There’s forced cool and there’s real cool. Raoul’s in SoHo, which has been around for fifty years, is the real deal. I grabbed a five PM reservation yesterday before seeing a show at The SoHo Playhouse, not really knowing much about what to expect except that Raoul’s always shows up on lists of SoHo’s best restaurants.
Walking into Raoul’s feels like entering a party you’re not sure you’re really invited to. We pushed through the throng and the hostess sat us in the front (I had a feeling the cooler people sat in the back, but that’s fine) and she said she needed the table back by seven, which reaffirmed my sense that we were welcome but not that welcome.
No matter! We soaked up the space with its quirky art on the walls, its steep spiral staircase, its vibrant bar packed two people deep.
They Have Food Here Too
To start, we shared the crab beignets which were really crab fritters padded with fresh corn:
These were undeniably good: hot, salty, filled with a nice textural mix of stuff, if not quite enough crab.
The roasted rainbow carrot salad also had a nice mix of textures. The balance of toothsome carrots, soft squash, creamy cheese, and crunchy endive made for a perfect mix.
On to the Entrees
I wasn’t sure if it was a gamble to order the duck — that’s a bit of an uptown thing to order at a place that felt so downtown — but it was pretty flawless, especially with roasted pears and a house-made grainy mustard, plus lentils in their own little copper pot.
Craig had the roast goat cheese ravioli, which tasted like a crispy blintz (complimentary).
We elected not to have dessert — not because it didn’t look good, just because we had our show to get to (and our table to give back) — but we left feeling full and happy. We crashed the coolest party in town and nobody was the wiser.
Raoul’s / 180 Prince St, New York, NY 10012 / (212) 966-3518
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