coquette brasserie

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 on brunch instead atcoquettebrasserie 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.

we have eaten atcoquetteseveral times and always enjoyed it - cute ambiance, professional service and delicious food. i had lunch with some friends today and when i made the resi online i noticed several recent negative reviews from other regulars commenting that the food quality had gone down. i concur.

it is "restaurant week" in raleigh so i ordered the special 3 course menu for lunch. i had a fish soup, beef bourguignon and the creme brûlée. the creme brûlée was hands down the best i've ever eaten. unfortunately, the fish soup was so badly over salted i could not eat it. when i explained to the server that the reason i hadn't eaten the soup was that it was too salty, he tried to convince me that what i was tasting was garlic in the broth. i'm an accomplished cook - i think i can tell the difference between garlic and salt. and let me say, i love salt, and i do not restrict my salt intake!  

the beef was also extremely salty and disappointing. it was a mountain of noodles with a few chunks of very fatty beef with about 10 shriveled roasted mushrooms that were each about the size of a pea. i didn't even realize they were mushrooms at first - i thought they were little bits of beef! : ) my friends had different quiches and loved them (i've had the quiche here before and it is indeed fabulous!).  

if they have a new, not-so-hot chef i hope they suss that out before it impacts the business. i don't think i'll go back unless i'm craving quiche.

located front and center at north hills in raleigh, french restaurantcoquettebrasserie 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. sunday brunch is a big draw, featuring $2 mimosas and a variety of eggs benedict dishes, quiches, crepes and more.  service atcoquetteis 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

ifcoquettehad a sweet spot on fayetteville street or a nice building in the warehouse district, the hype train surrounding the restaurant would probably go off the rails. not to say it does poorly  at its north hills location, but it always seems to be forgotten off the endless lists of the best places to eat in the triangle.coquetteembodies what is maybe the greatest strength of the triangle culinary scene - accessibility. french food has often been thought of as high brow, complicated , and overpriced. butcoquetteputs all of those notions to bed.  after a few days of a swollen face from my wisdom teeth extraction, i was ready to have real food again, and just in time for brunch. my first choice was soft biscuits from the state farmer’s market restaurant , but pulled up to a line out the door.  our journey for soft, buttery carbs lead us to north hills. croissants and scones were one of the first words out of my mouth. the sweet pastries came out warm and along side whipped mapl

came for early lunch, cocktail was ok. frites were kind of underwealming, trout was overlooked.coquetteburger was really good. need to check out your ice machine or clean your glasses better, water was unpalatable. overall, ok.

great brunch for cocktails!. i've only ever been tocoquettefor 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 lecoquettebefore 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 the brunch menu, 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.

a little bit more expensive than it's worth... disappointed. so, i was so excited to go tocoquettebrasserie. the service was excellent. the atmosphere was amazing. it was dinner time and we decided to go with several appetizers instead of getting meals. we had the onion soup, the frissée aux lardons, the charcuterie and formage platter, and the escargot. the soup and salad were portioned fine and tasted fine. the charcuterie and the escargot were smaller than i imagined and didn't taste as good as i had hoped. over all it was a mediocre experience that cost a lot more than i thought it was worth. if it had been ten or fifteen dollars less, i might have tried it again, just in case we were in on a bad night, but as is, i don't think we'll be back.

great food, new chef, fantastic server!. i have been going tocoquettefor a few years and i am so pleased that they have a new chef and new menu! there is not a bad thing you can order. though not a "foodie" per say, i am very picky about what i eat. if it's diner food, it better taste like diner food. if it's french, it better have the creamy buttery qualities of real french food with the fresh ingredients that one would find across the atlantic. in this regard,coquettedoes not disappoint.
the bread basket is wonderful, careful, the butter is salted across the top, so don't swipe the top layer or you will be in for a super salty surprise!
the fromage plate always has a wonderful assortment of flavors and textures. the truffle frites are a must try! all of the entrees are wonderful.
i am sure this place can have an off night, but i have yet to encounter one.
as a side not, ask for michael as your waiter. he is both helpful and hilarious!
for dessert, creme brulee, chocolate peanut butter bombe, or anything with white chocolate mousse.

try their brunch!!.coquettewas recommended to me by a friend in the restaurant industry. i tried it for brunch a 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.

delicious food. we ate atcoquettelast night, and it was amazing. i had the plat du jour - cod cranberry beans - and it was prepared perfectly. my friend had the steak frites which was delicious and cooked exactly as ordered. if you go in the evening time, ask for seating near the fold-open large windows - and enjoy a perfect combination of indoor and outdoor seating.

my expectations were high forcoquettebecause 1) i went for brunch, my favorite meal of the day and 2) i had heard so many raves. but unfortunately the experience fell short. in fact i think my favorite part of the meal was the fresh bread that came out

so thrilled to find this place. we were thrilled to discover this amazing restaurant last night. i eat gluten-free and lowish-carb and my dining companion is vegetarian, and not only were they able to accommodate us, they did so brilliantly. if you have any kind of dietary/allergy issue, you may find yourself in heaven in this restaurant. for once, it was abundantly clear that they are knowledgeable and careful. the waitress explained that whenever anyone mentions an allergy, they have a system in place that ensures they avoid giving you the allergen. the system she described sounds excellent to me. i only wish other restaurants took so much care.

but even apart from the gluten-free issue, this is the best restaurant i have eaten at in raleigh and surrounding areas, and i have eaten at many. i am a cordon bleu cook myself and am rarely impressed. as i said to the waitress, this chef can cook.

my walnut-encrusted salmon with shallot soubise, carrots, roast yellow beets, cured salmon, and horseradish cream was to die for. exquisite. my mouth is watering as i remember the exquisite combination of flavors, the subtlety, the artistry, the care and attention to detail. the rest of the menu looks exciting and delicious too. whoever created this menu is clearly a real foodie. i am surprised that the two other reviews here are not more enthusiastic. but perhaps if outback is your preferred kind of dining experience (and i'm not knocking it -- they have a gluten-free menu and we gluten-free folk need all the gluten-free friendly places we can get)coquettemight not be your taste. it is a brasserie, not a steakhouse (though they do serve filet mignon etc, note.)

the prices are so much better than those of a number of other highly-rated restaurants in the area, and that was a nice surprise too. outstanding value for money. and the service was excellent -- friendly, kind and unobtrusive. not at all condescending, and very attentive.

the ambiance was romantic and peaceful. the tables seemed perfectly large enough to me, and are nicely spaced, not crammed in like they are in some other (more expensive!) restaurants. an ideal place to take a date with a passion for fine dining, and larger parties are also in evidence too.

i am trying to think of a "con" to balance all the above "pros", and the only thing i can think of is that they did not have a montana sauvignon blanc available. perhaps i should have looked at the wine list to see what they do offer, but i didn't.

i really highly recommend this place. i will definitely be going back there often.

update:

we have been here several times now, and i must admit that i was very disappointed in the breakfast i had there. i had expected it to be up to the usual standard but my smoked salmon omelette was dry and rubbery. no french restaurant would have served that. and it is so very easy to make a good omelette! i do get the impression that there is someone who really really can cook there, but others who really don't have the same skill level. it is a bit inconsistent. on a good day it is still my favorite restaurant in raleigh. on a bad day, it is a disappointment.

a plus for north hills. i have eaten atcoquettebrasserie 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 the brunch was 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 expectcoquettebrasserie will only get better and better.