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Categories: French, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: TriBeCaFranklin St (1)
Canal-Church Sts (A, C, E)
Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
"I picked this restaurant based on the Yelp reviews and because it was BYOB. We arrived a bit early for our 7pm reservation and the place…" read more »
Cercle Rouge provides a calm and enjoyable dining experience. We were greeted by live music when we entered the restaurant and enjoyed the classical guitar and cajon throughout the evening. It was a bit loud at times, especially with the bar patrons near the entrance, but not the kind of loud where you feel you're screaming at your date. Service was so-so. Our waitress was a bit inattentive considering the restaurant was more than half vacant.
The sauteed skatefish was excellent. Crisp, rich with flavor, perfectly seasoned. The shrimp and sea scallops over asparagus risotto were decent, but the scallops were too salty for my liking. Not a total failure, but not worth the full price... which brings me to my next point: buy a http://restaurant.com gift certificate! We used a $25 off $35+ gift certificate (purchased for $1 thanks to http://restaurant.com's ridiculous 90% off coupon codes). Let me tell you, knowing you are paying far less than what's quoted on the menu enhances flavor like none other.
Overall, I'd recommend the restaurant for the cheerful, relaxed french atmosphere and decent food. A bit overpriced in my opinion, but nothing that a good http://restaurant.com coupon can't fix!
The magret de canard is pretty nice and will certainly fill you up since a confit de canard is thrown into the mix as well. If you're one for light and fluffy chocolate mousse, you may want to pass on this one. The version here is so dense that it borders on a piece of chocolate cake. That said, however, anything with that much butter, sugar and eggs is going to taste good.
This restaurant has plenty of space and is a tad on the noisy side.
After work moules frites (tis the season) $21 with fries. Picard and cream was my choice for sauce and it was excellent. The quantity of mussels was just right, about 30 or 40 at a guess. The fries too were not only perfectly crisp but plentiful.
Fresh linen, nice cutlery good service goes some way to justify the prices. Being on West Broadway I know the rents are steep but I'd say this typical French bistro menu was about 20% above the rest (think Les Halles Park Ave).
3 stars would be 4 if there had been more value (even the special raviola pasta was $28) in these tough times.
It's a "by the numbers" bistro in a town full of bistros but that's hardly a bad thing. As for the chicken wings, yeah they are delicious and they're unlike any chicken wing I've ever seen (or tasted). They look more like mini drumsticks and not like the scrawny little things you get in most places. In fact the only thing they have in common with what you think of as chicken wings is the name.
My advice would be to go to the bar, have the wings and a drink. If it's nice out do the same on the sidewalk patio. At that point you've hit the high notes of this restaurant and can safely move onto the next establishment on your list.
People thought this was:
Great French restaurant hidden away in Tribeca.
The ambience, complete with the sunset in the background, was perfect for outdoor seating. I ordered the risotto with scallops and shrimp. The risotto was perfectly cooked and cheesy. My boyfriend ordered a fish with what looked like ratatouille. It was also very tasty.
The wine selection was very nice, it even had my boyfriend's favorite wine. Overall, it was a successful Friday night dinner.
I've been here dozens of times. A lot of it has to do with the fact that my buddy P lives so close to the place an is a regular here. It's like the neighborhood Balthazaar, but everyone is very friendly and makes you feel at home. Rouge has everything you'd expect from a good French Bistro. And the food is consistently good. Steak, burgers, mussels, tuna tartare, frites... yeah. all good. But they're not doing anything really different here. So what else about this place?
Not a lot of kiddies come here. It's a bit of a more mature crowd, but not trying to be pretentious. The music is chill and you can sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine on warm sunny days. The bartenders are disarmingly charming and do an excellent job of making you feel at home.
If you're in the neighborhood, come here to chill out. It's just a solid spot.
The outside seating is delightful! Service was relaxed & friendly and food was delicious. I consumed this Grilled Chicken dish that was perfectly seasoned, accompanied by fresh mixed greens. Excellent selection of wine and mixed drinks. I would totally come here again, especially on a nice day.
Went this place with couple friends past weekend, it's a nice place did not have any food.. I wasn't too impress with the service. Probably because it was late.
It was definitely not crowded, if you are looking for a quiet, decent bar to chill with friends. this is not a bad choice. you can actually have a decent conversation with friends without raise your voice.
