Les Halles

15 John St.

New York, NY 10038

(212) 285-8585

Les Halles!!!!! Finally me and the usual suspects are going going here after much waiting and hemming and hawing about not having been. The usual suspects being Fiona, Rich, Julie, Joe, and of course, myself. Fee and I really wanted to come here since one of our favorite food critics/chefs, Anthony Bourdain had his start and the famed restaurant. Yes, the cantankerous and witty Bourdain! I think I have a crush on him HAHA. Either way, it was so exciting to visit his original home in the restaurant world. Unfortunately, not everything was as wonderful as we'd hoped. Well, I give the food an A--for astonishing and the service also and A-- for appalling. If it not had been for the food, my disappointment would have been at an all time high and I would have been a cranky ice skater in our subsequent adventure to Bryant Park.

I ate the Ouef Poches a l'Ecossaise, poached eggs on an English muffin with Bearnaise sauce and a slice of smoked salmon. I've been on a smoked salmon kick, because while I adore the cooked kind, eating the smoked stuff has been a slower progression for me. Lately, I've taken to it nicely, especially with the popular paring of bagels and lox (with a tomato, thank you very much). So, to further my quest of smoked salmon one-ness, I ordered as mentioned. It was absolute heaven! The salmon melted like salty butter in my mouth, balanced by the delicate acidity of the Bearnaise and soft, smooth, runny yolks. (WITH very slight smokiness). Even Rich, who either didn't realize that it had smoked salmon on it when I ordered, or just plain forgot, loved it-- which is, let's be frank here, miraculous considering all he likes in terms of fish is the fried kind.

Fiona ate the Ouef Meurette, with bacon and a white wine shallot sauce. I, of course had to try, and my sister and I both agreed this dish was also delicious and a different twist on regular eggs Benedict. Rich ate the Crepes aux Fruits Frais. It was a great dish, however, since my sweet tooth is relatively small, I thought it was a bit too sweet for a brunch. But, to each his own! Julie and Joe had Ouef Benedicte. The following pics are of Fiona and Rich's orders.

Like I mentioned, the service was fairly bad, but if you're willing to overlook or forgo that crucial part of your own dining experience, I'd say it really is worth going to Les Halles. Food was the saving grace here. We were well fed and on our way to fall on our bums at Bryant Park!

Pastis

9 Ninth Ave.

New York, NY 10014

(212) 929-4844

Pastis is set in the heart of possibly my favorite part of Manhattan- the Meatpacking District. It is like another world there, without the sardine can-like crowds and the cobblestone streets remind me of Europe and the old world. I love it and could spend a day in the little nook of the city people watching and staring at the lovely buildings and architecture. Anywho, Pastis, I feel is perfect for the area. The 1940's french themed bar and restaurant are precisely how I want to decorate my future kitchen! Fiona suggested that we go here- finally! We went with fellow foodie, Joe, and had a ball. It was very crowded and there was a wait, but nothing too complain about while we admired the decor. I was just excited that we were going to have brunch!

Coincidentally, the three of us wanted the same thing, so to change it up, I ordered the .... which are from the bakery, Balthazar owned by the same proprietors. I should have known it was a funny selection because of the waitress' questionable expression on her face and the fact that she said "you just want the pastry for brunch?" I thought nothing of it, of course, but then understood when my order came. My order consisted of a croissant, chocolate croissant, sticky bun, and orange brioche. For some reason when I ordered, I envisioned tiny bite-sized pastries, but no, it was an enormous bread basket, obviously made to share as a side dish. Either way, after I giggled at my order, I was very happy. Helloooo carbs! I was instantly transported to an outside boulangerie in Paris. Each pastry was sugary, sticky, flaky, and just as buttery as I'd hoped. I shared with Fiona and Joe and I think they had the same sentiments.

I also stole some of their Eggs a la Basquaise- the dish we all wanted originally (poached egg with polenta, peppers, onions, and prosciutto). We were all surprised by how small the serving was, when presented. However, it was lovely. The yolky egg and peppers were an excellent flavor combination. Very much like a breakfast-y sausage and peppers. But, towards the scraping of the plate at the end of the dish, the very obvious question came to be-- Where is the polenta?? I don't know if they were sleepy back there in the kitchen, but it certainly was not on the plate. Oh well!

To end, my sister and my dessert was poire au vin rouge or poached pears. Instantly, I thought of the winter holidays. Each bite of pear was very reminiscent of a mulled wine spiced with cloves. The pear was tender but not mushy and soaked in the flavorful wine. Quite yummy and a lovely light choice to end our brunch. Joe ate bananas foster, which was okay, but I'm not a big fan of bananas unless it is right out of its' peel. I will definitely go back here again as the other menus seem spectacular and it is a good excuse to go back to the meatpacking district... a pretty decent excuse, if you ask me!

Quercy Restaurant

242 Court St

Brooklyn, NY 11201

(718) 243-2151

Since it was Brooklyn's restaurant week, many places were offering prix fixe menus. Quercy is a relatively small eatery and every table was full and lively with conversation. Here, the prix fixe was 3 courses for $23- not a price to complain about. Unfortunately, the same can not be said about the staff, who were slow and inefficient, to be quite frank. Anyway, lets talk food.

Starting, I ate goat cheese wrapped in puff pastry with salad greens. I thought that the warm goat cheese salad was relatively good. There was a housemade dressing on the side, which did not seem to complement the salad as a whole, so i did not use it too much. Basically it tasted like buttermilk-ranch dressing. However, the goat cheese was scrumptious... well, let's face it, anything wrapped in pastry is divine! The Coq Au Vin was relatively okay and was accompanied by a side of buttered green beans or, 'haricot vert'. It is a traditional french dish, meaning chicken cooked in wine. I expected much more vegetables in my stew, but I cannot complain about the quantity of chicken. Unfortunately, the stew seemed to be lacking something, though I could not pin-point what was missing. As for my dessert, I was very happy. The chocolate cake was flourless and decadent! Very chocolatey and a dense cake who would make any chocolate lover happy. I sampled some of my fellow diner's food: the chicken in a mustard sauce was excellent. The chicken was moist and the mustard sauce was not overpowerful, yet creamy and pungent enough to have a lasting taste on your tastebuds. Also, the scalloped potatoes were creamy, cheesy, and buttery. What more can you ask for in a potato?

I drank House wine and it was very good red wine. It was notable, as it came in a wine bottle where the label seemed to have braille on it; never saw that before. Definitely not a bad drink of choice, especially for house wine.

Overall the food was decent. I really wanted to try the beef bourguinon but it was not part of the prix fixe menu. Maybe I would go back and try that next time especially if the service changes. Hopefully it was just an 'off' night for the wait staff and next time they will be a bit more speedy with the service. Overall, the food was quite lovely.