(212) 213-4999

5 E 20th St
New York, NY 10003 40.7396 -73.9904

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Neighborhoods: Flatiron District, Midtown

BARBRETON.COM

Price:

$$$

Last updated 4.13.10

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Diners Club, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Quiet, Prix Fixe Menu, Hidden Find

Cuisine:

French

What People Are Saying About Bar Bre Ton

Featured Review

Allison Austin

Contributor

The Scene – White linens, exposed brick and billowy curtains create a quiet tranquility inside this tidy, perfectly appointed space. Service could not be better--it's expertly unobtrusive, yet just engaging enough. Diners are well-dressed and many enjoy the restaurant with an ease that results from many regular visits. – – The Food – Classic haute French that is beautifully presented and simply lovely to eat. Soft goat cheese-filled ravioli arrive placed upon a shockingly crimson beet-mustard sauce, punctuated with ink-black caviar. Halibut, surrounded by a lovely…

Editor's Tips

Save Money:
A three-course prix-fixe menu is served at lunch for just $25.
Know Before You Go:
Every month, a different French varietal is chosen--be it Burgundy, Rhone or pinot noir--and every Monday, any bottle from that given varietal is half-price.
Save Money:
A three-course prix-fixe menu is served at lunch for just $29.
ambiance
86.66999816894531% positive
  1. "Frumpy" ambiance "miniscule" laughable portions, often bad tasting food and why go here when there are so many fabulous places nearby?
  2. Whats impressive about this restaurant is the food, wine and serviceeverything at fleur de sel has a slight edge and precisely controlled: flower arrangements, background music (played in perfect volume), and soon to come the new decor.
  3. the decor is so romantic and We are both going back again--together soon.
  4. Still, given the frumpy, worn atmosphere, the poor quality of the food, and the steep prices, why go here?
  5. Because our daughters weren't sure what to order, and were a little intimidated at the surroundings (notwithstanding the beautiful simplicity of the decor), they ordered only appetizers while their fathers ordered dinner.
  6. From wonderful service to inventive cuisine, to extensive wines in a cozy setting, what more can you ask for!
  7. Good dinner and wines with nice ambience
  8. My girlfriend took me here for my b/day, it was a wonderful warming romantic evening.
  9. We didn't go here for the atmosphere, however, we went for what we hoped would be an elegant french meal.
  10. On visiting New York, I found this place and was blown away by the excellent food, service and atmosphere.
  11. 10/29/04 - An enjoyable evening in this cozy Grammercy Park eatery.
  12. The decor and service were excellent.
  13. The food, service, and ambience are the key factor to a great restaurant.
  14. The ambiance was great.
  15. clean, comfortable, and cozy this restaurant has delicious food.
  16. The ambiance is serenely beautiful & the subdued lighting makes everyone look & feel great.
  17. the room was cozy and my wife and I had a fantastic time.
  18. It is a cozy, classy place with a world-class menu.
  19. take a train/cab it, parking is not good.
  20. The overal experience was very lovely (a tad pricey two prix fix menus, plus 2 glasses of wine were $245 which included tax/tip) - the dining room was pretty, elegant, and cozy and the food was fantastic.
  21. Nice atmosphere and space, but everything else about this place was decidedly mediocre.
  22. Nice, romantic place.
  23. For the same price, better food, larger portions and amazing ambience, go to Bouley in Tribeca.
  24. Chef Cyril does a great job of making this cozy little nook of a restaurant very personalized, the artwork on the walls, the business card and the menu art feature his watercolors.
dessert
90.4800033569336% positive
  1. had dinner at Fleur de Sel a few times and I'll have to say that I've never been disappointed, the food is amazing, the service is outstanding and the little gift-wrapped cake the hostess gives you before you leave tastes like heaven the next day.
  2. will say that the desserts were pretty good.
  3. Too bad the entrees weren't as big as the desserts.
  4. The veal was like silk, with a lovely savory gravy, dessert was divine.
  5. Everyone at the table agreed that the food was amazing - from the sourdough bread to the deserts.
  6. My partner had the veal, which had a weird "pulled pork" like barbecue consistency and and appeared covered in a thick tomato-like cream sauce.
  7. For dessert, the banana mousse is heavenly.
  8. They accommodated us with grace and even went far out of their way to make the meal enjoyable for my 3 year old with multiple food allergies (special amuse bouche, special dessert).
  9. The amble sweetbreads and goat cheese/caviar ravioli appetizers were memorable, but the highlight of our dinner was the scallops in a cream reduction entree - truly heavenly.
