Aaron Lee
Sometimes what makes a restaurant work is a mystery. On its face, Normandie isn’t all that different from the restaurant that was there before, Rue.
Both draw French inspiration but are far from orthodox. Both also do much with seafood and seasonal vegetables—and yet Rue folded after about 18 months, having never found an audience. Normandie, like a hermit crab, picked up Rue’s old shell, added global flair, and is packed with patrons just six weeks after opening.
This isn’t to detract from Normandie, but rather to celebrate its ability to make it all click.
