Rouge et Blanc
“We went here last weekend for dinner and found the restaurant to be cozy and unpretentious with interesting and delicious food.”
“Other standouts include the quail, pork rillettes and bone marrow (which is sadly off the menu currently).”
“Vietnamese Beef Cheek – This comes with shaved papaya and rice cakes, and the chef recommends that you eat all three together.”
Rouge et Blanc
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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We came upon this place and decided to try it out, as the menu was not too large – good if you have trouble making decisions. This is a very cozy spot, with dim lighting and my kind of music; the place wasn't crowded so we took a seat at the back.
All of the dishes were a little bit spicy. My favorites were the Brussel sprouts and Scallion Rice Crepe. The portion of Brussel sprouts was not that big, and we definitely wanted more. The crepe was a very nicely composed dish and the crepe on the bottom definitely held the dish together. We also had the Papaya and Heirloom Tomato Salad, Confit Charred Octopus and the Vietnamese Beef Cheek. The octopus was good but not my favorite of the day; it was cooked well. I thought the salad had too many elements and there was something sand textured that I didn't like much; the beef jerky and quail eggs were served on the side and didn't seem like necessary components to the salad. I wouldn't order the crepe & salad together next time because they had similar flavors and both were spicy. The beef cheek was tender but I think there was something about ordering something with "cheek" in the name that I didn't quite like; the bread and rice cake in the dish were delicious.
The service was attentive but not overly so; they knew what they were talking about. I would come back to try some of the other dishes and the desserts, which seem to fare well in other comments.
UPDATE: 1/15/16
Had a delightful dinner here on a Friday night and the staff was tremendous. We've never been here on Fridays so maybe it is always this way. The quail was delicious, though a bit small and the winter squash carpaccio made this dinner not a one note dinner. Banana dessert with ice cream was the perfect ending to the dish.
We went to war with the pig and the pig won.
Set aside everything else on the menu. You must order the crispy braised pork shoulder, which is a Flintstones size chunk of swine that should be enough for two people.
The restaurant will give you a sharp knife to go to town but honestly the meat is so tender that when we pressed on it with the fork it fell apart into bite sized portions. The crispy outside is basically blackened with this sweet sauce that for us was the item that set it apart.
We could not finish all of it and had to have the staff take it away – we were running the risk of getting uncomfortably full as we could not stop shoveling the swine+string beans+peppers combo into our faces. Yes the pig won the war.
We did order the Brussels sprouts, octopus, and the slow roasted carrots. The Brussels sprouts stood out while the other two were neither here nor there. Thankfully the staff were able to cancel the last fried chicken order for us when we freaked at the size of the swine that arrived.
We also had the chouquette with banana filling. When the staff described it as a stuffed churro we were sold before they finished the description and the combination with the Vietnamese coffee was the cap on one of the best dinners we had in some time.
'Tis better to go here with a large group as it makes it easier to sample a greater variety of dishes.
This place is a gem that screams "date spot." It's cozy and intimate, and it was fairly empty last night when we dined. We were seated in a corner booth in the back that was secluded while giving us a full view of the entire restaurant. It was really quiet except for the light indie music in the background. Definitely a special occasion kind of place.
I love when restaurants blend cuisines and Rouge Et Blanc does it well. They combine French and Vietnamese food in an original way. Dishes are meant to be shared so my boyfriend and I split the Brussels sprouts, charred octopus with cilantro emulsion, Hanoi fried chicken, beef cheeks, and banana ice cream with chocolate ganache.
Everything was great but standouts were the fried chicken and Brussels sprouts. (I honestly never thought Brussels sprouts could be this good!) The fried chicken was perfectly crispy and tender on the inside and had an aromatic lemongrass flavor, with delicious kimchi pickles served on the side.
It came to be about $50/person and it was the perfect amount of food. I'm holding back one star because I think some dishes are overpriced — the dessert, in particular. It was delicious and I loved the different textures of the fried banana and hot chocolate ganache, but a $15 dessert should be truly spectacular.