  10. The desserts were incredible; their banana mousse was a perfect balance of textures and tastes.
  11. The raspberries with caramel ganache was the best dessert I've ever tasted.
  12. the appeteasers, entrees & desserts were all so tempting we could have ate it all (if not for our budget).
  13. As for the desert, the bannana mousse was very good, as well as the chocolate desert.
  14. The desserts heavenly.
  15. The deserts are amazing (kudos to the young pastry chef).
  16. The desserts were to die for; the apple crepe was unbelievably delicious.
  17. We both had the chocolate mousse tart which was great.
  18. had dinner at Fleur de Sel last week with my boyfriend and it was one of the best food experiences I had since I was in France last year, the food was extraordinary, easily compared to any of the top restaurants I've dined before, the seared Foie Gras w
  19. One thing led to another, as we were served four complimentary appetizers and four complimentary desserts--all of which were exquisite.
  20. Eric Mongno works wonders in the kitchen and the pastry chef is so talented that your a fool if you pass on dessert.
  21. Our 3 course dinner was better than I had expected and the desserts were wonderful!
drinks
86.30000114440918% positive
  1. The overal experience was very lovely (a tad pricey two prix fix menus, plus 2 glasses of wine were $245 which included tax/tip) - the dining room was pretty, elegant, and cozy and the food was fantastic.
  2. Best wine list in all of the downtown area.
  3. We aren't as knowledgable about wines as we would like but the sommelier was very helpful.
  4. When the pretentious obnoxious queen of rudeville who sat next to us knocked over my first full glass of wine into my lap, the entire staff reacted like secret service agents and had everything cleaned up and a new glass of wine poured within seconds!
  5. the wine steward was nice he offered a coupon for free caviar and champage for my next visit.
  6. The wait staff were incredibly attentive, though as a warning, if you like wine, but also a little privacy, this might not be a good idea, since they have the tendency to hover a bit.
  7. Good wines under $100 are included in the predominantly French list, but take some ferreting out to find.
  8. From wonderful service to inventive cuisine, to extensive wines in a cozy setting, what more can you ask for!
  9. ... the food was wonderful, as was the wine
  10. The wine pairings were incredible.
  11. The Tasting menu is a great value (along w/wine pairing) but splurge and enjoy the chef's imagination.
  12. Whats impressive about this restaurant is the food, wine and serviceeverything at fleur de sel has a slight edge and precisely controlled: flower arrangements, background music (played in perfect volume), and soon to come the new decor.
  13. For an after dinner drink, my wife had a 40year old port, and I had a great armagnac, which closed out a wonderful meal.
  14. Good dinner and wines with nice ambience
  15. The service was friendly and knowlegable about the food and the wine.
  16. We found an EXCELLENT selection (we live in California wine country, so getting a nice foreign wine was great) and ordered the spring tasting menu.
  17. They generously poured full glasses of wine with each course and the service was top notch.
  18. Not only the food was superb but with the help of the sommelier it was paired with incredible wine , and of course the staff was friendly and helpful which made the whole experience worthwhile and worth enjoying more often, we'll be going back soon, thank
  19. Fleur de Sel lacks a bar/waiting area, so as we waited for our complete party to arrive- we were crammed in the cold doorway along with a half dozen others.
  20. Very flavorful dishes with excellent wines to match.
  21. The service was just great, the foot was awesome, and the wine selection was superb.
  22. The wines are superb, go for the lobster salad with black truffle sauce or the layered quail paté for appetizer.
  23. amazing food, wine selection and service.
  24. the wine list as a lot of good suprise and to tell you we went on monday night and it was 1/2 price on cote du rhone.
  25. We did the prixe fixe dinner with wine pairing and it was a sublime experience, as well as being a really decent value.
  26. Our waiter was friendly and did a superb job of establishing what each dish was and how it paired with the wine.
  27. Everyone was very well dressed and to start off we had a bottle of nice red wine.
food quality
89.89999771118164% positive
  1. My favorite dishes here are the chestnut soup and the crispy poussin.
  2. The food is out of this world, and the staff are so so so nice.
  3. My wife and I, with four colleagues, enjoyed a wonderful meal at Fleur De Sel.
  4. Great service, great food.
  5. The best dish was their Lobster Salad appetizer.
  6. Generally I prefer smaller rather than larger portions but this throwback to the nouvelle cuisine of the 80s was ridiculous.
