Coquette French Brasserie Opens Monday

Replacing North Hill’s South, Urban Food Group’s Coquette brings the first Triangle French Brasserie.

Urban Food Group is responsible for the Hillsborough Street Staple Frazier’s and its neighbor Porter’s as well as Vivace. This restaurant is expected to offer the same quality of experience and food. UFG’s Chef remarked “This restaurant concept originated as a beacon to diners at all times of the day and night, and therefore, is designed to be accessible in menu offering and price. That’s one of the reasons a French brasserie is such a good fit for us at UFG. Our Steak Frites will be $19, Hamburger $10, and Moules Frites $13.”

Committed to recreating an authentic French brasserie experience, the Jennings tapped Rob Bland as Chef de Cuisine and The Johnson Studio for interior design. “In Bland we found someone whose entire career has been devoted to classic French cooking, with most of his training taking place at brasseries and bistros throughout France and the United States; his knowledge, execution and passion for the traditional dishes of France, and their place in history, is remarkable.” Key style elements contribute to the quintessential brasserie setting – a black and white tiled floor, Parisian street lamp style chandeliers, butcher block and Carrera marble tables, large scale bistro mirrors and accordion style folding doors which open each side of the restaurant to outdoor seating – evoking glamorous European brasseries.

The menu will include french classics like: Petits Plats, Plats Principaux and Plats du Jours. Steak Tartare, Crispy Frog Legs and Fruits de Mer will be available, as well as French regional fare – Veal Blanquette and Cassoulet – and appropriately Tartes Flambées. Classic French Desserts like Apple-Frangipane Tart and pâtisseries, Pastry Chef Eric Akbari will bake european breads at the restaurant.

Open for breakfast Monday through Friday, from 7am to 10am; for lunch from 11am to 4pm, and for dinner from 5pm to 10pm (and until midnight Thursday, Friday and Saturday). Lunch will be served Saturdays from 9am to 4pm, and brunch on Sundays from 9am to 3pm, with dinner on Sundays from 4pm to 10pm. Dinner service will begin on October 27th; lunch service will begin on November 3rd; and breakfast/brunch service on November 10th.

salley10/23 02:27 PM

first? what about rue cler in durham? regardless, i’m excited to try coquette.

wg10/23 04:05 PM

no, they arent the first… Saint Jacques French Cuisine on falls of the neuse road in north raleigh has been there for YEARS. and Vin Rouge in durham. Saint Jacques French Cuisine and Vin Rouge both rock, are extremely authentic, and i know Saint Jacques French Cuisine owned by people who are actually from france—and they are both very small and quaint, as a true french bistro should be. not commercialized and part of a chain. neither Saint Jacques French Cuisine nor Vin Rouge are nearly as pretentious as i am sure this place will be, being in north hills and run by the UFG.

David10/23 04:30 PM

Easy now, I didn’t say French restaurant, Coquette is going to have floor to ceiling doors around its exterior allowing to to open like a real Brasserie, meaning its sort of a hybrid cafe restaurant. No reason to hate on the place when it hasn’t even opened.

Laurent10/23 04:44 PM

Saint Jacques is a wonderful restaurant, but it is not a brasserie. A Brasserie is the french version of a Pub, where you mainly go to have a beer and chat with your friends, but additionally they offer very affordable and delicious food. Saint Jacques is a high end restaurant, full course menu and extensive wine list.
I’m glad to see this coming, it will be nice to have a different type of french cuisine that is not just high end and expensive.
Looking forward to the desserts.

Romaric10/23 05:38 PM

Now do it again, but Downtown. Still a step forward.

Joe S. Pack10/23 06:56 PM

North hill republicans don’t want frenchie style food!!! They want real American food!

Sara10/24 02:52 AM

Geez, “Joe 6. Pack” - haven’t you noticed, there are a ton of “American” restaurants in NH – boring. For me this NH Rep is very excited - steak tartare, fruits de mer, moules frites and Sunday brunch, oh my!!

