Step into the intimate sibling to Félix Cocktails et Cuisine
La Cave
Upper King Street on a Saturday night is not for the faint of heart. Bachelorette sashes tangle with bar crawls, shot specials blare from open doorways, and the collective din could rattle the windows at St. Michael’s. So it takes a particular kind of nerve to open a candlelit Provençal lounge amid the clamor and ask people to slow down.
La Cave, the intimate sibling to Félix Cocktails et Cuisine, opened in fall 2024. But the real pivot came with the arrival of Alex Eaton, hired last summer by owner Félix Landrum into a newly created culinary director role overseeing both kitchens. Eaton sharpened her instincts under Mike Lata at The Ordinary, then ran Estadio’s kitchen with an intensely seasonal hand. At La Cave, she’s expanded beyond petites plats with offerings substantial enough to anchor a full romantic evening or a bespoke gathering at the large table tucked into the corner. Her menu, rooted in French provincial cooking, deserves more reverence than the boisterous cocktail lounge atmosphere sometimes allows.
You can reach the dining room through a passageway from Félix’s bustle, emerging into an alternate world of pale stone, carved ceilings, and potted lavender. When it’s on, it feels like ducking into someone’s private cellar. An all-French wine list and herb-laced cocktails deepen the illusion. Outside, King Street carries on at full tilt.
La Cave is a bistro at heart. Start with the cider-glazed carrots, where warm spice and Espelette heat bloom under a scatter of pistachios. Complement them with La Salade, deceptively plain local lettuces cloaked in a bracing Roquefort vinaigrette and sprinkled with capers and Marcona almonds. Confit duck gnocchi come drenched in a cognac-raisin sweetness accented by spring peas and shaved Parmesan. The Wagyu New York strip, at $62, does what it should: a luxurious sauce pools beneath a crackling sear, with charred broccolini on the side and a black garlic-lemon finish that pairs splendidly with more than one French red on the list. One could make the case that it’s the most creative steak on upper King right now. I’d listen.
550 King St., Ste. 150
www.lacavechs.com
Wednesday-Sunday: 5 p.m.-close
