Sel et Poivre (salt and pepper) is something you will not need tableside at this delightful French bistro on the Upper East Side, as the food is seasoned just right.
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to this establishment for a complimentary meal. All opinions expressed in this post are my own
Executive chef and owner Christian Schienle, and his wife Pamela have been serving their home-style cuisine to neighborhood patrons for almost three decades now.
I was recently invited to a press dinner to sample some items from their “Game Tasting Menu” and more. We began with a grilled venison and wild boar sausages. They were really flavorful with a kick of spice that went very well with the meat.
One of my favorite dishes of the night was the escargot, which was served with a butter, garlic and parsley sauce. This dish was so divine that we ended up dipping bread into it scavenge every last bit of sauce we could get.
It’s easy to see why generations of families have favored Sel et Poivre as their go to spot to dine at. The menu at Sel et Poivre is grounded in traditional French-bistro cuisine but yet offers interesting tweak the kind that one wants to keep coming back to.
In Christian Schienle’s own words what Sel et Poivre does is “cooks with love and serves with charm”. That about sums up my Sel et Poivre experience.
Here is some of what we ate:
Grilled Venison and Wild Boar Sausage
Escargots with Garlic Butter and Herbs
Red Pepper Bisque
Cod Fish with Creamy Lentils
Oven-roasted Stuffed Quail
Crème Brulee