People thought this was:
we had the Cassoulet and a monkfish dish. They were pretty good. The menu is pretty representative of French. not sure what those Cercle Wings are doing there. it way more worth it if you use a http://Restaurant.com $25 gift cert that you get on sale for $2 like I did.
the decor is a bit of a modernization on French cafe. plus it was a bit holiday for the season. I saw another table get a giant raw set up that looked good. warm and inviting for a date maybe.
Our waiter was not that attentive even tho there weren't many parties there at the time.
Note: I did NOT have the food and though the wings looked good and the bartender (as kind as she was,) claimed they were the best in the city--or anywhere--I was skeptical and not going to pay ten dollars for three/four wings (I'm a small lady but I need more than a few wings to fill me,) and besides, I was quite content with my Johnny Walker and gingerale.
Nice place to relax after work for a short time, great neighborhood, and the staff was quite gracious, a rare thing to encounter in New York!
People thought this was:
Hands down, best gazpacho I've ever had! Great wine list. Generous salad portions. Yummy espresso. Loved it!
Upon arrival New York on Saturday, Nikki*, my mom, and I jumped into planning mode. We decided a ride on the Staten Island Ferry followed by a nice lunch at The Little Owl was our plan before we had to head to God of Carnage with James Gandolfini and Jeff Daniels that evening. We made it over to Staten Island and back, passing Lady Liberty and admiring the Manhattan skyline (you will be able to climb up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty beginning July 4th - mark your calendars). Departing the ferry, we found ourselves in a Romanian festival outside the Customs House in the Financial District. What fun - there were many vendors showcasing kabobs, corn cakes, falafel and other amazing choices, clothing, jewelry and other items. Of course, I had to stop and check everything out, so that delayed us a bit and we also saw a church from the ferry and wondered if it was the church that became such a moving focal point right after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. This was not that church, but after walking a few short blocks we did come to St. Paul's Chapel (see St. Paul's Chapel entry below). After our time at St. Paul's, Nikki and I stopped in an Irish pub around the corner to take a breather (aka beer break) and decide what our next move was. We had missed brunch at The Little Owl, but we knew we had spent our time more wisely. After a beer or two, we set off towards Tribeca in hopes we would find a restaurant on the fly that was to our liking. We passed a few that looked good, but nothing that made us want to run in and order. Finally, we spotted Cercle Rouge, a lovely French bistro. Since we love bistros, we knew this was the place. It was absolutely charming inside and while it was hard to decide at first, we both settle on the burger and pommes frites. I must admit that we spied burgers at another table and decided that we each HAD to have one (we did a lot of food-hawking on this trip). Furthermore, it was around 4pm and we had not eaten all day, so we needed something fulfilling. The burgers looked scrumptious! We both settle don Gruyere cheese, so I can only review one plate, but trust me, it was worth it. We also had a side of the creamed spinach which was made with a very light cream and a lot of garlic - very, very good. Service was very good - everyone was the opposite of pushy, which is a nice change from some restaurants that want to throw you out the second your food hits the table. Full and happy, we relaxed a moment before heading back to Midtown. I highly recommend Cercle Rouge but maybe not if you are in a rush. I think this is a relaxed staff and your meal might take a bit, but remember, good things come to those who wait! I was on vacation, so my usual impatient nature was on the back burner.
Located in Tribeca, Cercle Rouge services lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.
~Alex
I had a salade nicoise. It was practically frozen in the middle and the edges of the lettuce were brown.
Zut alors!
People thought this was:
My husband and I found this place randomly while trying to kill some time. We sat at the bar and had a few drinks and appetizers. The cheese plate was really good as was the bread. Apparently the scallop ceviche was not great. The bartender was super friendly.
People thought this was:
Very French, reminds me of Pastis, Balthazar, Marseilles, etc in terms of the decor, food, and the price range. The waiter was very friendly and attentive. I really enjoyed their onion soup! Because I'm so obsessed with onion soup, it becomes the measure of the food quality. I give 5 stars for the onion soup!
I really enjoyed my cassoulet. It was a really unique dish and a great presentation.
People thought this was:
Lounged last Saturday afternoon for a late brunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. My buddy astutely noted that 'Cercle' was spelled incorrectly. The remainder of our party noted that he was an idiot.
The Bloody Marys had a solid, thick consistency (I detest watery) but could have been a tad spicier. The waiter was French, but friendly - excuse the oxymoronic sentence.