  7. Corn soup: a nice tasting shallow froth with 1 flat sugar cube sized mystery "ravioli
  8. It has such great food.
  9. Wonderful food, wonderful service
  10. We just wanted to thank the restaurant for giving us such a wonderful day, and making the room and giving us such beautiful food and service.
  11. The courses came out smoothly and with perfect timing, and the dishes themselves were to die for, as well as beautifully presented, like every thing else in the small restaurant.
  12. Every dish was superb and the entire meal was adequately filling.
  13. The highlight was the lobster dish (first course, can't remember specifics) and it was the best lobster I've ever had!
  14. There are many famous New York restaurants that are totally overrated, which make foreign visitors say, Americans dont know anything about food.
  15. We also loved the bread
  16. At least there you will get a decent french meal and you won't leave hungry.
  17. They accommodated us with grace and even went far out of their way to make the meal enjoyable for my 3 year old with multiple food allergies (special amuse bouche, special dessert).
  18. Food was good, but could they spare a little more food for the price?
  19. The food is a perfect balance between creative and familiar, between nouveau and classic.
  20. had the lobster salad which was less of a salad with greens and more just lobster which was rich and good.
  21. Our waiter was friendly and did a superb job of establishing what each dish was and how it paired with the wine.
  22. it is the my best meal since the original bouley, well balance and nicely presented.
  23. Everyone at the table agreed that the food was amazing - from the sourdough bread to the deserts.
  24. Had a wonderful dinner here - my first time - and the food was just out of this world: delicious, with layered subtle flavors that you just had to close your eyes and savor.
  25. Everyone was happy with their dish.
  26. I'm not a huge fan of foams in food, but the coconut foam provided a nice complement to the butternut soup; we had to refrain from licking the bowl when the soup was finished.
  27. Some things stuck out even more than the great food and service.
  28. We didn't go here for the atmosphere, however, we went for what we hoped would be an elegant french meal.
  29. Nice little blueberry crumble, almost like real food.
  30. have eaten here several times in the past for lunch and have always felt that they have offered an excellent value, for the quality of food and service they provide.
  31. The only thing more delicious than the incredible goat cheese ravioli pillows and perfectly cooked, sensuously textured scallops served up at Fleur de Sel was the beautiful date I shared them with.
  32. ... the food was wonderful, as was the wine
  33. be ready to eat good food.
  34. Both times the food was outstanding and the service was flawless.
  35. For an after dinner drink, my wife had a 40year old port, and I had a great armagnac, which closed out a wonderful meal.
  36. The food itself was excellent and in some cases absolutely inspired.
  37. The food was surprisingly Perfect place to take your dream date!
  38. love it every time I go and never have had a bad meal or a bad item.
  39. The desserts were to die for; the apple crepe was unbelievably delicious.
  40. Although the meal itself was fantastic, we couldn't enjoy ourselves as a result.
  41. clean, comfortable, and cozy this restaurant has delicious food.
  42. Unfortunately, $260 later for the two of us, I was left with only the bad taste of the meal in my mouth.
  43. Luscious, fall-apart meat with a wonderful meaty flavor, it was like a potroast but much more elegant and subtle.
  44. my date and i got the tasting menu and everything was flavorful and fresh.
  45. My salad was decent in size and tasted fine.
  46. It's very hard to enjoy a meal when the price tag is so steep.
  47. love the foie gras, the lamb was tasty.
  48. From wonderful service to inventive cuisine, to extensive wines in a cozy setting, what more can you ask for!
  49. Unbelievably good food and the service was outstanding.
  50. Their food is fantastic.
  51. The food is amazingly phenomenal (the fois gras with fresh apricot puree and crispy poussin with mushrooms is to die for).
  52. The food was the best I've tried in a long time and the service was really attentive.
  53. The food was great, the service was nice and we loved the coziness of the place.
  54. The fish and meat courses were equally impressive with a simple elegance that is difficult to find in fine restaurants.
  55. We finished with the bread pudding, which has a delicious brown-butter nuttiness that finished the meal perfectly.
  56. Great food, great service.
  57. Not was the food impressive but also the portions and the value.
  58. The overal experience was very lovely (a tad pricey two prix fix menus, plus 2 glasses of wine were $245 which included tax/tip) - the dining room was pretty, elegant, and cozy and the food was fantastic.
