Rouge NYC

If you are comfortable being uncomfortable, then this is the place for you. If not, then please read the following:
Do not go here. Ever! My boyfriend and I came here on Christmas Eve and within the first few minutes knew something was off about this place. Completely empty, odd décor and an awkward wait staff/​owner. We both ordered the steak and some red wine. 25 minutes later, two gigantic steaks came out that was totally overdone and missing the sauce that was listed on the menu. The steaks also had sides of ketchup and Dijon mustard on the plates, which was pretty strange for a place that seemed fancy… Our sides (macaroni & cheese and fries) came out a few minutes later. We took a few bites and came to the agreement that the food was inedible and we needed to leave as soon as humanly possible. The owner and waiter came over asking several times if we wanted to take the food home or have some complementary dessert. They also asked us repeatedly what was wrong with the food so they could make the necessary adjustments, but we both felt too awkward to say anything negative. The whole place seemed like a cover for the French mafia or something. I don’t know, but whatever you do, DO NOT GO HERE FOR DINNER!

Here’s the deal with this place: I guess they had a GroupOn deal or something a while back and people got upset because they didn’t think they received what the Groupon promised. Spoke to the owner– apparently the mess-​up was on GroupOn’s end. It’s a shame that hurt the ranking of the place, because the owner is a really friendly guy and they have terrific drink specials.
As far as food, I would recommend smaller plates and sides. I had the lamb which was a bit dry and slightly overcooked. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t as advertised. My wife had salmon– she thought it was undercooked a bit and a bit bland. That’s the bad news.
The good news? The owner cares and the service is terrific. The ambience is wonderful even if the music (on our night it was more like a South Beach night spot than a LES spot, given all the Pitbull, J Lo and the like) was a little goofy. That Rivington/​Orchard block is a great one– and given the warm winter we’ve had it is a really pleasant spot to sit and drink wine. Good wine list, and a nice little lounge downstairs too.
Our side dishes– a truffle mac and cheese and goat cheese salad, among others– were excellent. Stick to that and wine and you’ll have a nice evening.

(Spoiler alert: you’ll get food poisoning.) Christ on a hot pocket this place is bad. Saturday night, 8pm. Walk into a near-​empty restaurant (what a relief to find a place in LES that’s not congested with biddies in ‘ugly Christmas sweaters’) thinking the service will be prompt. The waiter seats us, cards us a few minutes later, and takes his sweet time actually tending to us. When we place our order, he probes us with the oddest questions about the menu, as if he doesn’t know what’s actually on it. We both order the $ 17 burger (ha), and he seems a bit puzzled. He comes back a few minutes later asking, «You want cheese, right?» Yep, we do — that’s what the menu says. In under 5 minutes, homeboy proceeds to bring out these monstrosities on ciabatta masquerading as culinary invention. These burgers are straight-​up insane. My friend barely takes a bite before she’s like, «uh, this isn’t consumable.» She asks for the spaghetti instead, to which he responds, «the spaghetti with shrimp?», referring to an item that is literally not on the menu. She corrects him, and he walks away all, «huh, had no idea that was something we made!» I’m an idiot so I keep eating the burger like everything’s hunky dory, thinking my friend’s just some snob, until I chew into some bits of meat that are clearly not cooked. Word, awesome. I tell the waiter that the burger’s uncooked in the nicest way I can (this is something I literally never do), which prompts him to look at me like I’m speaking Sanskrit, take my fork and poke it through the meat to convince me I’m wrong. I now sit here battling food poisoning and breaking into cold sweats. I know these guys are new and probably changed the menu very recently, and I’m (mildly) grateful that they comped us for those burgers. But the poor kitchen staff, who seemed to be coming upstairs every few minutes communicating with the waiter, seems overworked. Get it together. (ETA: Not a good look to have your family/​friends sign up for Unilocal just to offer up some breathless and vapid pronouncements of lovely the dinner was.)

Do not come here for dinner. A friend and I came in on a Saturday night — place was practically empty. We ordered burgers, both of which were seasoned poorly and severely undercooked and raw. We both got spaghetti instead after we sent back the burgers (to which the waiter was visibly annoyed) which was underwhelming and practically tasteless. Also my soda was a whopping $ 5. Really? And their receipt had the nerve to suggest tips between 20−24%? Unbelievable. I also saw the waiter bring out the salmon filet for another table, which comes ungarnished and looked very bland. Will never be back– do not come here for dinner. There’s a reason it’s so empty on a Saturday night.

Came here with groupon, the groupon deal was 75 dollars to spend for two on dinner, but instead the owner insisted it’s 75% off when you spend 100. And you can only order a selected few items from the menu if you use groupon. Out of all fairness, the food we ordered was good, however you should honor what you advertise.

