besides it was a toss between this or the diner a few shops away. As we walked in, unbeknownst to us, awaited a very dim lighted, bustling place with a lot going on. Aside from the piano being played to French tunes, there were so many theatre goers chatting, drinking and munching away as we walked by and scanned the place out. I quickly noticed all the portraits of naked woman every where I looked. Meanwhile, the waiter addressed our table quickly and asked if we were attending a show and the time, so we quickly provided that info to ensure we receive our food accordingly. We decided to order appetizers to share and were so delighted at the tasty unique food items. My favorite was a cauliflower puree drizzled with basil oil, it was so delicious that I wanted more.
It's definitely a place I'd like to visit again with less time restrictions.
Came here for dinner while visiting in New York, it was near by where I was staying and it had good reviews. I made a reservation for myself that night and the table that I was sat at was awkwardly at the front by the door in the middle of the walk way. Oddly I was the only person dinning by themselves, so that make it extremely awkward to be at such a weird table. There was a piano player and a singer that night and it was very very crowded. The food came out fairly fast, I had a nice sever he was very quick. I had the spaghetti bolognese and it was okay, the portion size was large. I also got the french onion soup and that was the best item that night. The bathroom is located up a very steep stairway in a tiny little corner. For being NYC and so many food options I was disappointed, nothing was amazing and it was pretty expensive for what it was. I had found other great options while in NYC and I wouldn't return here or recommend it to anyone visiting either.
Food is just okay here, but the place has a really fun ambience. I came with a big group of friends for a special occasion and our table was right next to the piano guy. I love live music during a meal, and he was great! However, I had the pre fixe and wasn't wowed, especially for the price. The carrot soup was good, but the skate entree was a little salty and the white string beans on the side were totally bland. The caramel flan-type dessert was fine. We had decent service.
Took my girlfriend here because it's close to the shows. She's a high level foodie. She will say a nice restaurant is so so. She liked the food here. It was a good turnaround. The first thing they ask is: do you have a show to get to?!?!
This night was originally planned as an Italian meal followed by Jersey Boys, but when we discovered Les Mis was leaving broadway, we decided to see it before it left. As we switched to a musical with French themes, so too did our dinner switch to French themes. We are a themey couple.
I have to admit, Chez Josephine was not the best french restaurant I have ever eaten at and did not come close enough to the best to be considered a peer. If you're looking for a better French restaurant, Simone is a great choice. However, if you want a very good, and more moderately priced, French dinner before a show, then you cannot go wrong with Chez Josephine.
Firstly, it is an adorable restaurant. Intimate and romantic with good lighting and spacing between the tables. A piano player was going the entire time, and as it was Saturday night on theatre row, he played all show tunes, which was a nice touch. Service is top notch, though we waited a bit long for the server to take our order, the meal was still timed perfectly.
I had trouble deciding between the Berkshire Pork Chop or the Long Island Duck Breast. I had duck already once or twice in the weekend, and the previous times were excellent, and I didn't want to press my luck. However, when I asked for a recommendation, I was pushed to the duck. Unfortunately though, it was disappointing, but probably because my expectations were so high. I enjoyed it – the chef certainly knows how to cook duck – but it just wasn't what I had come to expect from duck in a french restaurant. A bit dry, and not quite as flavorful as I would have expected. Again, still enjoyable, just not the best. Not perfect. The rolls that they serve with the food also tasted a bit generic, but who besides me and my girlfriend make the free bread service an integral part of a meal?
On the other hand, my girlfriend got their special – I want to say sea bass – and this was phenomenal. She ordered right. In fact, as soon as I heard the server tell us the specials, I almost changed my mind. She gave me a few bites of hers, and they were mouth watering. If they have sea bass (assuming I'm right, but you'll have to read Melissa Z's review), you should definitely order that.
We also got a couple of drinks, which were very good though I only remember them being good. Don't quite remember what I got. For dessert, we got a creme brulee, and I have to say, outside of my girlfriend's creme brulee, which is the best I have ever had, this was the best, or at least one of the best. Thick caramelized crust, creamy, delicious creme. Its the dessert to get.
So, 4 stars. Excellent, respectable, but could have been a bit better on the entree. Certainly worth a visit.
Moulin Rouge – I felt like I was dining on a theater stage for Moulin Rouge. Sitting in this cozy and romantic brasserie featuring live piano bar, red-velvet curtains and many wall frames of a female dancer, I became curious about the owner and a background story about this restaurant and questioned myself who 'Josephine' is.
*Chez Josephine was opened in 1983 by Jean-Claude Baker, a French American restaurateur and the owner of Chez Josephine. He named the restaurant in honor of his adoptive mother, Josephine Baker, who was one of the most popular dancers/singers in France in the 1920s. Josephine, also known as "Black Pearl," was the first black woman who gained fame globally and was notable for her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. With a belief that children from different ethnicities and religions could become a good family, Josephine adopted 12 children (she named "The Rainbow Tribe") from various countries, including France, Morocco, Korea, Japan, Columbia, Philippines, France, Israel, Algeria and Venezuela. Mr. Baker was one of the adopted sons. In 1993, he also published a biography of Josephine, titled "The Hungry Heart."
*Since its opening (In the 1980s, the 42nd street was known as the city's red-light district), Chez Josephine has become the beloved pre/post-show dining & bar by many theater goers. Its regular included several celebrities including Billy Joel and Jacklyn Kennedy Oasis. It was said that Mr. Baker came to Chez Josephine at least 5 days a week to greet new customers and charm his long-time friends. Unfortunately, we can't see him at Chez Josephine anymore. He was found dead in January 2015 in an apparent suicide, after many years that he had suffered from depression.
I should have visited this place earlier so that I could meet and say hello to Mr. Baker. Glad that Chez Josephine remains open after the death of the owner. I might re-visit sometime soon again and enjoy the interior and live jazz music, in memory of Mr. Baker.
I'm rating this restaurant based on the Restaurant Week Dinner Menu. My friend was craving some escargot, so we decided on this place for our restaurant week meal. For my three courses, I had escargot, flank steak, and panna cotta. The escargot was the best part of the meal for me. My steak was ordered medium, but It was a little too rare for my liking. It also lacked seasoning and presentation. It was simply a raw slab of steak and some fries. The panna cotta was decent, but strange for a french restaurant to offer. I was hoping they'd have some french dessert options.
Ambiance was the best part! The restaurant itself is tucked away on 42nd, but once you find it, you're transported back to a "Moulin Rouge" or "Midnight in Paris" type feel. The lighting is dim, the art is vast, and the piano music serenades you throughout the meal. Our waiter was nice as well. We had plenty of water and time to enjoy our meal. The only thing is, they really allow you to sit and enjoy here…so if you're in a hurry, you'll have to be persistent about getting the check. Thus, I wouldn't recommend coming her pre-theater.
Overall, a decent experience at Chez Josephine. I was bulled over by the food, but the interior feel may be enough to bring me back to try it again.