Have you ever had a meal that was so good that it made you wonder what you did in your life to deserve this greatness? That happened to me at Rouge et Blanc the other night. This spot is tucked away in SoHo and has the vibe that makes you feel like can come with a group of friends or for a date night.
I wouldn't use the word "fusion" to describe the food because that downplays the creative menu. They use fresh, seasonal ingredients and prepare them using French techniques and heavily influenced by Southeast Asian flavors.
Plating was beautifully mastered. Each piece on the plate was meant to play a part in the dish. You can construct the "perfect bite" every time–
Fried Brussels Sprouts | this dish was so addictive….that Korean Chili Vinaigrette was perfect and not too spicy.
Slow Roasted Carrots | The glaze is what makes this dish amazing–sweet and smoky….I would have no problem eating my veggies if they were all served like this. The carrot with the goat cheese, sunflower seeds, and dill was one of the most perfect of perfect bites of this meal.
Vietnamese Beef Cheek | the rice cakes were the most recognizable Vietnamese element and honestly they can serve anything with that super tender beef cheek and I would be happy.
Rice Paper Salad | This is their take on Banh Trang Tron. There is a reason why you will find a variation of this dish all over SE Asia….it blows any lettucey salad out of the water. Totally fresh, savory, and spicy.
Hanoi Fried Chicken | This is not your mama's fried chicken. Crispy, juicy, and flavorful. The aioli and pickles provide a citrus accent and top it all off for the full umami effect.
The all-French wine list may seem daunting but it is laid in an approachable fashion and curated by one of the top sommeliers in the country. Next time, I would ask for recommendations because our group chose a rose that was not my taste but was more of a crowd-pleaser.
I definitely recommend going with a group so you can share several of their dishes (and the tab too!). I can't wait to come back and try the rest of their menu.
The ambiance was cute and the food was pretty good.
Food:
Lobster salad: pretty good but a little on the salty side
Duck crepe: delicious
Fried chicken: not the best fried chicken in New York, but decent
We stumbled in here after happy hour near by with one thing in mind, well two, bubbly and dessert! We received both that surpassed our skeptical expectations! The bar tenders are super nice and helpful when picking out a good glass or bottle of something. They gave us tons of tastes before we selected two bottles to share between 4 of us over the time we were there. We also shared 2 desserts – deconstructed choc cake s'mores, and banana something. I wish I could have taken a picture but the ladies dug in way too fast. They were presented in a very decorative fancy culinary way which we totally did not expect. We all wanted more of each one as the dessert were amazing! I cannot wait to go back for the main dishes of the desserts were this satisfying the meals must be even better, right? They have an arrangement of different types of dishes that all sounded interesting. The food seems to be a mix of French Asian, so definitely interesting! Can't wait to go back – thanks for such an awesome end to our ladies night together!
Genuinely awesome.
They do atmosphere very well here. Not to be some stupid stereotypical goofball and say something like "it was like we were in France"… I travel to France quite a bit. I'm not sure we were magically transported to France, but we weren't in manhattan anymore.
Nicely lit. Dare I say romantic. All of the staff from the hostess to the waitstaff to the owner were all lovely.
Wine list: solid and French. Good selection of bubbles.
(in fact, there's a nice rosé champagne on the list – get that. It'll pair with everything.)
Plates to share. Decent portion to price ratio. Order one of the specials as they tend to be, um, special.
Octopus confit? Crazy. Yes.
A crepe with duck? Yes.
The cornbread dessert? Yes.
I would easily consider a 5 star here and definitely a 4 but have to settle at 3 if only for the extreme small portions of what is excellent, creative and just fantastic food.
Grilled confit octopus over smashed roasted potatoes with a brilliant green coriander emulsion is out of this world, and veggies beautifully selected and prepared.
Creative cocktails and nice wine selection.
I'd say given portion sizes which are truly tiny this has to be one of the most expensive places in Soho however. Great service, cool bar and setting and nice location on quiet MaxD street. I'll be back but maybe after a big lunch first.