Lina Frey—the contemporary French restaurant from Boucarou vet Patrice Bihina-Parade and partner Manon True—opened about a month ago on the Lower East Side, offering a contemporary French setting, a takeout crepe window and one sweet retractable roof. Folks seem mostly pleased, even if there were some initial service kinks. Looks like they've got a respectable happy hour, a meager price point (under $13), and everyone's loving that Bamba Burger (named after chef Bamba Seydou). To the early word:
The "So F*CKING Good" News: Horny traveling Martiniboys commenter daniellam writes a pre-coitus review: "I just came back from Lina Frey and I am soooooooo satisfied. The ambience is so hot, trendy and sexy that I would not mind getting a bj as I eat my meat! OUTFUCKINGSTANDING................MEAL now I am back in my hotel ready for some f.........cking to end this great night.......I love NYC and Iove Lina Frey!" [Martiniboys]
The "Very Good, Not Great" News: The estimable Pink Pig visits during the World Cup and thinks the Euro-vibe is perfectly suited for viewing matches. He also tosses some love to the Bamba Burger and the price point: "Most of the interest, I think, lies elsewhere on the notably inexpensive carte. There's a regular hamburger, but also a seasoned hamburger attributed to one Bamba, who turns out to be the chef, Bamba Seydou from the Côte d'Ivoire. Bamba spices up a thick patty served on a kaiser roll: the first taste I got was cumin, but this was succeeded by agreeable bursts of flavor supplied by fennel seeds. A choice of melted cheese on top, $7 (the un-Bamba burger is $6)...Not a destination, it should be emphasized, but Lina Frey adds welcome variety to a restaurant-jammed neighborhood. At least it's not a reiteration of the comfort food in a farm kitchen theme everyone else seems to be embracing." [Pink Pig]
The "Needs More Filling" News: Yelper Lauren W. - who lived in Paris, and thus is a "really, really harsh judge" with "certain expectations" - has a great time despite the skimpy crepes: "My bf and i shared the ham and cheese crepe (needed a bit more cheese, in case you're reading this mr. crepe maker!) and the egg and lardons crepe...the egg was like scrambled egg with lardons, it was good, but not what i was expecting at all...We also had the gratin dauphnois, which is awesome scalloped type potatoes. and we had a nutella crepe for dessert. The brown sugar to add on top was a really nice touch (but it needed a tiny bit more nutella mr. crepe maker!)" [Yelp]
The "Welcome to the Nabe" News: On Menupages, a commenter named king of mars titles his review "Dy-no-mite" and writes: "new spot on the LES, and a welcome addition to a bleak stretch of houston best known for pastrami sandwiches and live music. solid service, damn good chow chill atmosphere and good tunes. had a couple kronenbourg drafts, a steak, mussels, fries and spinach. and man, the price is right. plus, the roof retracts, so you can howl at the moon i guess." [Menupages]
The "Fashion Shill" News: Over on Diane Von Furstenberg's blog, there's a wonderful shill for their "fresh salads": "Taste crepes, seafood, and fresh salads at Lina Frey on the LES. (And no, we don’t mean the 50 Rock star.) Close to the Mercury Lounge and great for an after-show snack, dishes are all under $13." [DvF]
The "Notable Happy Hour" News: On Yelp, user Jun W. gushes about their drink special but notes small portion size: "The decor is very open and airy. They have a large sky roof and a front wall that slides open so you can people watch and enjoy a warm summer breeze. We came here for happy hour, which is awesome. $4 for all beers and a few select wines until 8pm. We only ordered the haricot verts and grilled portobello, both were delicious and great to accompany the wines we had. The plates are tapas style, so they're small. Those two dishes were $4 each." [Yelp]
The "Not Buying It" News: Martiniboys user jreljin is a steadfast dissenter who dislikes just about every aspect of the place: "Cruddy service and the food was just okay. Nothing good to report here. Oh wait...there is indoor/outdoor seating for great people mocking at 12am on a Saturday night." [Martiniboys]
—Zachary Feldman
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