After reading several reviews of La Panetiere, my husband surprised me for my birthday and took me to La Panetiere for a birthday lunch.  La Panetiere is a French Restaurant in Rye, NY that has a $25 Prix Fixe Menu for lunch on weekdays.  Upon entering, we noticed that it was mainly an older crowd… not older as in 50′s and 60′s… older as in people in their 80′s with their caretakers.  Our first reaction was, oh my, the food must be pretty bland and dull if this is the lunch spot for an elderly crowd.  The decor was ok, if not a bit outdated.  The outside was actually much more attractive than the inside.  You can see the lunch crowd in the background of this photo.

The table decor was very french with its roosters and simple roses.

We both decided to try out the Prix Fixe Menu and to try a variety of the options.

La Panetiere’s Prix Fixe Menu

Appetizers:
Mixed Greens & Roasted Beets (Shaved Fennel, Balsamic Vinaigrette)
or
Lobster Bisque (And its garnish)
or
Gnocchi Ricotta (Haricots verts, wild mushrooms, crisp pancetta)

Entrees:
Grilled Hangar Steak (potato puree, natural jus)
or
Arctic Char (spring onion fondue, red wine butter)
or
Duck Confit (Baby Vegetables, Lemon Duck Glaze)

Dessert:
Chilled Lemon Parfait (shortbread cookie, fresh pineapple, coconut ice cream)
or
Selection of Sorbets & Ice Cream (presented with their own accompaniment)
or
Chocolate Ganache & Mousse Cake (raspberry coulis)

For the appetizer course, I ordered the Gnocchi Ricotta (minus the pancetta since I don’t eat pork) and my husband got the Lobster Bisque.  The gnocchi was tasty, but rather small, even for an appetizer.  The lobster bisque was ridiculous though, there was literally no sign of lobster.  Perhaps everything is pureed since they cater to an older crowd, but it was really just a bowl of fishy tasting broth… major disappointment.

For the entree, we ordered one hangar steak and one arctic char.  The hangar steak was a bit fatty, though I like my meat really lean.  The arctic char was not bad and the onion fondue sauce was nice.  But again, nothing to stand on the rooftops and yell about.

For the dessert, the chilled lemon parfait was delicious, especially since at this point I did not have high expectations.  The cookie was buttery and tender.  The coconut ice cream tasted as if it was probably homemade… and how can you go wrong with fresh pineapple.  The only issue I had was that I found a hair on the pineapple ring.

My husband got the Chocolate Ganache and Mousse Cake, which I originally thought I would like more than the lemon parfait, because I adore chocolate.  However, I really did not cake for their rendition of a chocolate mousse cake.

My husband mentioned it was my birthday to the waiter when I went to the restroom, and so they brought a cute plate with a hand written “Happy Birthday” out of chocolate and a long candle in a strawberry.  Nice touch!

All around, La Panetiere was not bad, but with so many other fabulous restaurants in the area, I’m not sure that we will be returning.

La Panetiere is located at 530 Milton Rd; Rye, NY 10580; Tel: (914) 967-8140