  59. We enjoyed a particularly tasty 97 Cote d' Beaune.
  60. Warm slices of bread.
  61. Whats impressive about this restaurant is the food, wine and serviceeverything at fleur de sel has a slight edge and precisely controlled: flower arrangements, background music (played in perfect volume), and soon to come the new decor.
  62. The food was terrible.
  63. It was the best meal I have eaten quite a while.
  64. often order this dish.
  65. Not only the food was superb but with the help of the sommelier it was paired with incredible wine , and of course the staff was friendly and helpful which made the whole experience worthwhile and worth enjoying more often, we'll be going back soon, thank
  66. the food is outstanding.
  67. The food was creative and delicious.
  68. My partner had the veal, which had a weird "pulled pork" like barbecue consistency and and appeared covered in a thick tomato-like cream sauce.
  69. Very flavorful dishes with excellent wines to match.
  70. amazing food, wine selection and service.
  71. The wines are superb, go for the lobster salad with black truffle sauce or the layered quail paté for appetizer.
  72. We love good food and are willing to pay extra for a good meal, but this felt very wrong.
  73. On visiting New York, I found this place and was blown away by the excellent food, service and atmosphere.
  74. The food was incredible, the scallops with market tomatoes as well as the veal breast confit were two of the best entrees we had ever enjoyed.
  75. The food quality was amazing and the presentation was very creative.
  76. The service was friendly and knowlegable about the food and the wine.
  77. the food was tasty yet somewhat bland, the presentation was "blah," and the portions left you hungry when you left - "You come in hungry, you leave hungry" All in all there wasn't much to show for what we had paid.
  78. i'm not a big french food kinda guy but this place is great.
  79. highly reckoned this restaurant to anyone looking for a perfect meal.
  80. come here 2-3x's per year, always a wonderful affair, food/presentation superb, excellent friendly accommodating svc.
  81. The food, service, and ambience are the key factor to a great restaurant.
  82. Cozy, fine French food that's done properly, good service, reasonable prices.
  83. If you're visiting NY, this is the place to have a great meal without all the attitude and a month-long wait.
  84. Service was good, but still didn't cover the average food.
  85. We all agreed it is one of the great dishes, a marvel of concentrated richness and flavour, by turns earthy, unctuous, sweet, salt, but always miraculously tender.
  86. What you will get is a nice meal that is very well priced at $29 - that doesn't wow you - but does reach the right notes on flavor and presentation.
  87. Overall, amazing food and service.
  88. This was the worst lamb I've ever had -- anywhere!
  89. The lamb crepe was good according to my daughter, but I caught my husband looking around to see where the bread was!
  90. It is a shame that such great food was compromised by such terrible service.
  91. had dinner at Fleur de Sel a few times and I'll have to say that I've never been disappointed, the food is amazing, the service is outstanding and the little gift-wrapped cake the hostess gives you before you leave tastes like heaven the next day.
  92. had dinner at Fleur de Sel last week with my boyfriend and it was one of the best food experiences I had since I was in France last year, the food was extraordinary, easily compared to any of the top restaurants I've dined before, the seared Foie Gras w
  93. Still, given the frumpy, worn atmosphere, the poor quality of the food, and the steep prices, why go here?
  94. to be honest i didn't notice the fleur de sel, but everything tasted great, i like the way the chef used fresh vegetables to really lighten things up.
  95. For the same price, better food, larger portions and amazing ambience, go to Bouley in Tribeca.
  96. "Frumpy" ambiance "miniscule" laughable portions, often bad tasting food and why go here when there are so many fabulous places nearby?
menu variety
91.42999649047852% positive
  1. It is a cozy, classy place with a world-class menu.
  2. my date and i got the tasting menu and everything was flavorful and fresh.
  3. The service was great and we had the tasting menu, which I reccommend if because it allows you to try more on the menu.
  4. The Tasting menu is a great value (along w/wine pairing) but splurge and enjoy the chef's imagination.
  5. The overal experience was very lovely (a tad pricey two prix fix menus, plus 2 glasses of wine were $245 which included tax/tip) - the dining room was pretty, elegant, and cozy and the food was fantastic.
  6. From wonderful service to inventive cuisine, to extensive wines in a cozy setting, what more can you ask for!
  7. The service was just great, the foot was awesome, and the wine selection was superb.
  8. amazing food, wine selection and service.
