MMMMMMmmmm
Turn Ons:
Romantic, Intimate Atmosphere
Great Staff and Few Tables per Server
Food Presentation
Frites
Good Cocktails
Absinthe
Turn Offs:
Only 1 Oyster Selection
Hit-or-Miss Food
Small Space
Awful Restroom Accommodations
No Happy Hour
Summary:
This review will focus on Roux's Oyster special, as we are taking the week to go to an Oyster Special every day and compare them. But we are also touching on other items, as well.
Roux: A mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces.
Interesting. We didn't notice anything in the menu that resembled this at all. Maybe they should change the name to Absinthe...
Roux is an up-scale, romantic, and intimate French-inspired restaurant on Park Ave. You wouldn't know that by going to their website. I stared at their homepage for minutes, waiting for the rest of it to load, only to realize "Nope. That's all there is." And you might pass by it walking down Park Ave, as it really blends in to the nearby shops. Nothing really grabs your attention. However, that adds to the feeling that you're walking into a speak-easy that no one else can see from the street. Almost like walking onto Platform 9 3/4. (Mike takes a bow for his ingenious simile) The last item is that you'll have to fight with the usual Park Ave parking situation as they don't have their own lot.
Sorry for the out-of-focus picture, but this is all we have to help you see the mood set by Roux. I didn't want to get any patrons in the picture:
It is dark, and has 1920's music quietly playing in the background. It is upscale, with the tin ceiling and old architecture. Just don't use their restroom, or you'll totally lose the feeling of grandeur. It's like leaving a palace and entering a dungeon... where guys in aprons loudly wash dishes. They don't even try to continue the atmosphere. And it is one single-occupant bathroom for all genders. (It's 2016, so it's "all" genders, not "both") I guess that will help them to avoid having to re-model if any new legislation comes out regarding bathroom rights for different gender identifications, but I digress... The point is, if you stay away from the bathroom, the atmosphere is quite enjoyable, and I'd wear something nicer than jeans and a t-shirt.
We've had a few different cocktails, and everyone has enjoyed them all, so you can't go wrong. We don't think they have a Happy Hour, so that's a bummer. Their cocktails are $10, so the lack of Happy Hour isn't show-stopper. Here is our Soften The Blow:
It tasted just like licorice. You can tell they really know their hard liquor due to the single large ice cube. It keeps your drink cold, while minimizing the total surface area of the ice; thus reducing the amount of "watering down" of your drink due to melted ice. Strangely, their cocktail menu seems to be centered around Absinthe. I find that odd, yet kind of refreshing and unique. I thought absinthe was illegal in the US, but maybe just in certain alcohol contents or only in certain forms... we're not experts on that. Anyway, illegal or not; you can find it here in abundance!
As expected, we started with the oysters. Unfortunately, we only had one kind of oyster to choose from. So, I guess you get what you get. We better like it:
Interestingly enough, we were in the act of discussing how disappointed we were with Lento's oyster serving tray when our oysters came out. Roux, for the win! Our picture doesn't do them justice. These trays are gorgeous. Easily the best oyster presentation of the week. However, that was where our enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. The mignonette sauce wasn't bad. I just thought it was weak. I put it below Lento's, which is below Erie Grill's. These oysters had a lot of meat in them, which is good.... but they had a very powerful flavor that wasn't very good. And the mignonette wasn't strong enough to cover it up. When I say a powerful flavor, I don't mean like salty or brine-y. Because those are good oyster flavors. I mean, I wonder if these oysters are very fresh. It was a powerful sea-floor and bad meat flavor. So, while they had the best presentation, they also had the worst flavor.
We did get a few more things. Their frites were very good. I can always sit down and munch on good frites all night. The seared duck breast was very good. Go ahead and order that every time. It's kind of pricey, but hey; it's duck. They cook it medium. I'd rather medium-rare for just a bit more juiciness and flavor, but Melisa says that duck is always cooked medium. Something about not wanting to get people sick or some garbage like that.... ~Rolls eyes~
I was surprised by how disappointed I was with their Onion Soup Gratinee. Read: French Onion Soup. Something was off. I couldn't place it. It had all the right stuff. Once again, an impeccable presentation. That melted cheese had me all revved up and ready to dive in. But I was so underwhelmed when I took a spoon-full. How does something smothered in melted cheese underwhelm me? We both tried it over and over and tossed ideas back and forth, trying to figure out what was missing, and this is what we came up with. It was missing something or had some kind of different ingredient. Melisa proposed an idea that we're going with. We're not sure if it is true or not, but we're going with it. We're used to French Onion Soup. Roux is very traditionalist French. Melisa suggested that maybe when we eat French Onion Soup, we're really eating an Americanized version of Onion Soup Gratinee. It seemed like where I wanted a meat bouillon flavor, I was greeted with a sherry flavor. That was a bummer. So, this might just be us being used to a different kind of flavor. But, if we're used to that flavor, you probably are too. Feel free to take the risk and try it for yourself. I don't want to scare you away, but I do want to warn you.
