By Bryan Miller
Published: February 12, 1993
On this most romantic of weekends it is heartening to rediscover some of the older classic French restaurants around town, places that consider dining a high art, not pop art, and where elegance and understatement reign. Le Chantilly is such a place, recently rejuvenated by an American talent at the stove, David Ruggerio, who displays maturity far beyond his 30 years.
For much of its recent life, Le Chantilly has been the kindly old aunt of New York's French restaurant family: dependable, cosseting, generous but not exactly a Mardi Gras parade in the excitement department. Mr. Ruggerio, a veteran of La Caravelle and Maxim's in Manhattan, seems determined to change all that.
Le Chantilly, after 15 years, remains a relaxed and soigne spot, cloaked in dreamy murals of its namesake chateau in the Loire Valley. The commodious dining room has pale green walls and seashell sconces that cast complimentary light, capacious floral-patterned banquettes and enough soft surfaces to mute a Con Edison crew.
The owner, Camille Dulac, split up with his longtime partner and chef, Roland Chenus, in 1990. Mr. Ruggerio is the third chef since then.
The new menu is a significant departure in style for this tradition-bound establishment. You can see it in appetizers like crab ravioli, actually sweet crab meat sandwiched between thin sheets of pasta, which is wonderful in a terrific broth, fragrant of lemongrass and kaffir lime. Firm, fresh langoustines are excellent, too, merely brushed with olive oil and grilled with zucchini and tomatoes.
Risotto is not something longtime customers of Le Chantilly would expect to encounter. But they should be pleased with this perfectly textured composite holding moist, peppered quail meat and a garnish of shiitakes and green peas. Another Italian dish works splendidly: al dente fettuccine tossed with fresh sweet peas, chervil and smoked salmon. More traditional but also tasty are the oxtail terrine colored with carrots and spinach, and a special of pommes beignets, which are translucent pockets of puffed potato slices stuffed with duck confit and framed by red cabbage. Moreover, there always seem to be earthy surprises on the menu, like the grilled fresh sardines with red peppers and onions. Very French. Very good.
A rewarding aspect of a seasoned restaurant like Le Chantilly is its consistency in staff. When captains and waiters move around faster than Muhammad Ali in his prime, customers rarely establish a working relationship with them. At Le Chantilly, the staff has been around long enough to know many patrons by name. And it knows how to pamper them.
Don't look for bargains on the mostly French wine list. Even country wines get a hefty markup. Even so, enough wines under $30 can be found to complement the food.
Mr. Ruggerio favors the flavors and scents of the Mediterranean, which can be seen most vividly in dishes like roasted salmon, which is vibrant with cumin and other Middle Eastern spices and set over couscous with roasted root vegetables. Seared red snapper is refreshing and light, too, with a compote of tomato and chives, chervil and seasoned oils. Swordfish, a special one evening, was not so successful: on the dry side and rather dull, with fried lotus root, spinach and sauteed potatoes. A big seller, at least based on the reaction of my dinner guests, is the "steak" of minced fresh lobster that is roasted until crisp, garnished with a stack of lacy fried leeks and encircled by truffle-flavored lobster oil.
Rabbit fans can't go wrong with the tender white rounds cut from the saddle, surrounded by white beans and a terrarium of fennel, rosemary, marjoram and thyme. Roasted duck seasoned with honey and lavender sounded appealing, but in truth it tasted, as a dinner guest remarked, like bathroom soap. You have to really like lavender. A special of seared squab excelled, however. It was another heavily foliated creation, incredibly moist, in a sauce of pan juices dotted with roasted garlic cloves, along with pureed potatoes spiked with truffle oil. One of the few clinkers at lunch was a dry citrus-marinated chicken.
A delightful overkill of desserts could begin with a perfectly textured Grand Marnier souffle, a puffed apple tart, a custardy blackberry tart or classic Saint-Honore: a ring of choux pastry puffs packing enough whipped cream to fill a shopping bag. As an alternative there is a refreshing assortment of sorbets -- grapefruit, blackberry and cantaloupe -- in a sauce of spiced Sauternes.
Le Chantilly has always been quietly romantic. The spunky new kitchen adds an allure that is long overdue. Le Chantilly
106 East 57th Street, Manhattan, (212) 751-2931.
Atmosphere: Sumptuous, comfortable and quiet dining room with generously spaced tables.
Service: Highly professional.
Recommended dishes: Crab ravioli, langoustines, quail risotto, fettuccine with smoked salmon, oxtail terrine, grilled sardines, roasted salmon over couscous, minced fresh lobster with fried leeks, rabbit with white beans, seared squab, Grand Marnier souffle, apple tart, sorbets.
Wine: Mostly French, mostly expensive.
Price range: Lunch: appetizers $7 to $18, main courses $17 to $23; prix fixe lunch $25. Dinner: appetizers $7 to $15, main courses $18 to $25; tasting menu $57; pre-theater dinner $29 (5:30 to 7 P.M.).
Credit cards: All major cards.
Hours: Lunch: noon to to 3 P.M. Mondays through Saturdays; dinner: 5:30 to 11:30 P.M. Mondays through Fridays; 5:30 to 11:15 P.M. Saturdays; 4:30 to 10 P.M. Sundays.
Wheelchair accessibility: Everything on ground level. Ratings: Poor Satisfactory Good Very Good Excellent Extraordinary
Ratings are based on the reviewer's reaction to food and price in relation to comparable establishments.
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