It was an awful experience. I had a living social voucher which was said that I can order any food or drink on the menu. However, things is not like this at all. When I arrived in the restaurant with my friend, the waiter is so reluctant to service us becuz we have a living social voucher and basically there is nothing I can actually order on their menu. The waiter said that they just don’t have what I ordered. I asked what they have. He only pointed out 4 – 5 items of the entire menu!!! Both my friend and I can feel that the waiter didn’t want to serve us at all just BECAUSE we have a VOUCHER!!! This is a ridiculous place!!! I read the review and I am not an occasional case! To the owner: if you don’t want to serve those who have vouchers, simply don’t listed ur place on those websites! This is a horrible experience.

One of the worst spots of NYC! We had Groupon that included certain dishes and drinks. We ordered according to our deal, but the staff was extremely reluctant to bring out all that we ordered (we had to remind them twice that we were short of dishes). The food was less than ok. It felt that everything was pre-​cooked and heated up (at best) or, straight out of cans (or maybe from a frozen section of a supermarket) — certainly nothing French! In the end, we were asked to pay tax and tips, which we did, but one week later, we saw that our credit card was charged $ 126 (instead of $ 30). Tried to resolve but restaurant did not respond.
BEWARE — They are crooks and thieves!!!

You guys — this was so so so bad. Got the groupon; came for the ceviche I saw on the menu online. No such thing once we got there — just canned olives, stale baguette and it’s hard to make merguez inedible but they managed. The waiter apologetically offered a glass of wine on the house (normally $ 15!!) which was sweet — I’m guessing he must be used to it. I wouldn’t be so angry if it wasn’t SO expensive and disrespectfully shitty. CANNED OLIVES??? My theory is that Groupon victims are subject to a special menu… Full disclosure: I’m french and VERY upset.

Went with some friends and had a great time. This review is for the Goat Cheese Salad specifically. It is pricey but delicious. It is the best I’ve had in the states. I’ve never been able to find a goat cheese salad like the ones in France and I’ll definitely be back again for that.

The workers are very tired, the food is not tasty. I didn’t like it. The food and atmosphere were bad. It’s not like the French restaurant.

We ate here last week again. About a month or so ago we had lunch here. I wish I could give ROUGE a higher rating. Both times our servers couldn’t have been nicer. They made our visit. This last time she recommended a Happy Hour wine which was one of the best we’ve ever had at a Happy Hour. One of the other reviewers mentioned stale bread. At our lunch also the bread was stale. Not good for a restaurant that calls itself French. I like the way the whole place opens up to the street. I had the Rack of Lamb which was very good. Our one appetizer (I’ve forgotten it’s name) were cheese filled something or other. There were 3 of them and 1 did not have any cheese in it. Now here’s the real rub. Both times our meals were extremely slow in coming to us. We’re not fast eaters or hurried customers. We don’t mind sitting for several hours and talking and drinking and eating. But at lunch we had to wait an hour because the chef had not even arrived yet! This was at 1pm. At dinner last week there were only 4 people including us in the whole place but it was an hour before we received our appetizers. I don’t know what this place would do if all the tables were filled. I believe the owner/​manager was there. The chef came out of the kitchen several times with food to be photographed by a photographer. And then what appeared to be some PR people showed up who the manager and chef also spent time talking with. It would have been nice for the chef to stop by our table and ask how things were. The waitress did. At our lunch we were the only people in the place. They apologized for the wait both times but they could have given us a glass of wine or something or just poured a bit more or, even more importantly, made actual paying customers a priority for service rather than PR people and a photographer.

This was a great experience. This place is a fun party with delicious food and a fun atmosphere. A bit of Miami in New York City. I like the cozy feeling it has as the owner of the restaurant is there personally and the chef is there too and they greet you with a personal touch. If you want to have a fun night in the LES, go to Rouge! The waitstaff is caring and warm and they make sure you have a really memorable dining experience.

Fantastic little hidden gem in LES. I stumbled upon it when I heard some fantastic middle eastern music playing at about 8pm. I had a glass of rose and their spinach goat cheese salad along with the organic salmon and a crème brûlée to finish things off. Every bite was perfect and the portions were just the right size. I came back with three girl friends the next day. Great vibe and music in there for a nice midday glass of wine or full dinner! Love it!

We used a groupon to go here for dinner. DON’T! It said we would get 4 salads, but we got 2. It said we would get 4 entrees but when we ordered we could ONLY get a choice of 3 specific entrees. Since this was a groupon for a specific product — a la carte dinner for 4 with no monetary amount, you only pay sales tax on the price you paid for the product, not on the total amount of the dinner. We were charged sales tax for everything. We paid $ 85 for the groupon for 4 which included, a bottle of wine, 4 glasses of champagne, two appetizers, four salads and four entrees. When the bill came we had to pay tax on the $ 52 bottle of wine, champagne, food, etc. We do know the tip goes on the total cost of the bill, and we paid a 22% tip which they calculated for us. The food was not good either!