  9. We ordered the tasting menu ($82 per person), which of course was good, but the portions were so small.
  10. Wine selection somewhat pricey, although they have a lot to choose from.
  11. This past week I came in on Monday and thoroughly enjoyed their dinner tasting menu for the first time.
  12. Chef Cyril does a great job of making this cozy little nook of a restaurant very personalized, the artwork on the walls, the business card and the menu art feature his watercolors.
  13. Portions were a decent size, vegetarian options are available, service was prompt if not terribly warm.
  14. We found an EXCELLENT selection (we live in California wine country, so getting a nice foreign wine was great) and ordered the spring tasting menu.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. Chef Cyril does a great job of making this cozy little nook of a restaurant very personalized, the artwork on the walls, the business card and the menu art feature his watercolors.
  2. Fleur de Sel is on top of my list for the best French restaurant in the city.
  3. The food, service, and ambience are the key factor to a great restaurant.
  4. I've always had a great experience at this place.
  5. great french place
  6. The specials are always great and if you love pate, this is the place to go.
  7. The food was great, the service was nice and we loved the coziness of the place.
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. The prix fixe lunch is a great value and I will definitely return when I visit NYC again.
service
91.00000381469727% positive
  1. Both times the food was outstanding and the service was flawless.
  2. Service was attentive but not obtrusive.
  3. The service was friendly and knowlegable about the food and the wine.
  4. Our waiter was friendly and did a superb job of establishing what each dish was and how it paired with the wine.
  5. We just wanted to thank the restaurant for giving us such a wonderful day, and making the room and giving us such beautiful food and service.
  6. They generously poured full glasses of wine with each course and the service was top notch.
  7. First off the service was horrible.
  8. service was nice without being overbearing.
  9. The food, service, and ambience are the key factor to a great restaurant.
  10. We had excellent service from arrival.
  11. had dinner at Fleur de Sel a few times and I'll have to say that I've never been disappointed, the food is amazing, the service is outstanding and the little gift-wrapped cake the hostess gives you before you leave tastes like heaven the next day.
  12. come here 2-3x's per year, always a wonderful affair, food/presentation superb, excellent friendly accommodating svc.
  13. the service is impeccable.
  14. Unbelievably good food and the service was outstanding.
  15. highly recommend anyone to come in and enjoy a special evening with an attentive staff and talented chef!
  16. Though the service was impeccable, I wouldn't give them too many points for amiability.
  17. It is a shame that such great food was compromised by such terrible service.
  18. The decor and service were excellent.
  19. The service itself was acceptable, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for the staff who all seemed rather unhappy.
  20. Portions were a decent size, vegetarian options are available, service was prompt if not terribly warm.
  21. Great food, great service.
  22. Not only the food was superb but with the help of the sommelier it was paired with incredible wine , and of course the staff was friendly and helpful which made the whole experience worthwhile and worth enjoying more often, we'll be going back soon, thank
  23. The food is out of this world, and the staff are so so so nice.
  24. Wonderful food, wonderful service
  25. Great service, great food.
  26. From wonderful service to inventive cuisine, to extensive wines in a cozy setting, what more can you ask for!
  27. don't know what this guy is talking about below me, but the staff are wonderful and courteous.
  28. Other tables immediately cleared out and people did not even bother finishing their tastings.
  29. Service was decent and reasonably attentive without being intrusive and we were greated in a friendly and unpretentious manner at the door.
  30. The staff is very friendly and attentive.
  31. Overall, amazing food and service.
  32. The service is very attentive and don't be surprised if the chef comes out to chat with you.
  33. The staff was not very friendly and the service was decent but certainly not exceptional in any way.
  34. Service is wonderful, friendly yet unobtrusive.
  35. Our overall experience was excellent and were pleased with everything, except that the waitress was a little slow on taking our orders.
  36. Cozy, fine French food that's done properly, good service, reasonable prices.
  37. The setting is informally beautiful and the service was knowledgable, accomodating, and quick.
  38. Some things stuck out even more than the great food and service.
