Chez Nous

Very nice restaurant. It was a cold night and you could feel when the front door opened up. Our table wasn’t the greatest for being there early. We would like to have had a window seat. Which never got sat while we were there. The food was very good but not a total wow! The best part was the homemade ice cream/​gelato. A nice experience overall and we would recommend anyone to try it out. Good wine selection also.

I applaud the aspiration of the Chez Nous team to bring finer dining to downtown Schenectady, but a recent visit made clear that there’s much work to be done before they can deliver on that goal. Granted it’s a new restaurant — so some growing pains are to be expected. However, for the price point they are targeting, I think it’s fair to hold them to a very high standard. I live in DC and dine out frequently — this is a menu price-​point that a compares to some of the finer restaurants in DC.
To begin with the positive, ambiance is warm and lovely — beautifully renovated 2-​story residence. Service was friendly, but not especially adept and certainly not polished (again — holding to a higher standard based on price-​point).
Reviewing the menu online before I arrived had already made clear that inspiration in the kitchen is lacking — the menu is almost a caricature of French dining. If I wasn’t to find creative interpretations, I was hoping at the least for excellent preparations.
The best of our starters were the escargot. Well-​seasoned sauce and a beautiful presentation beneath a single long, thin pastry cover. Very nice. Both soups, however, were much less successful. The onion soup was overly seasoned and the broth somewhat pasty. The cream of artichoke soup — also heavily salted and average in flavor.
Entrees include the pork chop (served well done even though specifically requested medium) and scallops (well prepared). The potato side to the chops were raw in parts — needed to be sent back. A replacement of roasted potatoes was brought to table 10 minutes AFTER we finished the chops. The pasta accompanying the scallops was OK, though the cream sauce very heavy.
Not even tempted to try dessert based on how other courses went AND on limited, unimaginative offerings.
As for service, we had to pour our own wine from the bottle we purchased — nobody seemed to notice or care. Enough said.
Perhaps will try again in a few months. Lots of room for improvement.

Our foursome really enjoyed Chez Nous. Beautiful building with wonderfully renovated dining rooms and bar, great professional service (all too rare today), and very good food. The food didn’t quite live up to the prices which at $ 25 — 45 are at the very top of the capital region scale though it was very good and some of it was excellent.
The standout was the mushroom in puff pastry appetizer which was incredible. The onion soup was excellent and I was not a fan of the artichoke cream soup.
The chateaubriand was very good, nice flavorful crust. The pork chop was very good, the sauce with cherries in it was divine, and a perfect accompaniment to the pork chop. The potato and leek gratin side with it was amazing. I wish I ordered the lamb chop instead of the pork chop, although the pork was prepared perfectly, a pork chop is never a real stand out unless maybe it is Berkshire pork.
We will be back to explore more.

We were initially impressed by the cozy atmosphere and warm attentive greeting. Our menus came, and we ordered our wine, which was properly served. We then waited 45 minutes for the waiter to return and take our order. No apologies offered. Appetizers were good, but a salad split between the ladies was not split and no plate was offered. The dinners were OK, not great. If the bill were 30 — 40% less, we’d come back. But for the price, we would expect outstanding food and service. Service was bad and food was fair. Not a good value.

Spectacular food. Plus, I forgot my bag, and a server dashed down TWO streets to give it back to me.

Went there last night for the first time and the food was amazing. Rob Gavel is an amazing chef and I’ll definitely be back.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a French restaurant in Schenectady. We went with zero expectations, but left amazed because each and every touch point was exceptional. We were greeted promptly and by name, escorted immediately to our table and provided with lumbar support pillows… as if the plush French chairs were not comfortable enough! Our server was wonderful, our meal was fantastic, and the wine selections are superb. We enjoyed the experience so much that we moved toward the bar after dinner and were blessed to meet the owners who are locals and proudly so! Schenectady is lucky to have this team of professionals and this high caliber cuisine! We will be back for sure… and soon!

First off, I am writing this review with the fact in mind that the place has only been open a couple of months. That being said I really give my experience three stars, the fourth star is in confidence that they can improve.
I LOVED the wine– high quality and exceptionally fair price. I also thought the assistant manager was absolutely delightful. She was so calm, which helped us relax because the waiter was way over the top formal. I appreciate that they want to give an ambience of elegance, but it was uncomfortable. The appetizer– melted brie and bread (not the official name obviously) was scrumptious. The steak dinner was really disappointing. The steak was good, but the presentation with a cone of French fries and no vegetables made for awkward eating and a dissatisfied palate. Stressful eating such a dinner knowing that it was not at all worth the excessive price tag. Ive had much better French food at a substantially better price, which makes me wary about returning. But I’m certain that if they heed feedback and offer some less expensive entrée options, they’ll do just fine in the long run

