I have been here several times and I have a love-hate relationship with this restaurant.
Love:
- Best French onion soup in the city
- They bring you a sample of the tartare to make sure it is seasoned enough for you before serving it.
- The irony of the in-your-face Catholic inspired decoration, including the chanting playing in the toilets.
- Decent wine-list
- Solid selection of oysters including a peep show of the shucking.
- Great option for after 21h late dinner. $21 after 21h
Hate:
- I always feel judged when I'm there as my boyfriend and I do not fit the profile of the "average clientele" (Read: we are young, casual and non-caucasian lovers of French food)
- There is an air of presumptuousness that can be suffocating
- Inconsistency of the food. For example: today's eggs Benedict were solidly over-cooked and the hollandaise sauce was tasteless.
Overall, I can handle the snobbery when the food wows my taste buds. Today was not one of those occasions.
Must have: Onion Soup. After a city-wide tasting of all the onion soups there is to offer, Chez Lévêque makes the best.