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Demarchelier Restaurant

Location
50 East 86th Street
Neighborhoods
Demarchelier Restaurant 1 French Upper East Side

Emily Demarchelier, the current owner of the restaurant named for her family, pointed out that though her parents have lived in New York longer than they have in France, they still sound like they have just flown over via Air France. Her Father, Eric Demarchelier, is from Normandy and her mother is from Versailles. They moved to New York in 1977 and opened their eponymous restaurant a year later on 62nd Street and Lexington. Emily, who attended the Fleming School as a little girl, would go to the restaurant after class for a snack. Though that location closed in 1990, the Demarcheliers reopened the restaurant in 1992 on 86th Street and the regulars followed.

Before working full time at Demarchelier, Emily worked in the fashion world for ten years. During that time, however, she never fully left the restaurant, as her parents would call her during busy periods to come help them. Emily specifically remembers being asked to come to their aid on September 11th 2001, when neighbors used the restaurant as a place to be together and keep their minds off the tragedy happening around them. Emily said that since Demarchelier is such a neighborhood joint, locals "expect them to be open," no matter what the circumstances. She saw similar behavior during Hurricane Sandy, when diners came streaming in for a drink or a hot meal.

Looking around the restaurant, I understood why people would choose to visit Demarchelier during an emergency. It is a colorful and cozy environment, with artwork by Emily's father on the walls. He began painting in the 1990s and has been rotating the art in the restaurant every year since then. Apart from the rotating artwork, Demarchelier has remained relatively constant throughout the years, both in terms of decor and menu. While the family has striven to provide healthier options to their customers throughout the years, in Emily's words, "It is still French cooking." She then elaborated by saying that the prix fixe has always been popular, as well as the fondue, Friday bouillabaisse, and grilled chicken - "Kids and adults alike love our grilled chicken."

Emily is pleased that she has been able to take over the family business and let her parents enjoy their "golden years." "I love that my father is able to trust me," she said. Her two brothers - she is the middle child - also helped out with the restaurant for a while. When I asked if she has ever had thoughts of expanding to different locations, she shook her head. Though there were periods when her father ran three or four restaurants at a time, "Today, we are happy here." She then added, "If you spread yourself too thin, it's not good." She prefers to have one restaurant where the customers see her almost every day. This way Emily can treat each one with the same personal attention that they deserve. "We're real people, we're not perfect and we don't aim to be perfect, and no one has an attitude," she asserted. She appreciates that so many have been drawn to Demarchelier's friendly atmosphere: "People really use this restaurant as their home and kitchen - that's how we are as a family."

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Demarchelier Restaurant 1 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 2 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 3 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 4 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 5 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 6 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 7 French Upper East Side
Demarchelier Restaurant 8 French Upper East Side

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