New York's Bagatelle Unveils New Winter Menu

The Meatpacking District in New York City wouldn't be the same without French-themed restaurant Bagatelle known for its swanky exterior and its outlandish brunches. However, a true lover of the culinary arts can also appreciate this restaurant for its dedication to utilizing the freshest of ingredients and for its inclination to change its menu seasonally to constantly offer new dishes to its guests.

The new menu thoughtfully crafted by Executive Chef Sebastien Chamaret fuses not only a French influence, but a Latin one as well, showcased in new dishes like the Ceviche de Crabe d'Alaska with King crab leg, habanero citrus "leche de tigre" and smoked trout roe.  Chef Sébastien hails from the western countryside of Mayenne, France and was raised on his family's farm, where his love of cooking began.

After working at Michelin-starred restaurants such as Daniel in New York City and La Belle Epoque in Versailles, he found his home in New York City where he most recently owned and operated Le Comptoir, his own classic French Bistro in Brooklyn.

Today, Chef Chamaret places the upmost importance on finding local ingredients and specific touches from his homeland to create dishes that emulate the restaurant's identity but also continues to innovate in the kitchen.

"We try to read the market and fulfill customer's expectations in terms of portion, taste and trend. We also add more global cuisine inspired dishes to the menu like ceviche for example," Charmaret explained to us. "I spend a lot of time with our local farmers and fishermen on Long Island to select the best seasonal produce, seafood, and meats for the season, and also travel to France to bring forth select French culinary trends to the New York market."

One of the new dishes on the menu is the bavette de Wagyu, a grilled Australian Wagyu 12 ounce steak that is perfectly tender and powerfully flavorful, paired with pommery mustard sauce and porcini frisee. Another standout is the poulpe grillé à la plancha, grilled octopus with white bean hummus, crispy Yukon gold potatoes and Kalamata olive aioli.

"Traveling and exploring the great New York metro area also helps bring back some memories or revisit some flavors and dishes that I had cooked in the past, either in some other kitchen or at my parent's farm on the French country side where I grew up," added Charmaret.

Charmaret also continues to churn out the popular menu items like the poulet fermier rôti et truffé, a truffle roasted chicken with country-style potatoes and chicken jus.

That same culinary philosophy Charmaret has for his main menu, also translates to the restaurant's dessert menu where traditional dishes like Crème Brulee and Mousse au chocolat noir continually enthrall guests by being expertly executed and, luckily, large enough to share for a table. This well-known French establishment is also famous for its luxe sundae dessert that can feed a group of ten or more diners, complete with Vegas-style sparklers to celebrate any occasion, large or small.