Quatorze Bis
“Very nice staff that makes us feel welcome.”
“Sit at the bar and get to know the regulars from the neighborhood.”
“Efficient, friendly, experienced, professional staff.”
Quatorze Bis
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
4 reviews
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This place is great.
The food is terrific.
The crowd is a bit……..more mature……and that should be expected. If you are going here expecting to find anything other than very good food in a very subdued and civilized bistro you will be let down.
If you would like a quite and classy meal at a place with a very nice staff and very good food this is your place.
Authentic-feeling, cozy, and clubby French bistro. All the usual suspects are here: the old-school, no-nonsense waiters, the framed wine posters, the limited menu. If you can't make it to Paris this year, if you've retired from your hedge fund, and if you're unwilling to leave the UES, this will do handily.
The food is fine, but there's nothing imaginative or even interesting here. The salad with a round of goat cheese on top is savory and nicely dressed, but the white meat of my roast chicken was distinctly dry. (And this is the dish that supposedly indicates the caliber of a restaurant kitchen.) My husband's short ribs were meltingly delicious, but I am sad to report that he didn't love me enough to swap.
The profiteroles are profiteroles, nothing more or less, but my dining companions are skinny and looked horrified at the idea that we might order more than one dessert, so I can't comment on desserts further.
The wine list is not large, and the waiter made us laugh (at him, not with him) when he offered us wine on the house to go with dessert. "It's a little better than that bottle you ordered," he said. Thanks for saving me the air fare, mon ami. The traffic to Charles de Gaulle is a bitch this time of year.
We went early evening with four adults and two kids — early enough to get everyone served before the big dinner crowd arrived — and we had a good experience. This is, obviously, a French bistro, and they handled the kids just fine without any condescension; our waiter was superb, keeping a lot of changing orders straight and getting the kids' food out quickly. The food was good. Just good, not exceptional, not especially creative. We liked the liver and the broiled chicken, and the steak was fine, but you can find these dishes just about anywhere, and sometimes much better prepared. The prices were a bit on the high side given the quality, we thought, but not so far out of line that we would refuse to return. The atmosphere is generally cozy and comfortable, and our overall experience was good. But just good, mind you.
I was planning to post a review of this place after my first dining experience here, but luckily I didn't, because that was a bit of an unenjoyable one. My company always claims this may be one of the best french bistros in NYC, so I figured id give it second chance before I write something wrongful that may taint the name and reputation.
I do believe every restaurant deserved a second chance before you can honestly rate it accurately on its quality and service. Although my first experience was nothing to rave about and a actually a bit disappointing, the second attempt was much much better.
First off, this place is packed on a saturday night, and for some strange reason everyone looked french to me. The origin of this name comes from its first location on 14th street, which may explain why the place is called "Quatorze" translates to fourteen in english. The place looks very much a like a classic bistro, with pictures all over the walls, marble floors and the awning out front.
The staff tonight was superb to say the least. Patient, Pleasant, and most important, Courteous. Our server was very kind from start to finish and checked up on our table periodically even with a busy night like tonight. Drinks were delivered very quickly which is something Ive come to notice is hard to come by these days.
The menu is very simple and not extremely impressive in description, meaning nothing that catches your eye or makes your mouth salivate when reading it. It would be nice to have a none stained paper menu when you charge such prices. And when I say prices are a bit steep, they are. No entree under $30.
So why do you ask me that I rate this place so well… the whole package ofcourse. Although the menu may be up there in $$, most people dont mind paying if their experience was worth it. The Service, Top Notch! The Food, made with passion and talent. And the ambiance was comfortable and warm.
The hostess was a gem from start to finish, checking up on our table and helping out when needed. The server was descriptive of the menu and knew exactly what he was elaborating on, which in other cases drives me crazy when you get server with zero food knowledge. He wasnt pushy or looked annoyed when asked a question, looked you in the eye and spoke with manner.. A+++. Oh and he threw in a few extras along the way.
Ok, now the food. I was introduced to a french fish soup, the Bouillabaisse. Presented beautifully with pieces of arctic char, monk fish, scallops, clams and mussels. It was absolutely superb to say the least. It was a great portion and the broth…. WOW. It was also topped with a Croutini that was flaky like a croissant and was in the shape of a fish. All the fish itself was super fresh and tasty, scallops were so sweet and juicy.
I also started with the chicken liver appetizer, which was great! about 4-5 pieces of liver in a reduced sauce.
The kicker of the night was the dessert which was heavenly. Oh my, it was every kids and adults dream dessert. Puff Pastry on top, Vanilla bean ice cream center, Biscuit wafer on the bottom, and all that topped with bitter sweet chocolate. I can't even express how amazing this was after my meal. I told my diet to turn away for a minute while I scarfed that down. Comes in 3 pieces btw. I was a bit disappointed by the sweetbread entree. Small portion and high price. Four pieced of sweet bread over a small cup portion of angel hair. Not impressive, dont order unless you really love sweet bread.
I highly recommend coming here to experience a real authentic french cuisine. And for goodness sake, order the Profiteroles. And bring out that special Amex for this one.