In anticipation of my upcoming trip to Paris, I wanted to share my favorite French restaurant in Brooklyn. I hope the food in France is as good as this place. If not, I can always go back to Levant on Smith.

In anticipation of my upcoming trip to Paris, I wanted to share one of my favorite French restaurants in Brooklyn. I hope the food in France is as good as this place. If not, you can catch me at Levant on Smith when I am craving French cuisine.

Levant on Smith is located at 233 Smith St in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn on the corner of Butler Street and Smith Street, hence the name. We arrived shortly after 12p and were seated inside around 12:15p. By 1:00p this place was PACKED! Therefore I recommend coming early as we did or making reservations.

We started with coffee, of course. Now that the weather is warmer, we may sit outside the next time around.

However, you can't go wrong with the interior decor. Honestly, ever since New Girl (Zoe Deschanel fan, anyone?), I've wanted a leather couch in this exact color, so I was biased. (hehe). The wine racks, warm lighting, AND plants?! Come on, now!! This IS my vibe. 100%. I am sure the staff was confused as to why I was taking so many pictures. 😀

Inside you will find booths, two tops, and a bar area for seating. They also have a private dining room that can host up to 50 people. Now on to the menu.

Now that I am caffeinated, warm, and enjoying the decor....we moved on to mimosas, of course!

As you can see from the menu, there's plenty to choose from. It was especially difficult to decide. We originally planned on going with the Magic Deal for "2" but of course, settled on food located at the back of the menu (no picture, sorry).  

Side Note: To me, this is one of the hardest things about eating out in NYC. Because there are so many Michelin restaurants, mom-and-pops, bodegas, and new/up-and-coming restaurants to choose from it usually takes a long time to decide where to go. Then when you get there, you then have to choose which item is the most worthwhile because there is a high probability you may not go back since there are so many other places to go to the next time around.  Fun Fact, according to Wikipedia there are 23,650 restaurants in NYC alone! That was pre-pandemic but still...can you imagine? So many options, and so little time. This is a great problem to have, in my opinion. I hope I can help you choose wisely! 😋

Back to the story...after some back and forth, we had a three-course meal. Pictures are below, of course!

For appetizers, you must try the salmon gravlax canapés. This dish is salty, crispy, and savory. It pretty much leaves you wanting more! There is beetroot cured salmon, cream cheese, capers, olive oil, and capers (yum!) with French baguette as the base.

For my entree, I choose the salade niçoise. This salad is particularly popular in Nice located in the South of France. I am not lying when I say that I still think about this salad! It was my first time having a salad with fish, so I was a bit apprehensive. In the end, it was incredible, and I would have to again and again!

A salad niçoise typically comes with mixed greens, asparagus, yellowfin tuna, a few potato slices, boiled egg, tomatoes, anchovy, and olives & citrus-herbs vinaigrette. Sounds like a lot, but it is delicious! It is a mix of salty from the anchovies with the starch of the potatoes and the lightness of the salad overall that makes this one my favorites!

My partner had a fillet of sea bass (I guess it was a seafood type of day) This dish is served with mashed potato and sauteed baby spinach with red wine jus. The seabass was crispy as well and the pairing made this a light yet filling dish.

For dessert, we settled on the creme brulee.

Although I am partial to the salade niçoise, I have to explore the rest of this menu the next time around. Particularly the French onion soup and the roasted ratatouille.

What is your favorite dish? If you have any recommendations, let me know on Instagram.

Don't forget to sign up and join the Epicurlite Community. Click the person icon or the hyperlink. 👇🏾

Epicurlite Community

Til next time!