les halles

new york, ny

website

9:30 pm on a sunday night is a difficult time to find a restaurant. fortunately, les halles on park is open until midnight. it's famous for being where anthony bourdain used to cook. solid french bistro fare, although a little pricey. there were two french tourists at the table right next to us. when i received my mussels (pictured), my neighbor leaned over and explained that the proper way to eat mussels in france is to use the empty shells as pinchers to scoop out the rest of the mussels. it was actually quite handy because then you don't stab out the meatiness of the mussels. and those were some meaty mussels. i prefer my mussels smaller and more delicate, but the broth was excellent. derek enjoyed his poulet roti frites (chicken and fries). he had wisely copied what the two french women had ordered.

one of the women told us all about the original les halles in paris which is no longer in paris but is now outside of paris. i think it was some kind of market. i tried my best to understand but we all know i'm not good with accents. halfway through our meal, the ladies left and asked derek to calculate how much tip they owed. once they were gone, i finally put some ketchup on my "frites." i had waited because i didn't want to offend the friendly french women with my crass american ways...