Rockefeller Center is a pretty stressful place overall. There’s just a ton going on all the time. Too much. But the team behind Frenchette has transplanted a fun downtown brasserie’s heart into Midtown’s hulking suit of Art Deco armor. Upon awakening, their creation (known as Le Rock) has arrived, serving up beautiful bread, gorgeous pâté, and excellent cocktails, ensuring you’re comfortable and having a nice time. It’s an astounding feat that feels impossible, but undeniable: Le Rock makes being in Rockefeller Center worth your while.
High ceilings, Art Deco bones, terrazzo underfoot, a bronzed glow that lights up faces. It’s a beautiful room, top to bottom. Tables do fit snug in the dining room, which means that the noise level can reach a din and all of a sudden you start getting visions of why Rockefeller Center was to be avoided. But if you’re blessed with a little space and a reasonably calm crowd, none of that matters. And lunch tends to present a more placid service, so you may want to plan on a visit midday.
Cocktailing here is delightful: precise, clean, interesting, without reading convoluted. The Martinis Maison are the headline, and they do really feel right in this room: Super Sec (overproof gin, extra-dry and white vermouth) is crystalline clarity—mature and bracing. The Au Poivre folds in spicy green peppercorn notes that’ll wake up your senses. Classic builds are available if you don’t want to venture too far. And there are a few other fun concoctions featured, such as the Framboise Colada (raspberry, eau de vie, pineapple and coconut).
Service hums in that New York register—fast, efficient, friendly but stripped of folksy disingenuousness. They want you to have what you want as fast as possible. They’re happy to guide you through the menu, but you probably won’t need it. It’s brasserie fare—a menu of French comfort food that's hard to argue with. Escargots arrive in hot, garlicky green sauce with tidy toast lids; the leek vinaigrette gets a little tableside theater; the salade nicoise is clean and beautifully crisp. The cheeseburger is ridiculously rich, featuring bone marrow and Gouda—a true indulgence that feels special. The Canard Aux Epices is duck with perfectly rendered fat, crisp skin; a bouquet of spices that lingers. Daily specials cycle through days of the week: moules frites, coq au vin, sole almondine—they’re the favorites you were expecting but executed at a very high level, with flair. Yes, there’s a raw bar, and while that’s inarguably delicious and high-quality, there’s no cookery going on there; French food is all about technique, so food for thought: we think you should let the kitchen impress you.
Maybe you’re not going to travel out of your way to Rockefeller Center, maybe you’re a jaded New Yorker who can’t abide crowds. But maybe you’ll hang up your hang-ups and allow yourself the pleasure of drinking a beautiful martini in a beautiful room, followed by a beautiful meal. Maybe you owe it to yourself to be pleasantly surprised.