From start to finish, Chez Nous was fabulous! My husband and I had a late Valentine’s dinner date this week at this restaurant. The onion soup was wonderful, very rich and tasty. My Lobster Thermidor was amazing!!! Huge pieces of lobster tail over homemade pasta in a rich sauce with fresh tarragon. Heaven on a plate! My husband was thrilled with his Chateaubriand. It cut with a butter knife and was cooked perfectly and the shoestring fries were astonishing! We finished off with a wonderfully strong cup of coffee and a incredible espresso mousse cake with to die for homemade whip cream. Not many, if any, places encourage a review from me, but we were so impressed with the service, the friendliness of the staff and most of all the food I felt compelled to share! A great experience.

Absolutely loved everything here! The cuisine is delicious. Staff are excellent. Owners are just lovely.
Our favorite dishes were the chestnut soup and the rabbit.
Can’t wait to return and try some other dishes.

So I have this little dream where I’m actually the Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey, just posing as a «commoner» to get a taste of the simple life and get away with smart-​assery. Coming to this restaurant makes it more than just a dream. They sat me in a satin-​upholstered armchair with a lumbar pillow, and served me the most delicious French country cuisine on the most beautifully ornate dinnerware, pared with stunningly good wine. As the Dowager would say, «vulgarity is no substitute for wit.» But sorry, that was the best goddamned French Onion soup I’ve ever tasted. And how can you go wrong with grass fed beef cooked to a perfect medium-​rare after being marinated in heavy cream, shallots and spices for three days? I only know that because my extremely attentive waiter (I can’t remember his name, but for the sake of my Dowager dream, let’s call him Carson) told me every last lovely attention paid to the detail of my food. I may not be French even in my dream, but let me ruffle my imaginary petticoats and sincerely say «Comment Delicieux!» and «je reviendrai!»

Such a nice place, it’s great addition to the Downtown Schenectady restaurant district, and overall a great addition to the Capital Region, which has been devoid of French cuisine. The place has that homey Stockade feel to it, like you’re being welcomed into someone’s house for dinner. We sat in the Garden Room, a quiet and separated room off the main dining area, which had a TV showing slide shows of the owners’ pictures of their time in France. It’s a great mix of French atmosphere and Stockade colonial heritage. Have yet to hang out in the bar or the lounge, but both look nice as well.
Service is top-​notch, everyone from the host to our server to the owner coming around to tables to talk about their time in France — All very friendly. Our Waiter was knowledgeable of all items on the menu, and made some great recommendations. A+ service all around.
The food tasted great. Blue point oysters for an appetizer were great — I’m just glad there’s a place to get raw oysters in Schenectady now. The onion soup was very tasty, and authentic — Try this if you like typical American-​style French onion soup, this more authentic version is actually much better in comparison, in my opinion. My wife ordered the chestnut soup, something I’ve never tried before, and it was Awesome! She also had the scallops as an appetizer (since they were out of pheasant pot pie), which were very tasty. I ordered the steak, which was cooked perfectly and was melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. It also came with an order of truffle fries, which were delicious. Fresh crème brûlée was very good, though they didn’t do the whole torch it at your table thing. The bottle of cab franc was great, and pretty reasonably priced.
So why only 4 stars? Price & portions. I’m not a cheap guy, I really don’t mind paying upscale prices for an upscale dining experience, but the small portions left us hungry for more. Particularly the scallop dish was underwhelming in size, just two medium-​sized scallops… for the price, I’d expect more. And the problem I generally have with a restaurant that charges prices that warrant a «$$$$» rating on Unilocal,is that it keeps you from being able to dine with them as frequently as you’d like. They do have a scaled-​down bar and lounge menu which may be more forgiving, but my first look at it felt like it was pretty limited.
We will be back! Lots of things on the menu I can’t wait to try.

We had our Christmas Eve dinner here with out children and our friends. I can’t say enough. Food was amazing. Service was amazing. Ambiance was terrific. It was well worth the price — you felt like you were on hiatus from busy holiday life for a couple hours. We will definitely return.,

Attentive service, intimate environment, delicious dinner! I ordered the CHATEAUBRIAND medium rare (cooked perfect) that comes with the most aromatic truffle shoestring potatoes that have the entire restaurant smelling like heaven. I didn’t have dessert but the menu was drool worthy ;) Great spot for date night!

