THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Couvron

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Couvron Restaurant Review:

The restaurant’s name is the small town where one of the owners was born. In fact the place looks a bit like an elegant little restaurant in a French provincial town: cozy, charming, almost elfin in its dimensions. There are always fresh flowers here to brighten what otherwise might feel a bit closed in. The cuisine is haute French, with brilliant executions furnished by Tony Demes’ minuscule kitchen. You’ll find creativity here, but nothing trendy or dazzling; most of the dishes are solid, even classic recipes with just enough turn to suggest a personal touch, even a bit of whimsy. The service is impeccably attentive, but not fussy. This is a place where attention to detail makes you feel special. And a special-occasion place it is. You could begin with leek and lobster soup with caviar and crème fraîche, and move on to smoked quail in a port reduction; or indulge yourself with a grilled lobster atop capellini cakes; or with Argentine beef, wild mushrooms and a veal reduction; or with duck confit and cippollini onion stew. Demes does wonders with foie gras, and desserts, often hoisted with spun sugar concoctions, are superb. If there’s one problem for us, it’s the relentless verticality of the presentations. Demes is a better architect than most, though he often seems like a Frank Lloyd Wright manqué. We’ve seen slabs of salmon leaning on end like a miniature Stonehenge. But there’s no question that the ingredients and their treatment are as fine as you’ll get in this city.