Le Bon Choix - Traditional French meets American South

So what do you get when you cross Traditional French rotisserie cuisine with American Southern recipes? I was not sure since until now I hadnt found a Halal restaurant that catered that kind of food. But thanks to Le Bon Choix, now we know what the cross roads of these two cultures, some thousands of miles apart, taste like.

DISCLAIMER: I was informed after this post went up that the beef is not Halal even though a friend had called ahead to ask about the menu and what was halal (He was told everything is halal which isnt the case).


I was intrigued by this cafe when one of my close friends, Sameer Sarmast of Sameers Eats, recently visited the cafe's New Jersey branch and gave it rave reviews. I trust Sameer and his taste buds so I decided that it was worth a trek of a few avenues and a couple of blocks from the nearest subway line to check out this spot.

My friend and I arrived at about the same time and since it was before the usual dinner rush, the cafe was empty so we took a table away from the door to avoid the outside heat and enjoy the cool A/C to the fullest.

The menu is split into your usual starters, sandwiches, sides, and entree sections. A few recommended items from the menu are Le Burger, The Coute De Rhone, and the Half Rosted Chicken. So after much deliberation, my friend and I decided on Pulled Roasted Chicken with Potato Salad side and ginger peanut sauce (recommended by our waitress), and Le Burger Bocose Style, which is an added fried egg and crispy chicken skin on the sandwich, with a side of fries respectively.

As we waited for our food to be prepared, my friend and I just chatted and abosorbed the ambiance of the place. The restaurant is setup very much like a cafe, with visible cooking counter and cashier on one side and space for about 20-25 people. What stood out the most to me was the logo of the restaurant, which is a rooster with a fork tail. It's definitely eye catching. The restaurant was very clean and the staff was very friendly and attentive, even after other tables had been occupied by guests.

Our food was ready in a short while so the wait wasnt unbearably long, even though I was starving at that point. The Pulled Chicken was exactly what it sounds like, pulled off the bone and served with a side and corn bread. What unfortunately was missing was the crispy skin, which we didnt really think about until later since we dove right into our plates. Le Burger was a beef burger served on a brioche bun with coleslaw under the beef and american cheese melted into the top part of the bun. The bocose style added a fried egg on top with a layer of crispy chicken skin underneath.

Pulled Roasted Chicken with Potato Salad

I have to admit, I was impatient and placed the bun on top of the burger and went wide mouthed for my first bite. What resulted was the yolk oozing through the woodpick hole that was created in the top bun, luckily not spilling out the side onto my shirt and pants. There are a lot of flavors to work through as I bit into the burger. The fried egg/yolk oozing through the bun, the crispy skin adding a level of soft crunch to the bite, the medium beef patty flavorful due to the high quality of meat and lastly the coleslaw added the final crunch to the bite as the burger fell into my mouth. I dare say that any of the sauces on the side were not needed to enjoy this burger.

La Burger, Bocose Style 

As I was lost in the flavors of Le Burger, my friend was sitting across from me enjoying the Pulled Chicken. He looked at me and says "You have to try this sauce." I remembered we had ordered the ginger peanut sauce on the waitress's recommendation. I grabbed a piece of chicken, with my hand since at this point they were already greased up from the burger, and dipped it into the sauce. As I put the piece of chicken in my mouth, I dont know what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the sauce. In the case of the pulled chicken, the sauce was necessary to add some flavor and this was definitely the best choice for it. The ginger peanut sauce reminded me of flavors found in some Asian dishes but nothing like I had before. Neither the ginger nor the peanut flavor was too strong so it added the right subtle taste to the chicken, and eventually the burger [yes I dipped the burger into it], that was dipped into it.

The sides we had ordered were equally delicious. The potato salad tasted fresh and the veggies were crispy in it. That along with the flavoring on it made it very tasty, and I dont usually eat potato salad so that says a lot. The fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way I like them, similar to being double fried I believe. We tried dipping everything in the peanut sauce and loved the taste.

As you might have guessed it, we thoroughly enjoyed our meals and were absolutely stuffed by the end of it. Everything tasted fresh and made just the right way. The flavors went well together on the burger and the sauce really made the pulled chicken delicious. I really recommend this place and of course I will be returning to try out the rest of the menu. Until then, Bon Appetit et Au Revoir.

Fries on the side