So, they do have good items on their menu. The oysters are not one of them. Everything is presented very well. The servers are great and they pay close attention to your needs because they don't have many tables to serve. The counter-argument is, of course, that they don't have many tables and you could find yourself waiting on a busy night. The drinks are very good, and they even have an entire menu dedicated to absinthe. So maybe just come to try some absinthe, if anything. They do have at least a couple misses on the menu, so beware. And if you bring a date, make sure your date uses the bathroom before coming here. Honestly, their bathroom (and the trek to find it) totally ruins any atmosphere that the restaurant built, which is a shame.
Would we go again? Sure, if someone else wants to try it. Or maybe if we're doing a fancy date night on Park Ave. But then again, there are other fancy restaurants on Park Ave that we can go to.
Turn Ons:
Romantic, Intimate Atmosphere
Great Staff and Few Tables per Server
Food Presentation
Frites
Good Cocktails
Absinthe
Turn Offs:
Only 1 Oyster Selection
Hit-or-Miss Food
Small Space
Awful Restroom Accommodations
No Happy Hour
Summary:
This review will focus on Roux's Oyster special, as we are taking the week to go to an Oyster Special every day and compare them. But we are also touching on other items, as well.
Roux: A mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces.
Interesting. We didn't notice anything in the menu that resembled this at all. Maybe they should change the name to Absinthe...
Roux is an up-scale, romantic, and intimate French-inspired restaurant on Park Ave. You wouldn't know that by going to their website. I stared at their homepage for minutes, waiting for the rest of it to load, only to realize "Nope. That's all there is." And you might pass by it walking down Park Ave, as it really blends in to the nearby shops. Nothing really grabs your attention. However, that adds to the feeling that you're walking into a speak-easy that no one else can see from the street. Almost like walking onto Platform 9 3/4. (Mike takes a bow for his ingenious simile) The last item is that you'll have to fight with the usual Park Ave parking situation as they don't have their own lot.
Sorry for the out-of-focus picture, but this is all we have to help you see the mood set by Roux. I didn't want to get any patrons in the picture:
We've had a few different cocktails, and everyone has enjoyed them all, so you can't go wrong. We don't think they have a Happy Hour, so that's a bummer. Their cocktails are $10, so the lack of Happy Hour isn't show-stopper. Here is our Soften The Blow:
As expected, we started with the oysters. Unfortunately, we only had one kind of oyster to choose from. So, I guess you get what you get. We better like it:
We did get a few more things. Their frites were very good. I can always sit down and munch on good frites all night. The seared duck breast was very good. Go ahead and order that every time. It's kind of pricey, but hey; it's duck. They cook it medium. I'd rather medium-rare for just a bit more juiciness and flavor, but Melisa says that duck is always cooked medium. Something about not wanting to get people sick or some garbage like that.... ~Rolls eyes~
I was surprised by how disappointed I was with their Onion Soup Gratinee. Read: French Onion Soup. Something was off. I couldn't place it. It had all the right stuff. Once again, an impeccable presentation. That melted cheese had me all revved up and ready to dive in. But I was so underwhelmed when I took a spoon-full. How does something smothered in melted cheese underwhelm me? We both tried it over and over and tossed ideas back and forth, trying to figure out what was missing, and this is what we came up with. It was missing something or had some kind of different ingredient. Melisa proposed an idea that we're going with. We're not sure if it is true or not, but we're going with it. We're used to French Onion Soup. Roux is very traditionalist French. Melisa suggested that maybe when we eat French Onion Soup, we're really eating an Americanized version of Onion Soup Gratinee. It seemed like where I wanted a meat bouillon flavor, I was greeted with a sherry flavor. That was a bummer. So, this might just be us being used to a different kind of flavor. But, if we're used to that flavor, you probably are too. Feel free to take the risk and try it for yourself. I don't want to scare you away, but I do want to warn you.
So, they do have good items on their menu. The oysters are not one of them. Everything is presented very well. The servers are great and they pay close attention to your needs because they don't have many tables to serve. The counter-argument is, of course, that they don't have many tables and you could find yourself waiting on a busy night. The drinks are very good, and they even have an entire menu dedicated to absinthe. So maybe just come to try some absinthe, if anything. They do have at least a couple misses on the menu, so beware. And if you bring a date, make sure your date uses the bathroom before coming here. Honestly, their bathroom (and the trek to find it) totally ruins any atmosphere that the restaurant built, which is a shame.
Would we go again? Sure, if someone else wants to try it. Or maybe if we're doing a fancy date night on Park Ave. But then again, there are other fancy restaurants on Park Ave that we can go to.
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