I love to eat… it is a passion. Sadly, working out is my anti-passion, nevertheless I do try to balance the two out – well, some of the time and not as much as I should! I love food… I like looking at food, smelling it, cooking it, having it cooked for me; however, my specialty is eating it after it has been served to me by a waiter. This is why I get excited when I have work trips to New York. Having to work in New York City has its advantages, and for me the biggest one is being able to go to many of the restaurants the city has to offer. I tend to be in a lot of meetings when I am in NY, so barely have time to check my emails or do actual work, but throughout the day, I am thinking about my next food adventure in the Big Apple.
Each time I come to New York, I ask folks about what’s new and “in” and where I should go for dinner. Or, I get excited about revisiting an old favorite. After arriving in New York yesterday for a couple of days of meetings I had a quick look on OpenTable for somewhere easy to go to after work with my good friend, Lauren. We ended up going to Brasserie as it is quite near our office and I thought I had not been there before. Well, to my surprise, I had. It was like déjà vu! I walked in and knew I had dined there before… for the life of me I cannot remember when or who with. I was not disappointed at all.
As you walk into Brasserie, you feel like you are walking into a huge canteen. The place is a big open space with white tables and chairs and gorgeous light wood floors. The walls on one side are floor to ceiling misted glass with wine bottles behind them that looks really cool. The have a low rise staircase that comes down to the middle of the restaurant which makes you almost feel like you are walking off a space ship. The bar area was packed with “suits” last night – superb people watching, and I would say the restaurant was about half full but really loud. I didn’t mind, I quite like loud restaurants when I am with friends and it gives it a very fun vibe.
Myself, Lauren and Martha Day (another colleague and friend) were walked to our table and immediately greeted by the very friendly waiter. The “restaurant week” menu was being offered and it looked fabulous so all three of decided to go for the 3-course meal for $35/person.
Our evening started with ordering a fabulous bottle of “Sancerre, Domaine Serge LaLoue 2008” – crisp and clean and quite delicious. We then swiftly moved onto the menu. There were so many yummy choices to choose from – even on the “Restaurant Week” menu. I started with the “Wild Mushroom Veloute with Crispy Shallots.” The soup was creamy and rich and the crispy shallots added a little more texture to the dish. Absolutely delicious and perfectly warming for a winter’s evening without being too heavy.
For my main I went with the “Bay Scallops with Pommes Anna, Sage Beurre Blanc.” They were melt in your mouth superb and so rich and buttery; I could feel the inches increasing on my waistline. The potatoes were soft and creamy and really tasty.
For my dessert, I decided on the “Chocolate Flourless Cake with Cocoa Nibs and Chocolate Mousse.” Really, do I need to say anything about this little bit of naughty heaven decadence! So truly delicious, I just wanted to curl up in a corner and hug the plate. The plate and my expanded waistline!
Brasserie was great! The service is outstanding. Our waiter was there every time we needed him without being aggressive or overly attentive. The manager came over to see how we were doing and then another manager checked in on us at the end of the evening and welcomed us back any time.
For $35 a person, this is a fabulous treat at a fun restaurant!
