Matthew Tivy is the well-reviewed Chef/Owner at Café du Soleil (www.CafeDuSoleilNYC.com), the Provencal bistro with the trademark sunny awning that’s become a favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner spot on New York City’s Upper West Side. Matthew’s other restaurant, Tokyo Pop, a Japanese Bistro and Sushi Bar, is right across the street.
Matthew Tivy, who first attracted attention when he was the chef at Q.V. and Canal Bar, finally has a place of his own. He has opened Cafe du Soleil with Alain Chevreux, and Edgar Navarette, his chef de cuisine. The restaurant stretches the Upper West Side’s sunny whiff of Provence with a seafood pot-au-feu and snails laced with Pernod, among other dishes. Pots of rosemary border the outdoor tables while inside, shiny tile and bright
Florence Fabricant
The New York Times
Matthew has many interests in addition to food and cooking. His band Evil Prince Ludwig frequently rocks out at the legendary Bitter End in Manhattan.
Matthew is also an avid runner and just ran his first marathon in November in New York City. He placed #4,556 out of 38,000 runners with a time of 3:32.
Not only have I had the pleasure of eating at Matthew’s restaurant, I’ve had the added pleasure of hearing Evil Prince Ludwig perform. The food at the restaurant is delicious and the band rocks. Matthew is also fun to jam with.
Jen
I’ve heard Matthew’s band Evil Prince Ludwig perform a few times and they blew me away. I’ve had the pleasure of playing in a few of Matthew’s earlier bands. I hope his dream of only having to work certain Saturdays and Sundays comes true so that he can join the Monday jam sessions again.
Rob
Took a few minutes to read and examine your site. It’s great. Needless to say I’ve enjoyed many excellent meals at your cafe and am looking forward to additional hints and recipes in the future. I do have two questions on the sponge cake recipe. What is the size of the cookie sheet and is it greased or ungreased? Good luck on this new endeavor.
Matthew’s Reply:
Thanks for your questions TJ. The cookie sheet I use is about 11×17″ – I think it’s a little bigger than some. You can use a smaller one – it will just give you a slightly thicker cake. Also, I use baking parchment paper which I grease with butter. If you don’t have parchment you should grease the cookie sheet with butter and lightly dust with sugar. You could also use a Silpat (silicone baking sheet) which doesn’t need any greasing.
Matthew
Liked the Ziggy Stardust even better
Matthew, I remember you from the Blantyre days. You gave me my first job when I was 14 (you couldn’t have been much older!) and a ride in your new CRX. I’ve been abroad for the last 17 years, 14 of those in Japan so I am keen to check out Tokyo Pop and of course, hear the band.
David
Hi matthew,I had the pleasure of working under you as a tournant at canal bar ,im andy’s friend ,anyway its great to see you still going strong and focusing more on great food than the next photo op as the new crop of chefs are doing.As for me i recently returned from france working for chef gagnaire for the 3rd time and just focusing on family.God bless you
allen
Thanks for the comment Allen – sounds like you are pursuing a rewarding culinary career!
Canal was a long time ago – what a crazy place!! But we had a good time and we survived the experience. Please keep in touch.
Matthew
Thanks matthew and i also wanted to say I learned a great deal from you.to this very day if I have a salad and it doesnt have gaufrettes in it,I find myself searching for texture.(smile).I also failed to mention that we actually both worked for davide leiderman ,i was executive chef of broadway grill and when I owned my own place,I did a number of events for him including bills birthday party .So i guess this really is a small world,nevertheless its been great and yes canal was a phenomenal time in my life.thanks for everything and i wish you all success
acw.
Hi Matthew, so great to find your blog and read up on all you’ve been doing. What a long time it’s been since our hanging out with Jen and Canal Bar. I’m actually trying to get in touch with her and would love to know if you have a contact for her. Meanwhile, keep up the great work. I will definitely try to stop by the next time I’m in NYC. I’ve been living overseas with my husband, Greg, and two kids since 2000. We’re currently in Jakarta, Indonesia. Do let me know if you ever come to Bali! Best, Chimi
DEAR SIR,
MY NAME IS SAGAR KANOJIA M PERSUIN B.SC IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT FROM INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT MUMBAI INDIA I WANT TO BECOME A CHEF & NEED UR GUIDANCE HOPE U WILL DEF. HELP ME
Geez, you’re soooo hot and you’re guitar’s sooo big.
It makes me swoon.
Heaven in blonde tussled hair.
xoxoxo
Hey George,
Good to hear from you after so many years! You haven’t lost that charming cynical voice
Judy Doherty tracked you down online and sent me the link to your website – looks like things are going well for you in Oregon.
Best wishes……
Matthew
Matthew: Have you ever made that typical French desert called Clafouiti (sp?). I’ve tried Julia Child’s recipe, using sweet and sour cherries, blueberries, etc. And while it works and is tasty–the custard part is slightly rubbery. Can’t seem to get that custard/pudding consistency down right. Can you solve this for me?
BTW–Happy Birthday. TJ
Hey TJ,
Here are a couple links for other recipes for Clafoutis – not sure how they compare to Julia Child’s but you could look at them and see:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/CherryClafoutis.html
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cherry-Clafoutis-5611
A couple things to consider – the rubbery texture you are speaking about may be from overmixing the flour in the custard. I find that it’s best to let this kind of batter rest about 30 – 60 minutes before baking (as with pancakes or muffins). This lets the glutens in the flour relax. Or it could also be from a little too much flour in the recipe. The epicurious recipe uses cornstarch and flour which would lighten the flour.
You may aslo be looking for a different end result than the recipe can produce. I’m not a Clafoutis expert but I think that it does tend to be a little rubbery even when made by a pro so that just may be the nature of the beast so to speak. Try a little experimenting to see if you can get it closer to what you’re looking for – just be sure to invite me over to judge the results
Hope this helps – sorry I can’t be more precise.
Hi,
I am a big fan of Cafe du soleil. I often dine there once a week. I truly miss the wonderful frisee salad that used to be on the menu. Would you share the recipie with me? I promised my friend who also love the returant and the salad that I would have them over one night for the Frisee and lardons. thanks so much! –Drew
Hi Drew,
Thanks for your feedback on Cafe du Soleil. I would be happy to post the frisee salad recipe. I don’t think I have a photo of it but I can do it as a post without a photo. Keep your eyes on this space – I’ll try to do it in the next few days.
And we may have it back on the menu for the summer months….
Thanks, Matthew
Hi Matt,
Thank you for the amazing dinner at Soleil last night. It was nice getting to meet you, indulge in delicious food, and enjoy the ambiance. If there’s an opening for any positions there this summer, I hope you will consider me. I would absolutely love to work there.
Thanks again and take care!
Julia
Hi Julia,
Sorry I don’t check messages on here very often. It was good meeting you too! I will definitely let you know if we have any openings. Hope you are enjoying the summer.
Best from,
Matthew