My wife and I went for lunch Sunday ⁷⁄₅.
We were the only patrons in the restaurant the entire time from about noon until a little after 1:00 PM.
To start we were given stale bread and we asked for some fresh bread.
The waitress/​bartender/​hostess apologized and offered to bring us some different softer bread. When we tried the second type of bread it was softer but still stale.
A little while later the cook walks outside and 5 minutes later we see him return with a large bag of fresh bread. He brings it downstairs to the kitchen — the restaurant never offering us any.
Many of the really good items on their menu on the website were not on the printed menu we received.
The charcuterie plate for $ 17 was really small.
The foie gras was so small — about 1.5 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick — definitely not worth the money even with the 50% Groupon discount.
The fruit under is wasn’t heated enough and it made the foie gras cool.
My crab/​lobster cakes were tasty but I had to spit out a couple of pieces of shell that were in them.
After we got the bill we went to the single restroom downstairs.
Something must have died in there as my wife and I both were very offended by the gross smell. The sink is outside the restroom — in the hall at the bottom of the stairs.
There are 3 small rectangular planters under the sink — with their fresh chives growing — uggh!
When I came back upstairs my wife had sat down at our table only to find (by the wet feel on her back) — that the waitress/​bartender/​hostess had sprayed the chair with some type of cleaner but didn’t dry the chair off.
Now the grand finale.
I go to pay the check and a 22% gratuity was automatically added.
I told the waitress/​bartender/​hostess that that was not disclosed on the
Groupon to which she replied «the owner of the restaurant can set the rules»
I reluctantly paid and we left presuming that Groupon will make good on this terrible experience.

The food is quite mediocre in terms of quality and portion considering its price. The kitchen staff kept running back and forth from downstairs to the bar during our meal. The service was great, hence the 3 stars. Probably a good spot for some drinks, but definitely not for the food. Good thing we came with a Groupon deal.

For my birthday, I wanted to host a dinner at a non-​pretentious restaurant that could accommodate a large group and had outdoor seating. Rouge NYC grabbed my attention because of its edgy décor and totally open façade. It exceeded all of my expectations. On Fridays they have a pre fixe menu, and the special they had going on my birthday was one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and one bottle of wine EACH for $ 49. I haven’t heard of a better deal in the city. The staff allowed me to increase the size of my party that morning, placed us at an outdoor table per my request, and allowed us to substitute certain sides for appetizers. Everyone in my party was very pleased, and even expressed eagerness to return. The ambiance was perfect — I couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

It’s a new, interesting spot in LES. The décor is nice, but like my girlfriend said, it’s a little too busy looking. We were brought here by an awesome groupon, which basically gave us 50% off, but in all honesty I don’t think our meal would have been worth it at full price. The portion sizes were quite small compared to the steep prices you pay and some of the dishes were a tad bit off. The foie gras was too «americanized» with an adulterated «dumbed down» taste that I felt was bland. The steak tartare was good, but in many places in Paris and the rest of France, you can find versions with a quick sear just to add texture and flavor, but after asking about this style (aller retoure), the staff was very nice to ty it, but seemed quite unfamiliarized with it, and essentially made a cooked burger patty. That was partially my fault, because I guessed it was supposed to be seared on both sides, but apparently it should only be seared on one side. The mac and cheese was great, though quite simple, so I’d be shocked if they messed that up. The risotto and salmon dish was decent. The risotto was great, but the salmon was quite lackluster, and the portions for both were small.
Also, we were the only ones there and it felt slightly awkward, because the music wasn’t loud enough to prevent the waitress from hearing our entire conversation at a normal voice level.
The service was overall great. The waitress was sweet and accommodating with us.
Overall, we had a great meal for 50% off, but I tried to write this review with the same scrutiny as if the 50% was never there.

There really is nothing French this restaurant. The décor and ambiance are okay but the food is nothing to rave about. The Crispy Salmon with risotto was kinda of a joke. The portions were beyond small and the rice was just dense and dry. The grains were clearly not arborio rice. The ceviche was just boring and probably 1 week old. The only saving grace was the service who were pleasant and courteous. Maybe grab a drink but skip the food.

A gem in the Lower East Side. Beautiful ambience and a most welcoming and enthusiastic hostess and co-​owner Izabella. The second restaurant of her and husband Sophien (La Terrasse of Miami), Rouge NYC offers ALL ORGANIC French wines, including some vintage varieties (best of the base grape).
The Saint Joseph Syrah from Domaine des Miquettes is a ‘stepping out’ from the woods onto a precipice.
The Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay from Romuald Petit is a like a ‘first kiss’. Honestly the best Chardonnay I’ve ever tasted. It’s an experience.
We arrived too late to try the food but the menu sounds amazing — a wide variety of ceviches, sophisticated appetizers like foie gras, and delicate homemade desserts like Panna cotta.
We will be back — very soon!