La Promenade des Anglais

The South of France Comes to Chelsea with the Newly Opened La Promenade des Anglais

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If you’re looking for a taste of the Mediterranean coast this winter, there’s no need to book that plane ticket just yet. Head over, instead, to far west Chelsea where the much acclaimed Chef Alain Allegretti is serving up some beautifully reimagined French Riviera classics at his newly opened La Promenade des Anglais. Named for that famous stretch of seafront in coastal France, the cobblestone beaches are nowhere to be found but sea-blue velvet booths, playful ceiling collages and checkered floors are surely the next best thing.

If you’re looking for a taste of the Mediterranean coast this winter, there’s no need to book that plane ticket just yet.

And the food, wow it’s fun! With delicate blue fin tuna, veal sweetbreads and romaine hearts, this always-classic Italian number gets a makeover at La Promande that’s about as Manhattan as it is French.

Pasta also gets a nod with classics like potato gnocchi and Spanish influences like the Rataouille Raviolini served with chorizo tomato sauce and manchego. But the real star of the night was the handmade pasta in the Trofie. Mixed with heirloom tomatoes, capers, olives, lemons and ventresca tuna, the spindles of pasta were perfectly firm but chewy.

And of course, what’s a French Riviera restaurant without the fish? Fish soup is always a signature dish but go ahead and try the swordfish for a really satisfying twist. It’s tender without being flaky; but what takes the swordfish from good to out of this world is undoubtedly the eggplant caviar that’s generously heaped underneath. The chickpeas, olives and lemon juice that are also mixed in give it that citrusy kick for just the right, final touch.

And the food, wow it’s fun! ...this always-classic Italian number gets a makeover at La Promande that’s about as Manhattan as it is French.

It’s all very simple and elegant at La Promenade, (not unlike the famous boulevard it recreates), but there’s an intensity to the flavors that are its own.

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