Yesterday, I received one of the nicest compliments from a fellow Yelper in quite a long time, so you are the inspiration for this review, ma cherie.
This is a restaurant that reminded me back when I visited Quebec and Montreal, almost the exact same vibes, the same layout, a similar menu. The cuisine is almost French Canadian, with some American twists to it, but perhaps the reason the food is so delicious is everything is locally purchased. Everything here is top notch, from the presentation to the service. It is expensive, and the restaurant is located in a part of Brooklyn that is not part of my DNA, but the food is too good here. I will break down each part because of the difficulty to get in here, though not necessarily true. If you have a large party, you might have some issues. But a 2 or 3, if you are willing to be flexible, they can get you in.
Now, for the food.
Sorry, one last thing. The servers were terrific and friendly. They also know what they are talking about; do not turn down any suggestion they offer you.
Now, for the food, for real.
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Pancakes: The star of this restaurant is the pancakes at this restaurant. For $18, these have to be some of the best pancakes in New York City outside of Clinton Street Baking Company. I know I just said Golden Diner puts out the best ones, but I have to backtrack a little bit. These probably overtake them because of the light consistency, the slight lemon zest, and the crispiness of them. This is the cost of doing business in these times; $18 is high for two pancakes that are rather small, but the depth of flavor these two pancakes have is MASSIVE.
Bacon: You could easily get this at a steakhouse. So much flavor, and you get three nice strips. It is delicious, so it is quite a shame when the last strip is eaten. More than likely, you will want to order a few of these if you have a large party. These are the real deal.
Sausage: Made in house, this sausage is absolutely fantastic as well. Three links to a plate, the sausage carries excellent depth of flavor; a little bit of heat, and a good snap to make for an easy breakfast meat to snag alongside the sweet pancakes.
Smoked Salmon: This is where the Quebecois cuisine is apparent. It served with toasted sesame chip like bread, cream cheese, and sesame seeds. Not too overpowering, but the lox they use is Gravlax. Gravlax is more saltier than Nova lox, but the cream cheese helps even it out a little. My stomach loves most kinds of smoked salmon; this is no exception.
Garlic Aoli and Chips: Another component of Quebecois cuisine, the chips taste beautiful and the garlic aioli is magnificent. The whole thing is delicious and a great component to share with lots of people. I ordered some knowing I was not going to finish them, but I am happy to have tried a few because I really wanted to see how these would turn out. I really felt like I was in Montreal while I was eating these. Could you imagine if this were in a poutine? Wow.
The drink I ordered (a simple mimosa) was nothing to obsess over, and I got some side eggs for my dish which I will not dwell on either because eggs are eggs; they work well to accentuate a bit of acidity to the meal without taking away too much flavor from the dishes.
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Now the question is, do I return? My heart wants to, because the food is delicious. My gut says no. It is too expensive, and it is not the easiest restaurant for me to get to during the weekends, which is when this restaurant is busiest.
At least I know though that there is somebody out there that sees these reviews and that makes me want to continue doing this. That helped push me through this review and make it more than just a few lines.
Au revoir for now. read more