Voulez Vous

If you’re thinking of scoring some Dirty French in New York these days, be prepared to wait…at least a month, as this hot new restaurant from Major Food Group’s Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick happens to be one of the most anticipated restaurant openings this fall. The trio aims to liven up classic French cuisine at their 100-seat space, located inside Sean MacPherson’s new 187-room Ludlow Hotel on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The name, much like a dirty martini, lends itself to taking classic French food and evolving it, doing it in a way a Parisian never would. The New York Times calls the restaurant a roughed up Gallic Bistro, but Torrisi happened to have worked for Daniel Boulud where he did that old-school thing, and although he does love the great dishes, he admits they could use a breath of fresh air.

Torrisi and Carbone met cooking at Cafe Boulud in New York, and with Zalaznick they have opened a string of acclaimed Italian-American restaurants- including Parm and Carbone- in the city. Although Dirty French is their first non-Italian project, they felt the desire to go French, and on research trips they looked for ideas from immigrant neighborhoods on the edge of Paris to spice markets in Marrakesh. Torrisi is restyling dishes with bolder flavors, particularly Moroccan, with plates like lamb carpaccio with apricots and goat cheese, and roast chicken served with a side of crepes. The room is decorated with bold vintage pieces and evokes the flea markets on the gritty edge of Paris, not the ritzy Place Vendome. A French flag painting by Julian Schnabel, disco ball vases and Talking Heads soundtrack pay tribute to lower Manhattan in the 1980’s, when the French bistro Odeon ruled. And don’t forget to check out the Lobby Bar where the intriguing cocktail menu was designed by Thomas Waugh of ZZ’s Clam Bar fame. It’s time to get dirty…I did, and loved every bite of it.  www.dirtyfrench.com