La Grenouille, the epitome of fine French dining, has been transformed into a delicious Chinese restaurant — but it still looks the same

La Grenouille, wide acknowledged arsenic nan city’s prettiest edifice for much than a half-century, closed past fall. But its gorgeous shade is backmost at 3 E. 52nd Street, wherever frogs’ legs person fixed measurement to Beijing-style duck.

The erstwhile location of classical French cuisine has amazingly been reborn arsenic a location of iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House — an empire of fowl-focused restaurants that originated successful 1864 successful nan Chinese capital. Remarkably, the new owners person lovingly preserved nan timeless look of La Grenouille.

General head Wayne Pan explained, “We had galore thoughts astir redesigning it for illustration our edifice successful Vancouver” — nan Quanjude brand’s only different North American location that’s elegant successful a cool, modern style. (There are astir 50 successful China.)

“But group suggested not to do that, and to support astir of nan aged La Grenouille, because it has truthful galore bully memories for New Yorkers,” Pan said.

The caller restaurant’s owner, Andy Zhang, besides owns nan Canadian location, and he bought nan chateau-like 1871 erstwhile carriage location successful Midtown NYC  past twelvemonth for $14.2 million. He and his woman disagreement their clip betwixt NYC and Vancouver and had enjoyed eating astatine La Grenouille.

“They made a determination to sphere it,” Pan explained. 

The jewel-box, 80-seat eating room looks almost precisely arsenic it did erstwhile its predecessor drew luminaries from Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor to Blake Lively and Adrien Brody. The room’s seductively retro crimson banquettes, golden cloth walls, beveled mirrors, and flattering lighting — from recessed ceiling fixtures and sconces — person each been perfectly preserved for illustration a vessel successful a bottle. An abundance of caller flowers successful nan L-shaped eating room further support nan La Grenouille tone alive. Only nan wall paintings are new, though successful nan aforesaid Belle Epoque style arsenic before. The vibe is still romantic, sexy and hushed, prevention for classical strains of Haydn, Schumann and Mendelssohn.

The food, however, is simply a different animal entirely. Instead of Dover sole successful Dijon and Hollandaise sauces, Quanjude’s paper is built around crispy-skin Beijing duck, which is carved tableside for guests to rotation into bladed Chinese pancakes pinch scallions and Hoisin sauce. The vertebrate from Pennsylvania’s Jurgielewicz workplace was flavor-rich and winningly moist beneath its amber skin.

Pan said only nan room and 2nd level needed to beryllium updated. But there’s activity up to bring nan work afloat up to speed. On my early visit, tense waiters oddly kneeled while taking orders and first brought america an effervescent mystery beverage erstwhile we ordered Sauvignon Blanc — nan only white-by-the-glass disposable from a vino database yet to beryllium written. They’re taking a very constricted number of reservations “while we’re training nan staff,” Pan said.

The paper is already worthy a try. In summation to nan $128 “signature” duck that 3 of america couldn’t finish, cook Allen Ren, who’s besides nan toque astatine nan Michelin-starred Quanjude successful Vancouver, is turning retired different good dishes such as tangy, Shanghai-styled smoked food and plum condiment and beef Zha Jiang noodles.

The nutrient is arsenic grown-up arsenic nan vibe, which mercifully restores decorum to nan room aft La Grenouille’s zany last decade. Owner Philippe Masson turned nan spot into a part-time cabaret that chased distant its boldface buzz. Masson himself crooned  “in a sound that mixed nan roar of a sportscaster pinch nan swagger of an Elvis impersonator …    even growling for illustration a cat,” nan New York Times snarked successful 2021.

All that aside, nan bully news is that nan unabashed glamour of the city’s astir beautiful spot to eat lives on.