coquette brasserie

all i can really say is 'meh' it wasn't bad food by any means, but i wasn't impressed. and for a $20 per person type ofbrunchplace, i want to be impressed. save your money! it's just a yuppy over-pricedbrunchplace. for authentic frenchbrunchexperience, i'd go with la farm any and every day :)

my return visit was a little disappointing. we went for dinner. the menu is quite limited and had very little that appealed. but the real shock was the prices. we paid $75 for 3 adults and 1 kid with only water to drink. that seemed way overboard, and may explain why the place was empty except for us. so i still recommend it, but not for dinner!


-----04 apr, 2010-----

went here for easter sunday brunch. setting was wonderful with the full patio doors open so inside it felt like you were outside. the restaurant decor is very stylish. thebrunchselection consisted of standard french brasserie fare. the prices were very reasonable. the presentation of the food was very pleasing. we ordered quiche, croque monsieur, croque madame and eggs benedict as well as some frites. everything was fresh. the quiche was very light, but a little salty. the sandwiches were good, but not quiet what you get in paris. the flavor was just not right. the eggs were perfect. all entrees came with a green salad in a delicious and light dressing. overall the food experience was great. but i wish the head chef would spend a week in paris to nail down authentic recipes. given the prices, the food quality and ghe setting, i highly recommend this place, especially in spring or fall when the dining room is totally open to the outside.

on our recent trip to the raleigh durham area we were looking for a good place to get lunch on a sunday. we eventually settled onbrunchinstead at coquette brasserie in north raleigh. generally we like brasseries, and this one continues that trend. in fact it is one of the best we have visited. located in a large shopping plaza, the restaurant is large and airy, with high ceilings and a classic french vibe. the bar is spacious and apparently well stocked. tables are well spaced throughout the restaurant, and you don’t get the feeling you’re crowded or too close to anyone, even though the atmosphere if very brasserie like with a constant background noise. it’s all good though, and we really liked the entire experience.

located front and center at north hills in raleigh, french restaurant coquette brasserie is refreshingly approachable and well worth checking out. chef de cuisine beth littlejohn, who grew up on a farm in caswell county, oversees the kitchen. she received her culinary training at new york’s esteemed culinary institute of america. among the dishes she finesses include traditional french offerings like beef bourguignon, pan-roasted duck breast and a succulent coq au vin, a classic chicken entrée layered with bacon lardons, mushrooms and pearl onions. hors d’oeuvres like pan-seared foie gras, steak tartare and escargot also vie for attention, although snails are not my first choice for an appetizer. another starter, the petite tarte flambé, involves thin, flat bread created from house-made dough. the popular alsatian is topped with caramelized onions, bacon lardons, ham and fromage blanc.  when it comes to dessert, look no further than the butterscotch-infused crème brûlée. sundaybrunchis a big draw, featuring $2 mimosas and a variety of eggs benedict dishes, quiches, crepes and more.  service at coquette is friendly and efficient. when you go, be sure to check out the restaurant's showpiece bar. it’s handcrafted from french-imported zinc. photos courtesy of jonathan fredin/s&a cherokee

greatbrunchfor cocktails!. i've only ever been to coquette for brunch, but i've loved all my entrees and their fries are well worth a special indulgence. crepes, sweet and savory are wonderful. authentic french salad selections (complete with poached egg and lardons) and cocktails that make me swoon make this a place i must go to when i visit the triangle. that being said, it's a bit of a ladies-who-do-lunch kind of place. i come with my best girl friend and we love it every time, but for a date... i don't know about that. perhaps the atmosphere changes when the sun goes down ;-)

bad food / horrible service. we went out for an early dinner to le coquette before a movie. i had skipped lunch, so i was famished (which i told our waitress). after we had ordered the waitress came back and told us they they had given us thebrunchmenu, and that we would have to order from another menu. i thought ok, not a problem, until i saw the new menu. there was hardly anything on the new menu, and nothing that looked at all appetizing for me; of course what my husband ordered was still available. i expressed my disappointment, but the waitress just shrugged and became scarce for the rest of our meal. i finally decided on the roasted beet salad, which is listed like an entree (remember that i told the waitress i was really hungry). when the food came out the salad was just a tad bigger then my fist with about five cubes of beets tossed in ( i don't think there was even a whole beet in the salad). if the waitress would have told me how tiny the salad was i would have ordered a side. now here is the best part; a new set of patrons came in and were seated next to us. they were offered a menu with a much larger variety. "why", you ask? well if we had waited ten minutes to order we would have been given a dinner menu; oh, and they were offered a variety of specials that were available. the waitress knew i did not like the lunch menu, and she knew were were not in a rush. i do not think that it is such a huge leap of logic that they should have offered us the dinner menu or that they could give us the option to wait 10 minutes for it. oh well, they will never have my business again and i will never recommend they to friends or family.

brunch. i've hadbrunchhere a couple times and it has been quite good. the interior is surprisingly expansive and tasteful and it wasn't crowded at all, so no noise and no waiting. i tried a croque madame that was very tasty and balanced well by a light salad. recommended.

try their brunch!!. coquette was recommended to me by a friend in the restaurant industry. i tried it forbruncha few weeks back and was astounded by the food. really delicious. interesting space as well - they did a great job turning a cavernous space into a quaint one. they also have the longest single-piece zinc (as in made out of zinc) bar (as in get a drink at the bar) in the country.

a plus for north hills. i have eaten at coquette brasserie several times including lunch and brunch. my impressions were that urban food group has once again put together a solid concept.

while the restaurant is still young, there were a few minor things i noticed. first, the beef is typically cooked one temperature under what is typically exppected. this was not shared by the waitress until after the food came to the table. we were told "our medium isn't like outback's medium". no, it's not.

the food is consistently good, although i thought thebrunchwas expensive.

lastly, the space is very impressive. if there is any trace of south other than remnants of the bar i missed them. the decor successfully transports you to a true french bistro. i expect coquette brasserie will only get better and better.