A newer picturesque restaurant to Fulton Market, located right above Bar La Rue is La Serre. When you first walk onto you're greeted with a selfie mirror and a beautiful stairway that leads up to the restaurant. The stairway had a picture that splits up with each step leading the way up to the restaurant. We were seated, and greeted by our host of the night, Denice.
I started with the French 94. It was the perfect drink to kick off spring. It was light, and refreshing.
Bread service quickly came out after drinks arrived and Denice gave us the rundown of the menu. Telling us about the incredible boeuf options, to the various entree plates while sharing her highly recommended dishes, going back to the salads, crus, petites, and ending with the amuse. Letting us know that the amuse are individual plates and are meant to be eaten as a pre appetizer, or an appeteaser as she called it. After hearing it all, we decided to share and try a variety of items.
Starting with the amuse, the options included crab croquette, truffle tater tot, and duck profiterole. Of the three my favorite was the crab croquette, it had jumbo lump crab, béchamel, and espelette pepper. The flavors were incredible, the creaminess with the béchamel made me want more with each bite.
We also tried the French onion fondue which was essentially French onion soup in dip form. It came with a side of sour dough bread. I didn't want to get too full on just bread so I ended up breaking the center and it actually was perfect with the fondue to enjoy. The caramelize onion and cheese was full of flavor and the perfect mix of sweet and cheesy.
Moving on to the cru plates, we tried the beef tartare and the tuna crudo. The beef tartare was great, it came with slices of bread. But the tuna crundo was the highlight of the night for me. The slices of tuna were topped with caviar, and had a tomato, shallot and yuzu sauce that was absolutely to die for.
While the tartare was great, I ended up taking the break and soaking it in the sauce of the crudo because it was that great.
For our pasta plates we tried the gnocchi, and the roasted tomato chablisienne. The gnocchi was tossed in a basil pistou, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts. While the flavor of the pesto was delightful, I thought the plate needed a bit more of a crunch. (I didn't get a full plate picture as the pasta was serve to us by the incredible waiters). The roasted tomato pasta was so good. The tomato creme sauce with the crispy part of the bacon made each bite full of flavor and wanting more.
The half roasted chicken, of which they cut table side to split the wing, the white meat and the dark meat. It came with a lemon garlic confit that was incredible. I could eat spoonfuls of the sauce. The chicken was moist and full of flavor with and without the sauce, but so much better with it. The duck chinoise is large enough for folks to share, paired crepes and vegetables to be able to make essentially a duck taco. The duck jus was delish, and made each bite better than the last.
During our dinner service Denice came by multiple times to check on us and make sure we had everything we needed. She even showed us the proper techniques to enjoy the duck. The guys also did an incredible job of keeping our tables clear refilling water as I was drinking. There was never a moment we were left thirsty.
To end the night, we shared the apple tart and the chocolate crepes. We definitely were stuffed but there's always room for dessert right? Or at least that's what we tell ourselves. While we waited for desserts, Denice gave us warm towels to clean our hands. Which was super helpful after the duck tacos made our hands a bit sticky. The towels were lavender scented and really tied the floral together. Dessert came out shortly after. She offer post dinner drinks, and we got a shot of espresso. It came with raw sugar and a tiny spoon to mix in should we choose. The apple tart was light and crispy and the caramel on the ice cream made each bite so worth being extra full for. The hazelnut crepes were delish as well, I only took a few bites of that before we needed to pack the rest to take home. The chocolate within the crepe and the crispiness of the hazelnuts on top and within the crepe made it stand out from other traditional crepes I've had elsewhere.
Before taking off, I stopped to use the restroom. And let me just say it was stunning. The stalls were clean and the wallpaper truly matched the aesthetic of the restaurant. The gold/brass antique style bathroom essentials really tired the handwashing station together as well. The trash can even matched. I also have to point out that they have a la Serre branded candle which kept the bathroom smelling fresh.
All in all, we had an incredible time. From the ambiance, the food, the service we left full, and on cloud9. I can't wait to come back and try other items on the menu soon. read more