Sel et Gras

Literally my favorite brunch place In the city. I have been here a few times for brunch and don’t know how people aren’t flocking to this spot on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The food, especially the Croque Madame, is amazing. Today I tried the eggs Benedict and it was also delicious. The winner here is the mimosas though. $ 25 for unlimited mimosas and an entrée can’t be beat, especially since the food is so good. You need to try this place!

I’m not sure what the deal is with this place, since it was completely empty when I went. But my friends and I had a pleasant dinner here on a Thursday night, even though we were the only people eating in the restaurant.
I had the Burger Sel et Gras (medium rare), which was really tender and juicy. It came with a side of heavily salted and crispy fries. It was reasonably priced for $ 15, and I enjoyed it a lot. One of my friends had the Salmon Tarte, a flatbread topped with smoked salmon, which was recommended by our server. I didn’t get to try any of it, but my friend went on and on about how good it was. The food was a bit slow to come out though.
Our server was friendly, but at times he seemed overeager to join his friends/​coworkers who were hanging out and chatting by the bar (like I said, it was a slow night). Example: he came by to ask if we were ready to pay the bill, and we were still figuring out how much each person would pay and wanted to ask for a pen, but he zoomed off before we got the chance… so I had to go up and ask for one. That was slightly annoying.
Another slightly weird/​annoying thing: I tried calling 3 times to make a reservation, and each time it went straight to a pre-​recorded message saying to email
for reservations and questions. I definitely called during the hours they said they were open, so I have no idea why no one picked up the phone. Strange, but not a huge deal because they answered my email right away.
Overall, I liked Sel et Gras, and I’d recommend it for a low-​key dinner spot.

I tried Sel et Gras within a few months of it’s opening and was enticed by the name. While I like the windows and location, the rest of the space and décor didn’t really speak to me. Felt a little like it’s trying too hard to be gritty. Plates are small but a bit expensive, so it wasn’t a good option to have a decent dinner without spending more than it’s worth. Food was not memorable for me.

This place is a gem.
Me and my girl chose to dine there last week and i’m glad that we did.
Food/​Service everything was on point.
Thank you Sel et Gras

Although this was a great place, with a very enticing menu, I was not terribly impressed with the food. This may be due to the fact that I ordered the one thing on the menu without any sel or gras. That would be the whole fish. It was very nice, but plain, and not perfectly cooked, although beautiful. The service was impeccable, and friendly. Extremely friendly. In fact, one waiter simply had to interject his opinion during our conversation as to whether Kim Kardashian’s outfit at the Met Gala was totally hot, or totally not. Personally, I like floral prints, but could have done without the gloves.

Our waiter was kind of a jerk.

Maybe we went in at a wrong hour, cuz the food was just disappointing.
We had the arugula salad, foie gras, salmon, and mussels, all were extremely salty. Guess they took the idea ‘salt and fat’ pretty seriously.
The staff was really nice though.

This kind of place strikes me as very New York — great design, slightly dark so as to not make it overwhelming, and a tasty menu of food and drink.
An amazing pommes frites and very tasty steak tartare complement a nice variety of wines, and this is easily a great date spot or a group happy hour.

Pro: graffiti + ABC Carpet stools (I have the same ones) = grungy rustic feel, delicious bites.
Con: delicious BITES great for grazing or supermodel appetites, pricey considering tiny portion sizes, service a bit rushed and slow like they’re understaffed.
While it was nice, not likely to return.

We’re in NY visiting friends and the five of us chose Sel et Gras on a Sunday afternoon. We came in about 4:00 but saw that happy hour was at 5:00, so we had a glass of wine and enjoyed the complimentary olives (which were tasty) while we waited for happy hour. We really loved the $ 5 Malbec, it was our wine of choice for the dinner, after all, you really can’t beat $ 5 glasses of wine.
Sel et Gras is a wonderful place to eat with a group of people. With everything being tapas style, it’s best to order as many dishes as you can to split among your friends. We had the croque mademoiselle, seared hanger steak (roasted with marrow, no less), everything tarte salmon, steak tartar (my personal favorite), le jardin, and last but certainly not least, pomme frites. The pomme frites are quickly becoming a West Village favorite. They’re rolled in a light garlic butter and covered with shaved parmesan cheese, served with a rich mayonnaise dipping sauce. Beyond insane, the food was phenomenal and every person in our party had a different favorite.
The ambiance was cool, with windows open to the street and a cool, comfortable breeze blowing in. The music was funky and décor was very «Francentric» and eclectic, and the spraypaint tagged walls were a nice touch! Service was good, but they’re not going to hang all over you. Cesar took good care of us and explained everything well, and the barkeep was very knowledgeable regarding the wine selection and pairing recommendations.
All in all, this has been my favorite place to eat in NYC and would recommend it with absolutely no reservations. It’s great for an after-​work or after-​dinner drink, and a great place to get some fabulous, fun French food. Who knew French food wasn’t boring?!?