The model sitting at the table to the left of me was drop-dead gorgeous. Plus one star. The man sitting across from her was lame. Minus one star. And by lame, I mean, better looking and wealthier than myself.
My omelet was pretty tasty. Lately I've been on a blue cheese kick so anything with blue cheese is off to an auspicious start - but honestly it was pretty good. The home fries were delicious as well. Particularly the purple ones - I'm sure these have a more sophisticated name - but I can't recollect it. Hence, I was sitting at the table I was and not the one next to me.
Anyway, all in all, the meal was pretty reasonable, especially for NYC. It was price fixed at $18 (I think) for the meal and drink. The people watching was enjoyable - albeit a majority of my table's attention may have been focused on a sole person.
People thought this was:
After living in Tribeca for many years, I finally found my way out to Cercle Rouge (usually, the appeal of cheap pitchers and french fries at Tribeca Tavern has thwarted previous attempts!).
The menu was a bit odd, considering how hard the atmosphere works at being authentic-looking. Cercle buffalo wings? Pasta of the day? Risotto? There's even a decent amount of non-French wines on the wine list. So, yes, Pastis this is not.
But for what it is, it's quite good. The pork tenderloin was very, very good--succulent and tasty, with a very complimentary sauce. The lamb was also very good, not reeking of that lamby smell and taste tat poorly-cooked lamb is subject to. The moules frites were alright...but by god, do I hate people who serve moules and make you pay extra for the frites. Does anyone actually go in and NOT get the fries?? If they had just lumped the price together I would have felt far less indignant at the $19 I paid.
People thought this was:
Loved the outdoor terrace - although if you are in a party of more than 4 you better start thinking indoors. The food was delicious, however at the end of the evening I felt that it was all a bit too pricey for the overall enjoyment of the meal (maybe it was my company or that I was tired). I have to say though it did not leave an imprint on my heart.
Although I had the pasta special of the day, I tried all of the other dishes and have to say none were particularly disappointing (this includes the risottos, sea bass, and muscles).
It would strike me as an ideal date location especially in the summer months were you can enjoy a lovely meal in the terrace.
What I did love was the unpretencious crowd - i.e. you did not have to be dressed up in NY finest to be chic amonsgt the crowd. It was very laid back and relaxing.
People thought this was:
Cercle Rouge is a typical French bistro, offering terrific food and a comfortable atmosphere. I was invited to a birthday party around their quaint bar. I enjoyed reasonable cocktails that were served by a bartender that could have been much nicer. However, I tried some of their delicious bar snacks, such as savory buffalo wings and crisp french fries. The wings were extremely tender and moist. The sauce was of medium heat. The fries were perfectly salted and quite possibly the best I have ever had. I look forward to going back for a full dinner.
If you just ordered the escargot (yummie butter sauce) and some wine with their kick-ass baguette, you'd be fine. Anything else . . . not really worth your money.
The Cercle Rouge wings were cute and tasty but not classy. Something you would expect coming out from a Tyson's frozen Any-tiser box.
The clams and oysters (I forgot which kind I ordered . . . but I usually get kumamoto) were really fresh and tasty. Though my dinner mate princess Wendy Ling wouldn't touch it at all.
She ordered the Loup en Bouillabaise which was a complete blech. I don't even want to waste my energy writing about it.
I had the Steak Au Poivre Vert which was recommended by the NY Times. Honestly, I've had better panfried steak with a brown corn-starchy sauce on top in Chinatown at a quarter of the price.
It's a cute restaurant, but I don't think it's worth your money.
Dinner was fab! Our escargot was delicious and had just the right touch of garlic. I ordered the canard - it was just wonderful... and cooked just right - medium rare! What a treat. Duck lovers: this a must! My guy ordered the bouillaibasse, and he raved about it. It had more fish and less stock than the ordinary - very seafood-rich. 'Back to the duck - did I say it was great? We ordered creme brullee for dessert, and we were not disappointed. We will be back!
i had really good french lesson last night, my french friend showed me how to eat and drink french.
we first ordered foie gras and snail, according to him, non of his foreign friend ever order snail, but in taiwan, we have verity snail; grilled , deep fried, broiled, sauteed, raw...
there are so many variety of wine, he asked waiter for suggestion which kind would go with foie gras.
"Sancerre, white wine, sweet with texture, it goes perfect with foie gras."
after appetizer, than we order entree...no wonder takes french longer to eat. he recommended the best dishes are duck breast and sea scallops...yummy!!
and...i know you are waiting for the desert, but sorry im not a desert person, i will try to eat more sweet for yelper next time.
