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One of the most intriguing aspects of Le Chêne, a distinctly Parisian restaurant situated in the West Village, is its deliberate disregard for American notions of Parisian romance and fantasy, presented by the very French couple Alexia Duchêne and Ronan Duchêne Le May. Its aesthetic communicates a cool French sophistication: sharp, elegant, casually stylish, exuding an effortless allure achieved through considerable effort. Recently relocated from Paris, Duchêne and Le May collaborated with a Parisian designer (the talented Frédérique Mortier d’Aumont) to create the dining room, which showcases creamy whites and rich jewel tones, substantial cutlery, and delicate stemware, enlivened only by a few minor Basquiats and Warhols adorning the walls. Even the room’s fragrance, Diptyque Figuier, subtly diffused from a discreet device behind a raspberry-velvet banquette, epitomizes impeccable Parisian flair. Servers don their fitted white shirts unbuttoned just enough to reveal an embroidered message on the inner placket, cleverly understated: “Je t’aime.” During my visits, I was consistently struck by how many patrons at the room’s limited tables appeared to be conversing in French.
Duchêne is regarded as a culinary prodigy. At the age of twenty-three, she reached the semifinals of the French edition of “Top Chef” six years ago. She arrived in New York in 2023 to manage the kitchen at Margot in Fort Greene, where her precise and formal cooking received accolades but ultimately clashed with the restaurant’s more laid-back objectives; she departed after just a month. At Le Chêne, a carefully curated platform for her skills, her technical prowess is on remarkable display, in a traditional manner that feels refreshingly new—what one might call nouvelle stodginess. I was captivated by the delicate presentation of tiny sweet shrimp atop a dollop of crème fraîche in tartlets the size of euro coins, and by the painstaking intricacy of a slice of lucullus, a complex terrine layered with foie gras and beef tongue, thin, alternating, and countless.
Endive with oyster mayonnaise.Sourse: newyorker.com