Great spot for a fancy date night and special occasions. My husband and I don’t get out much nowadays, so when we do we want to really make it count. Chez Nous did not disappoint. Often when we visit a brand-​new restaurant, there are kinks that are being worked out. Not so with Chez Nous. Having been open scarcely a month, this restaurant was operating like a well-​oiled machine and was near perfect in every detail.
We made a same-​day 5 pm reservation so we could have a long, leisurely dinner and still make it to our 8 pm show at the Proctor’s. We parked in front of the restaurant and later walked a pleasant 5 blocks or so to the theater. The attention to detail at Chez Nous is evident in the building, the dining rooms, the service and the food. The building has been lovingly restored and furnished; the dining room is a pleasure to sit in. We were seated by a front window in windback chairs, which is unusual for a restaurant but pretty comfy, especially since we wanted to take our time.
Our meal began with a half dozen raw oysters with mignonette (a vinegar sauce) and a spicy cocktail sauce, which was as good as the ones on Cape Cod and other seaside places we’ve visited (or better, since Chez Nous knows how to clean the grit off!). Next was a chestnut soup with fried sage, bacon, and a dollop of something creamy and divine. We both swooned. After that was a beet salad with chevre (a fresh goat cheese), which was decent. For entrees, my husband had the mussels in a buttery saffron and parsley sauce with delicious truffle frittes (TRUFFLE FRIES… need I say more?) and I had the duck leg cassoulet with Toulouse sausage and white beans. He loved the mussels and I loved the cassoulet, which was hearty and perfect for a cold winter night. I liked that the fries were not overpowered with truffle or salt. For dessert, he had a chocolate tart and I had a flaky apple pastry. The chocolate tart had a very appealing, subtle sugary crunch. Next time I will try the goat milk ice cream. Even the coffee was good, which we were surprised by as it was Nespresso (huh, who knew?)
Their wine list is almost exclusively French, and reasonably priced. We shared a bottle of a Cote-​du-​Rhone red. The bread was baked in-​house and served with a mild, sweet cream goat milk butter. Ask for more bread to sop up the mussel sauce.
We left warm, very full, and completely contented.

This is a restaurant of French proportions.
Fortunately you can make a reservation on Open Table, and yes you will need it because it’s quite small and cozy inside.
We were kindly seated as soon as we arrived and our waiter was very attentive throughout the meal.
We started with the scallops, served with cremini mushrooms in a wine reduction sauce. It was to die for. I’d highly recommend saving some of the baguette that they bring to the table to dip in the sauce because it was incredible. Though pricey for the portion (2 scallops $ 18), and the plate was awkwardly large for how small our table was. Thankfully we only ordered one appetizer or else we would have been hurting for real estate.
For my entrée I had the ratatouille. It was beautifully plated and delicious. My husband chose he Des Grillades de Chateaubriand and frites. Both were excellent and I would highly recommend the dish.
As if we had not enough decadent food we sealed the deal with the crème brûlée which was indulgent and everything you’d want it to be.
So why not 5 stars? I love cozy, but the seating is uncomfortably close beyond what you would expect in a big city like NYC. My husband sat on the aisle side, and felt like he was in the way all night and didn’t get to do some of the people watching I indulged in and quite frankly the conversation listening because of how close the tables are (less than 12 in apart for tables of 2) so ladies leave your tulle skirts at home and wear your leggings instead so you can squeeze by without knocking over a water glass. There were larger round tables that sat 4 but their chairs were large wingback chairs which just didn’t make any sense give how pressed they are for space.
So if we had had just a little more elbow room and privacy I just might have given it 5 stars.

Finally a fine French restaurant for the Capital Region on Schenectady’s expanding Union Street restaurant row. Lobster bisque, oysters on the half shell, salad Lyonaisse all wonderful starters. Best steaks in Schenectady with monkfish, turbot & locally sourced cassoulet. Quaint bar behind the dining room. A great destination restaurant perfect for anniversaries & special occasions. Wonderful addition to the local food scene.

Excellent French food in a beautifully appointed, homey atmosphere. Lobster Thermidore with cognac crème was spectacular. Chocolate torte for dessert was deeply dark and delicious. Love it!

We visited this new restaurant last night for a glass of wine — it’s wonderful! The owner took us on a tour of all the rooms — you can have a wonderful special dinner or there’s a bar menu to enjoy as well — its totally upscale — beautiful artwork — everything is perfect. The Lounge was my favorite spot — sit by the fireplace and enjoy an app and a wine or they will serve you dinner there — you can reserve this spot if you have a large group. Everything they make is from scratch — dressings, sauces, and meat and vegs sourced locally and organic. I mean they make their own mayonnaise! If you have never been to France this is your chance to go without buying a plane ticket. We LOVE the bar area as well, it also has a fireplace. Yes, there is a bar AND a lounge… Schenectady needed something other than Italian, this is really great.