Great new find, and a much welcomed addition to the WV neighborhood. Sel et Gras is a quaint little French bistro/​wine bar — with exceptional food to boot. I stopped in here with the bf on a random weeknight, to wind down and have a bite after a long day of work. Everything on the menu are served as small plates — meant to be shared — which is the perfect format for a party of two in my opinion.
— Duck rillette — I fell in love with rillettes and terrines a while ago and have since been on a sort of quest to taste as many as I could. I loved the duck confit spread we had here, which was very simply seasoned and full of rich duck flavor, served pretty generously in a cute mason jar. I really liked the spicy mustard and marinated radishes served on the side, which helped to cut the richness in between bites.
— Moules «Safran» — these steamed mussels were cooked well and as satisfying as any steamed mussels dish should be. I only wish that the saffron-​coriander flavor was a little stronger, except the broth only came off a little too salty. The charred toast was excellent however, and was a good vehicle to sop up the broth once the mussels were gone.
— «Everything» tarte salmon — this flatbread was the standout dish of the night for me, and the best thing I had to eat all week (and I do eat some pretty stellar foods on a consistent basis). Not only was the thin flatbread perfectly crispy, but the combination of the lemon cream, capers, and buttery smoked salmon sprinkled with «everything» spice was absolutely genius. Even the bf who typically loathes capers enjoyed this tarte, really loving how much brightness the lemon cream and capers added to the salty smoked salmon. The lightly dressed arugula piled on top of the tarte was a great touch as well, adding an expected peppery bite. It even made me wonder if I should try to add some rocket arugula to my lox & bagel from now on.
Aside from the good food, I really like the eclectic décor of this place. They also keep the panel doors wide open during the warmer months, which makes for a very comfortable and fun dining experience. The service is satisfactory, undeniably French if you get my drift. I also noticed that they have happy hour specials on select wines until 7pm, so I’m hoping to come back for that.

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) AMAZING tiny morsels of utter deliciousness; Every single item on the menu is well-​executed, and has a distinct flavor that will satisfy both the curious and hungry
2) Chic and romantic décor (though small, so don’t be bringing a party of 8)
3) Polite staff
4) Great place to try once, but won’t be coming back again
Cons:
1) Food is tiny… a tapas stylel French cuisine = expensive and you will be hungry (3 people and ordered 6 items and we still were starving)
2) Expensive (each dish is $ 7-​$ 18, which add up with u tack on gratuity and the fact that they are tapas sizes)
3) Was unlucky enough to sit next to a group of diners who were obnoxiously loud… the entire restaurant was looking at them and turning heads… yet the waiters didn’t make an effort to tell them to at least keep it to a level so we don’t go deaf or kill ourselves
Order of the night: Croque Mademoiselle, Escargot, Smoked Chicken Croquettes, Duck Rillette (THE BEST ITEM on the menu imo both in terms of price and deliciousness), moules «safran», steak tartar ($ 23/​person + tip + taxes + really hungry)…double this and you’ll be full.

I found Sel et Gras on Unilocal,and was intrigued based on all the good reviews. I decided to try it for Sunday brunch. The restaurant was empty when we arrived (around 1pm), but when we left around 2, it was picking up a little more. I really liked the décor. very playful, French bistro, large colorful floor tiles, graffiti, and mirrors. Our waiter was professional, and they were vigilant in refilling our water glasses, which is a brunch MUST, as most people are dehydrated!
Their coffee is French press, and the brunch menu has a decent number of egg dishes, along with some savory favorites for lunchers like me. My husband got the omelet, which was small, but the proper portion. Definitely order a side of bread with this. I ordered the Croque Monsieur, which was amazing and served in a skillet with double-​fried garlic parmesan fries. This was one of the best Croque Monsieur’s I have had, and it was coated in a decadent bechamel sauce.
I was really pleased with our meal, and look forward to coming back for dinner. With the $ 5 wine happy hour that lasts until 7:30pm, hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

Came here with a group of 10. I have to say that they were pretty accommodating for big groups for a relatively small venue. Came here just in time for the happy hour special — $ 5 wines. The food is really good! I got the escargot and croque mademoiselle (adorable tiny sandwiches with mini quail eggs on top). It was absolutely delicious! I was pretty full after my two items, although most of my friends weren’t…Another good item on the menu is the fries. They are soooo delicious! It’s like garlic fries! I will definitely come back here! Price may be a bit high, but it’s worth it!