People thought this was:
What is the French word for "merde"? I went here for a valentine's dinner a while back and the first two courses on the tasting menu were oysters rockafellar and some reformed buffalo wings. Nothing says French cuisine like Buffalo and Rockafellar! At least McDonalds have french fries...Damn, it didn't allow me to put zero stars...someone on the yelp team needs to change that!
People thought this was:
New French Bistro that is a black hole -- not a red circle. There are other TriBeCa places; this one doesn't even register on the radar. Go elsewhere.
People thought this was:
I love Ethnic food. I used to eat it all the time when I lived in Michigan from all different countries. I was not disappointed when I ate here. The escargot is delicious! The almond trout is to die for. All the servers and staff speak french...I like to think I speak french as well...just not the language! hhehehehehe
People thought this was:
Just shared a bottle of wine with a friend of mine here and have to say, I was pretty happy. We were looking for something casual and on a Thurs night all the bars in the area were filled with "suits," loaded with people or BOTH! We wanted someplace to chat and have a few drinks. This place was awesome....the wine list was extensive and expensive but the we found a nice one for about $60. The 2004 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Monthelie Les Duresses (Medium red. Sexy aromas of cherry, plum and underbrush. Supple and spicy, with a light touch to the cherry, raspberry, leather and mint flavors.)
People thought this was:
This place had a pretty rough start a while back and they have only slightly improved. I know that people like it for fries and mussels with a bottle of wine, but if you want anything more it could disappoint. The "classics" on the menu should be reliable and they just aren't. They should reduce the menu size a bit and try to focus on better execution of the remaining items. The crowd is a mess and the service is distracted.
Finally tried this place for lunch on their sunny terrace, that alone is worth some points. The square foot must be even more pricey for outdoor space, because we both had to squeeze and fight tight quarters to reach our table... I understand that you want to make a profit on those pesky outdoor permit fees, but It would be nice to be able to enjoy a meal without feeling more cramped that on an Air France flight. The food was good, we shared a Charcuterie plate that was very tasty, missing butter but the waiter was very efficient and took a couple of minutes to bring it over. I had the Brandade de Morue, very satisfying and the presentation was nice. My friend ordered the Onglet a l'echalotte ( Flank steak) , the meat was excellent and cooked or uncooked as she ordered it. They really understand the meaning of rare steak, which is not to be taken for granted in NYC.
Food was good, the" rose" was cool, the waiter efficient and fast, the fifth star missing is for the lack of elbow room at the terrace.
Anyway when I bring a friend of mine visiting for the weekend from Paris, I am always a bit worried about trying something new and French, but she was really happy as well.
Oh I almost forgot, good place to take the children for brunch, they have Magic hour from 1:30 to 2:30pm on Sunday and kids get free balloons... I am thinking maybe another 1/2 star for being kid friendly!
This place could be incredible addition to TriBeCa, but they should have taken some serious pointers from Pastis and Balthazar. They have a great space in a hot neighborhood but they fail to execute with an overpriced, limited, and unappealing menu.
Date Visited: July 14th
People: Megan, Janet, Ricky
My tab: ~$60
Got a reservation at this place on Bastille Day, got a decents seat just as you walked into the back of the restaurant, had the benefits of the live music (spanish? strange...) and even a little outside air. Walked in a little bummed, because we were supposed to go to Les Halles but had the rez changed at the last minute. I ordered the special $40 3 course menu, and opted for the cold cut plate to start(I cannot pronounce, nor spell the name of what it's actually called on the menu...chartucerrie?) Good pate's, cured ham, and various others salty meats. I also had a glass of barbera from piedmonte, which was the only italian by-the-glass in the entire restaurant. Next I had a decent-sized skirt steak, but spent most of my time raiding megan's mussels marienaire. I also had a california pinot. I ended with a pretty good chocolate torte with a littl rasberry sauce, but liked the profiteroles that the table shared the best. All in all service was a bit slow, the food was average, but maybe I didn't order the most exciting stuff on the menu. I'd go back, but I have way too many places to try first.
I had a great meal, they serve the best chicken wings I have ever had, it was a toss up between chicken wings or oysters and I am glad I tried the wings they are like nothing I have ever had before (trust me), I had the Steak and the sauce was excellent, very nice atmosphere and a great vibe, I will definately return.
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