  39. The service was great and we had the tasting menu, which I reccommend if because it allows you to try more on the menu.
  40. The food was great, the service was nice and we loved the coziness of the place.
  41. Service is very attentive.
  42. The wait staff were incredibly attentive, though as a warning, if you like wine, but also a little privacy, this might not be a good idea, since they have the tendency to hover a bit.
  43. Also our waiter was very professional, as was the rest of the staff.
  44. amazing food, wine selection and service.
  45. have eaten here several times in the past for lunch and have always felt that they have offered an excellent value, for the quality of food and service they provide.
  46. When the pretentious obnoxious queen of rudeville who sat next to us knocked over my first full glass of wine into my lap, the entire staff reacted like secret service agents and had everything cleaned up and a new glass of wine poured within seconds!
  47. The service was just great, the foot was awesome, and the wine selection was superb.
  48. their service staff are very elegant and knowledgeable.
  49. The food was the best I've tried in a long time and the service was really attentive.
  50. On visiting New York, I found this place and was blown away by the excellent food, service and atmosphere.
value
71.19999885559082% positive
  1. The prix fixe lunch is a great value and I will definitely return when I visit NYC again.
  2. We ordered the tasting menu ($82 per person), which of course was good, but the portions were so small.
  3. Not was the food impressive but also the portions and the value.
  4. The Tasting menu is a great value (along w/wine pairing) but splurge and enjoy the chef's imagination.
  5. "Frumpy" ambiance "miniscule" laughable portions, often bad tasting food and why go here when there are so many fabulous places nearby?
  6. The overal experience was very lovely (a tad pricey two prix fix menus, plus 2 glasses of wine were $245 which included tax/tip) - the dining room was pretty, elegant, and cozy and the food was fantastic.
  7. have eaten here several times in the past for lunch and have always felt that they have offered an excellent value, for the quality of food and service they provide.
  8. pricey but should expect excellent french to be so.
  9. The prices are extremely reasonable for what you're getting.
  10. They serve insulting comical portions for pate (and apparently repulsive tiny smudges of fois gras) and change insane prices.
  11. I'm not a huge fan of foams in food, but the coconut foam provided a nice complement to the butternut soup; we had to refrain from licking the bowl when the soup was finished.
  12. Generally I prefer smaller rather than larger portions but this throwback to the nouvelle cuisine of the 80s was ridiculous.
  13. Wine selection somewhat pricey, although they have a lot to choose from.
  14. Just be prepared to shell out the big bucks.
  15. This restaurant is truly terrible and so ridiculously expensive that it is mildly amusing.
  16. For the same price, better food, larger portions and amazing ambience, go to Bouley in Tribeca.
  17. Not only the food was superb but with the help of the sommelier it was paired with incredible wine , and of course the staff was friendly and helpful which made the whole experience worthwhile and worth enjoying more often, we'll be going back soon, thank
  18. Still, given the frumpy, worn atmosphere, the poor quality of the food, and the steep prices, why go here?
  19. the food was tasty yet somewhat bland, the presentation was "blah," and the portions left you hungry when you left - "You come in hungry, you leave hungry" All in all there wasn't much to show for what we had paid.
  20. Cozy, fine French food that's done properly, good service, reasonable prices.
  21. the wine list as a lot of good suprise and to tell you we went on monday night and it was 1/2 price on cote du rhone.
  22. Whether it's a special occasion or a weekly one like mine, they will make it a very memorable experience and well worth it.
  23. Food was good, but could they spare a little more food for the price?
  24. It's very hard to enjoy a meal when the price tag is so steep.
  25. We did the prixe fixe dinner with wine pairing and it was a sublime experience, as well as being a really decent value.
wait time
73.33000183105469% positive
  1. Our overall experience was excellent and were pleased with everything, except that the waitress was a little slow on taking our orders.
  2. My friend and I took our young teenage daughters to New York City for a long awaited trip, and had an experience to remember at Fleur de Sel on a slow Sunday evening.
  3. The setting is informally beautiful and the service was knowledgable, accomodating, and quick.
  4. If you're visiting NY, this is the place to have a great meal without all the attitude and a month-long wait.
  5. The food was the best I've tried in a long time and the service was really attentive.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/07/09

