With roots in Southwest of France, Chef Sébastien Pourrat succeeded in creating with Cocotte, a unique tiny spot serving delicious French-Spanish cuisine. Tiny restaurant with portions as big as the place though, keeping alive the reputation French restaurants often have (small portions). But it is not about quantity but more quality and there is something about this place that makes you want to go back: good food, nice atmosphere that makes it the perfect neighborhood hideout. Service is good, at the exception of one waitress that definitely spoiled the last time we went there and dealt with various issues with a definite lack of professionalism; fortunately, the rest of the staff was not like that. Dinner at Cocotte is quite good, but I rather go for brunch that serves amazing classic dishes like the œufs brouillés or scrambled eggs that can be served with mushrooms (champignons - Jodi’s choice) or chorizo with the possibility to do half and half. These eggs were fantastic: perfectly made and not overcooked. But I admit that what I really love was the burger, served with a rustic presentation. Served with focaccia bread, bacon, cheese, onion, guindilla relish and mayo, the beef patty was quite tasty and very juicy, the kind of messy dish you want. I should add that the burger comes with some delicious roasted potatoes (pommes rôties) that I could have eaten on their own.
For dinner, they offer a bunch of small plates like the cheese platter that is a good alternative if you are vegetarian but that I always consider a rip-off considering the amount of cheese served or the butternut squash soup, and if you are not vegetarian, the Spanish or Basque inspired txipirones or baby squid cooked in squid ink is superb. For entrees, they propose various meats like pork or chicken, and their hanger steak (boeuf), smothered with a red wine reduction would satisfy a meat eater in term of taste and temperature, but was very small, leaving me a bit hungry after finishing such a succulent dish (I should mention that it was served with potatoes that I wish were the pommes rôties mentioned above).
But if you are still hungry or ready to wait longer (our entree took 35 minutes to come), try their desserts, especially the creme mentee that is quite light, served with strawberries and a red berry coulis.
I should mention the beverages: they have various cocktails like whiskey sour, sangria or Negroni, and for brunch, a nice coffee.
Overall, Cocotte is a great place to know, but I would more go for brunch than dinner. Hopefully they will pay attention to the service because it can spoil an evening. But once again, it was fortunately only one of their staff: the others were nice and welcoming.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Cocotte - 110 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012