Bun Boy Eats NYC – LE COQ RICO – FLATIRON

LE COQ RICO – FLATIRON – DINNER

October 27, 2017 5:23 am

Stuffed Brune Landaise Chicken (for 2)
butternut squash, ginger, spinach fricassée
72.

I ate here back in June and completely forgot to write about it. What is wrong with me??

Only when I just walked by the joint a second ago did I realize I never blogged about this lovely and pricey poulty-centric restaurant.

Le Coq Rico has a varied menu all featuring some sort of foul as the star and instead of choosing one of the 6 whole roasted birds (the cheapest was $98 bucks!), we chose a stuffed Brune Landaise chicken for two (for $72 bucks).

The portion was enormous (we took home leftovers) and the starter we choose was this incredibly rich egg and mushroom dish which was as unique as it was fantastic.

Now, unlike some folks, I’m not opposed to ordering chicken at restaurants. I don’t mind spending a certain amount for this simple bird to be prepared deliciously. But I’m not spending $100 bucks for one. Sorry Le Coq.

At least the stuffed bird we ordered had some obvious labor going into it’s preparation. It didn’t stuff itself!

What the hell is Brune Landaise, you ask? Well, let me Google it so I can explain it to your lazy ass.

Actually, since I’m pretty lazy myself, I’m just going to copy and paste what I just found on a NY Post article:

“The restaurant’s top bird is the Brune Landaise — a prized breed from les Landes in southwest France’s Gascony region that Daguin introduced to the US a few years ago, and which she now procures from Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County. A close cousin is the rare Plymouth Barred Rock, which is distinguished by its red comb and is also on the menu at Le Coq Rico.

Both varieties live a life far different from their pedestrian counterparts. The hormone-free animals roam about on open farmland, not just a few square yards outside a coop — the pitiable domain of most “free-range” birds. Their diet, in addition to grain, includes vegetable scraps from country markets and commercial kitchens, as well as grass, bugs and even snake fragments they come across.

All of this makes for a bird that’s not only especially delicious but also uniquely nutritious.”

Another selling point is the birds at Le Coq Rico get the luxury of surviving this cruel world for 120 days before they’re executed, unlike your typical organic chicken (85 days) or the bottom of the barrel supermarket one (40 days).

Basically, these chickens have led marvelous long lives before they’re murdered. Which makes these homicide victims much more yummier.