Say It Isn't So!

by TheTripChick

I heard through the grapevine that Fleur De Sel was closing...say it ain't true! We had lunch during Restaurant Week and while the place was packed, we managed to get a corner table that was cozy and intimate.

We started with the butternut squash soup with coconut foam and truffle oil. I'm not a huge fan of foams in food, but the coconut foam provided a nice complement to the butternut soup; we had to refrain from licking the bowl when the soup was finished.

The braised veal breast was next...and it was stellar. Luscious, fall-apart meat with a wonderful meaty flavor, it was like a potroast but much more elegant and subtle.

We finished with the bread pudding, which has a delicious brown-butter nuttiness that finished the meal perfectly. It is really too bad that Fleur De Sel is closing, we would recommend it anytime.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/14/09

Solid and Well Priced - No Surprises (Good or Bad)

by sakumawiki

I recently had a pleasant lunch at Fleur de Sel and would recommend trying the three course tasting if you have the time to enjoy it - and you don't have to go far to get there. The restaurant itself is in a seemingly out-of-place speck of a building with a sweet facade that unfortunately doesn't translate to the mostly nondescript interior. The day I was there, it was almost full, but the noise level was very low at all times. I was seated at a comfortable table, allowed to linger - and, from the start to finish, the service was cheerful and helpful. The course options were a mix of vegetables, fish and meat, with two frozen dessert options to follow. Wines by the glass were a bit on the high side, starting at $12. Everything was well prepared, seasoned nicely and beautifully plated. You wont leave Fleur de Sel feeling like you've experienced anything new, and it's not the type of place you'd want to take a trendy client, or trendy anyone for that matter. What you will get is a nice meal that is very well priced at $29 - that doesn't wow you - but does reach the right notes on flavor and presentation. Take your time, sit back and savor the idea of being a regular here - like the guy with the martini, lunch and a book on the other side of the room that seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

  • Pros: lunch menu, friendly staff, quiet
  • Cons: high priced glass wines
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/29/08

Small place, Big taste

by bubblytoo

I read a few reviews and I'll have to say the negative ones are very ridiculous. Everyone knows that when you dine during restaurant week the experience is not a normal one. I had dinner at Fleur de Sel a few times and I'll have to say that I've never been disappointed, the food is amazing, the service is outstanding and the little gift-wrapped cake the hostess gives you before you leave tastes like heaven the next day. If you really want the full on Fleur de Sel experience go for dinner or on a reg lunch day, where they offer a 3 course tasting for only $29.

  • Pros: goat cheese ravioli, lamb
4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/02/08

great specials

by emmagailrobson

LOVE Fleur de Sel. It has such great food. I love it every time I go and never have had a bad meal or a bad item. Their soups and salads are out of the world. The specials are always great and if you love pate, this is the place to go. They always season their dishes just right. I would recommend to anyone.

3 Star Rating: Average

07/28/08

Miniscule portions

by scanmike

I have always wanted to go here and heard mixed reviews. Went today for restaurant week lunch. Not that impressed. Food was good, but could they spare a little more food for the price? As feared, my husband left hungry and was glad they gave you plenty of bread to fill up on. The pate, as the previous poster stated was the size of a domino piece. My salad was decent in size and tasted fine. I had the cod and it was very moist, but again maybe 5 inches by 1 /12 inches and 2 inches thick. Didn't really fill me up, but at least it was cooked well. It was presented with maybe 1/2 of an asparagus spear.The lamb crepe was good according to my daughter, but I caught my husband looking around to see where the bread was! Dessert portions were ample. Too bad the entrees weren't as big as the desserts. I can appreciate the quality of food, but come on...don't let me leave hungry! This was the first time I was in and out in less than an hour. For the money, go down the block to Grammercy Tavern.

  • Pros: plenty of bread, good dessert,
  • Cons: way too small portions, rushed service, limited choices

The Details on Bar Bre Ton

Place Categories:

  • great service
  • great french restaurant
  • best entire meal
  • great overall experience
  • attentive service staff
  • divine complimentary desserts
  • great french place
  • good wines
  • favorite dish
  • nice evening
  • great everything
  • not recommend restaurant
  • best dining experience
  • cozy dining room
  • perfectly cooked scallops
  • flavorful dinner tasting menu
  • great value
  • often bad food
  • rich lobster
  • nice atmosphere
  • decidedly mediocre space
  • extremely reasonable prices
  • great good food
  • perfect dinner
  • all so tempting entrees
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