RaleighRob10/24 11:33 AM

^Joe & Romaric make a good point, actually. If someone had just said to me that there’s a new French Restaurant in Raleigh, and didn’t tell me where it was, I probably would have automatically guessed it to be Downtown somewhere. Probably City Market, Seaboard Station, The Depot or even Glenwood South. Perhaps even Five Points. North Hills? Not one of my first guesses by a long shot.

Brian10/26 06:41 AM

Goodie, a bistro/cafe in Raleigh finally! I think it’ll be a hit and just what that boring North Hills needs. As for the joker talking about “American food” (I know it was just a joke. How could steak and french fries (a.k.a freedom fries) be un-American? Yes, one downtown would be great, but maybe a bit smaller scale to lend itself to the intimate atmosphere of a casual cafe.

coquette10/28 12:24 PM

They should be sued for stealing that name.

http://www.Cockettes.com

arthurb310/30 01:03 PM

Hmmm Bloomsbury Bistro?

Fran11/01 10:28 AM

That’s all lovely and I’m not “hating on it” or anything—but a Brasserie it is NOT. I’ve lived in France, my husband and I recently spent two weeks in Paris and have sampled many a brasserie in that exquisite city and this new place in North Hills will be fun—but “accessible in menu offering and price?! Goodness. We’ll visit. I’m sure it will be fun. I hope their kitchen staff are more humble than their owner/promoters. By the way -we’re from Durham, have y’all visited Rue Cler?

Blaine11/05 05:12 PM

gosh guys…at least give it a chance…Kevin and Stacy have really done quite a bit for moving the dining scene in Raleigh forward a notch or two…and I think that they should be allowed some freedom in their choice of name for their restaurant.

chip11/13 11:45 AM

Lunch there yesterday was out of site. The French onion soup and the steak tartare were splendid, as were the muscles. Service was stallar. Wish it were closer to where I live in Greensboro. I’d be a regular for sure.

wg11/19 03:51 PM

does anyone know the hours of this place? how late do they serve food at night??

wg11/19 03:52 PM

oops, its in the article above… my bad.

Stan Kimer11/29 05:38 PM

What’s this dig above about North Hills Republicans above wanting only American food? There are lots of us enlightened wordly travelled Democrats who also live in North Hills! I think we had many more Obama signs in our yards than McCain. Anyway, I am looking forward to trying this new place really soon. I love French food.

Ton12/03 06:16 PM

North Hills Republicans?! This isn’t wannabe be-all end-all ITB turf, it’s fashionable Midtown. Some of us are yellow-dog and true-blue Democrats who happen to like what Kevin and Stacey have been doing for years on Hillsborough Street and here in North Hills. The Vouvray and Croque Monsieur (and Madame) are all good. Y’all stuff a (delicious) croquette in your mouths and try to be nice.

Drew12/22 11:09 AM

Another drab mistep at this cursed NH location. Yep, I give it another 3-6 months before they close the doors on this poor concept in a beautiful location. Maybe this location is cursed to be run by subpar concepts and mediocre food.

TheWaveLife12/22 12:26 PM

Drew, have you actually eaten there? Drab it most certainly is not and the food is neither sub par nor mediocre. I specifically started a Yelp post on this lovely brasserie, because I so thoroughly enjoyed a sumptuous meal there.

LSD12/30 11:41 PM

These people do not pay their employees! Owe people money!

Pat Juby - Realtor01/04 11:10 AM

Kevin and Stacy… your Coquette is simply great!!. The menu is versatile and food both nights I was there was perfect!.. Sweetbreads and Steak Tartare presentation and taste could not have been better. I have followed you from Fraziers, Porters, Vivache , South and I think this will be my favorite. Great place to bring my clients !! Hats off to you both !!! Pat Juby

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David Thursday, October 23, 2008