NEW YORK’S CHICEST SPOT LA MERCERIE IN SOHO MIGHT BE THE PRETTIEST RESTAURANT AROUND
New York City is having a chic restaurant moment. After years of utilitarian eateries with plain wooden furniture, terrible acoustics, and backless chairs, restaurants feel luxe again. The always-cool Pastis is back in the Meatpacking District, Frenchette’s physical space charms as much as its food, and Angie Mar’s The Beatrice Inn feels like a sexy subterranean clubhouse. But the prettiest of them all? La Mercerie, a gorgeous outpost on a sleepy corner off the SoHo tourist track. It’s a hybrid space with a florist, restaurant, and housewares shop designed by Roman and Williams. You can literally buy everything on your table—the plate under your crepe, the cup holding your cappuccino, and the napkin in your lap. Chef Marie-Aude Rose has put together a French-inspired menu that’s both comforting and contemporary. Curl up on one of the blue fabric banquettes as sun streams in the large windows and the hustle and bustle of Canal Street outside is a world away.
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