This is an out-​on-​a-​limb review, but this place earned some velocity from really great choices by the staff on wine and cheese. The date and myself hit up a cheese plate (3 of 5 available that night) for $ 18, and they were all treats. We had a red Sancerre (date’s choice) slightly chilled ($ 50) that was unusual and perfect for a summer evening. We finished fooding with frites ($ 6) and duck rillette ($ 10). The rillette was made in-​house, and it was brightly-​flavored, and comparable with anything I’ve had in Montréal. We spent $ 110, with tip.
Props to the three people who served us (the bill says Matias, but we had a team) for being gracious and engaging.
The setting and décor are fine. This is a place to bring a date, spouse, or friend, and dwell for a while, and drink and eat at a pace that suits you and your companion, and have that wonderful, memorable, entertaining conversation you were wishing for.

Food is really quite good at this place, probably 4.5 stars for food and pricing. We had the arugula salad, duck rillette and the foie gras & strawberries. The foie gras really was terrific. Portions were on the small side, but I thought that was fine for the price.
The issue that bought the rating down for me was service. Service was extremely slow, we basically sat ourselves down and waited for about 10min trying to wave someone down to bring us a menu. It just wasn’t acceptable service for non-​busy night (they had maybe 2 other occupied tables).

This newbie West Vil French bistro is a promising up and comer.
Delightful company and adorable Bastille Day décor aside, I will tell you my two favorite things about Sel et Gras.
The strawberry fois gras was game changing. A little pot, with creamy, blended fois gras (de canard? I think) mousse, with a layer of fresh strawberry preserves on top, it was paired with brioche triangles. Served on a mini cutting board with lightly vinegar-​ed strawberries, it made for some sumptuous bites & our sweet serveuse graciously brought extra brioche as we maxed out the experience.
The chocolate raspberry pot de crème is a dessert lover’s panty-​dropper. Ya heard. Happily for us, it is also served in a veritable bowl (and not a cute pot), topped with rosemary infused crème fraîche, a dollop of raspberry coulis and fresh raspberries. Oh sweet Marianne was it delicious.
Nice selection of wines by the glass and bottle.
I’ll just mention that our duck rillette and sandwich (I can’t remember which one, that is how forgettable it was) were skippable. It was however agreed that the two items above merited a return visit, and soon.
Delightful space, with café tables and a welcoming bar, perfect for a date or a reunion of francophiles.

This is what you find when you Google fat and salt in New York City. Punky, yet refined café décor, the space is petite, however, not cramped. The menu is modest, but ambitious and we arrived for happy hour to a special of oysters with champagne, a $ 5 malbec that was, perhaps, one of the smoothest wines enjoyed in recent memory, perfect bites of crispy potato croquette, which, unlike other croquettes have a dense, crispy, crunch of a crust.
My friend and I enjoyed the croque munster and madame sandwiches, the former with perfectly cooked hanger steak on a crispy baguette, the latter, 3 perfectly butter grilled, ham and cheese filled toast squares, garnished with a sunny quail egg.
The foei gras and strawberry with toast points was a combination of every texture and flavor you crave at once. Salty, creamy, savory, decadent chilled foie, topped with strawberry for a touch of sweetness, served with crispy, fluffy toast points.
It’s fun and romantic, casual, intimate and refined. The service is seamless, almost enthusiastic. The sommelier will chat with you, crack a joke, and make you feel like a regular. Like I said, its what you crave.

Salt and fat is the magical duo that is almost mandatory for an amazing savory dish (while sugar and butter should be in every baker’s arsenal) and the dishes I had at Sel et Gras were perfect embodiments of their devotion to salt and fat.
As a carnivorous foodie, I had to try their primarily meat dishes: the foie gras and strawberries, duck rillette and steak tartar. Just so you know, all of their dishes are in tapas format, so it’s great for small appetites or on first dates where you still want to maintain some semblance of refinement. I really enjoyed the dessert nuances the foie gras had; the creamy texture of the foie gras mimicked a cool, custardy ice cream and the macerated strawberries added a nice tang and sweetness to the buttery savory spread. The duck rillette was served on a nicely toasted crusty slices, with a seeded beer mustard to match. The steak tartare was probably my least favorite, but it’s still pretty good and I enjoyed the delicate lacy leaves of potato chips that came with it.
Most of all, I really liked the décor. It looks like a grubby French café with its graffiti scrawls and tiny wooden furnishings, and chalkboard nuggets of wisdom adorned the walls as well. Frenchmen come to take your order. So French! Sigh.

Brand new spot in a perfect location in the West Village. The food is hands down amazing! I was a little daring in trying some of the menu items like the stuffed pigs foot with watercress and pickled mustard seeds and all my stigmas of French food went out the window. The Duck Egg omelette with morels, ramps and smoked sable fish was PERFECTLY executed. For French small plates I was very satisfied. The ambiance is also really interesting. French Revolution and artistic renderings of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette graffiti the walls. French Rock music fills the dim lit, triangular, corner lot. Great new addition to the neighborhood!