Papillon (Formally Typhoon) $$$$$

 

• Skip to Menu Category
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Entrées
  • Side Dishes
  • Sweet Endings
  • Beverages
  • Coffee Bar

Papillon Bar and Bistro is midtown Manhattan’s newest culinary destination. Located at 22 East 54th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues, Papillon is in the epicenter of Manhattan’s most sophisticated shopping and hospitality destinations.

The stunning bistro features elegant décor with rustic Provencal elements.

Papillon’s 11,000 square feet includes two all-accessible dining levels, a seventy-foot bar on the main level, in addition to the more intimate upper level bar, and two private function rooms for corporate and special events, with a separate VIP-entrance. Papillon can accommodate groups of ten to three hundred people.

Chef Tony Shek, formerly of Odeon and Café Luxemburg, brilliantly executes our traditional French bistro fare. Papillon’s full menu is available for catered events both on and off premise. Our staff can work with you to create the perfect private catered event for any occasion.

Papillon is open seven days a week, offering lunch, dinner and late bar menus. In addition, we offer an elegant brunch on Saturday and Sunday. We invite you to come in and experience amazing, traditional French bistro fare and ambiance in the heart of New York City.

Hide

Papillon, New York’s newest and most exciting Midtown bistro, located at 22 East 54 Street, offers the finest catering and event planning. We offer multiple event rooms to fit every need. Our space boasts over 11,000 square feet, two separate bars on two levels, and the finest food in midtown from our chef Toney Shek, formerly of Odeon.

Let our experienced and professional event planning staff make your next event one that will have people buzzing with excitement. Call our event coordinator today for details on how you can experience excellence at Midtown’s newest party destination.

Event Coordinator Kristopher Hassett at 212-754-9006 or www.papillionbistro.com

Grilled New Zealand Lamb Chops—With potato gnocchi and lime mint glaze, mojito style

Warm Roasted Beet Pear and Watercress Salad—With caramelized walnuts and shaved parmesan lemon vinaigrette

Steak Frites (NY Strip)—With béarnaise sauce

Seared Norwegian Salmon—With enaki mushrooms and snow peas, ginger-miso sauce

Penne Rustica—With artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and calamata olives

Seasonal Grilled Vegetable Plates—With Moroccan-style couscous

Grilled Cajun Spiced Chicken Breast—With haricot vert and red bliss potatoes Lyonnaise

Henri Charriere was born in 1906 in the Southern French region of Ardeche, to a local school headmaster. His mother’s death devastated him when he was very young. After a long and difficult childhood, he decided to serve in his country's army. While in the French Navy, Henri gained the nickname Papillon from the butterfly tattoo on his chest; it was during this period he began accumulating his criminal contacts.

After his military service, Charriere moved to Paris where he became a key underworld figure. At twenty-five he was framed for murder and sent to serve a life sentence in the French penal colony of Guiana. Papillon swore he would not serve prison time for a crime he did not commit. His first escape involved traveling one thousand miles in an open boat. During his first attempt at freedom he was helped by members of a Leper colony as well as a native tribe, within which he fathered children.

Papillon was eventually captured and sent to solitary confinement where he endured countless inhumanities, including near starvation. After nine failed escapes, Papillon finally gained his freedom. He became a citizen of Venezuela and became involved with a myriad of notable characters including: gold miners, bank robbers and revolutionaries. Around this time Papillon met the love of his life, Rita, whom he would eventually marry.

In 1967, an earthquake hit Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. The nightclubs Papillon owned were ruined, as was he financially. It was then that he wrote his international, best selling memoir, Papillon. He subsequently gained stardom, cavorting with celebrities like Brigette Bardot, appearing on film and penning another book, Banco.

Henri Charriere, aka Papillon, passed away in 1973. However, this man of intense spirit and will lives on forever.

Only select user reviews are published on SeamlessWeb. All user-submitted ratings contribute to Papillon (Formally Typhoon)'s overall SeamlessWeb rating, but we manually screen all reviews and only publish those that are relevant and helpful. Tips for getting your review published »