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| - A rather unprepossessing sort of place, with a very long bar near the front and shallow width for the tables. The ambience is very laid-back, with brick walls and not much in the way of sound absorption. So when it gets full, the noise level is unacceptably high.
The service is swift, informed and elegant. The kitchen is open at the back of the restaurant, and is obviously full of very enthusiastic young chefs.
The wine list is appalling. Apparently they are about to change it significantly. We were able to find a decent Sancerre, a tad expensive at $95 but as for the Reds, forget it.
The food, on the other hand is excellent.
We started with small shrimp in garlic and salsa verde. Wonderful, beautifully cooked, and slightly crisp, much better than the squid and large shrimp which it replaced on the menu.
We had an oyster mushroom, shaved asparagus type salad which was plenty to share, and although the dressing was a bit indifferent the textures were very interesting and enjoyable.
We then had an outstanding fettuccine of lobster, shrimp, crab, with Parmesan on top. crème fraîche, tomato base. Extraordinarily tasty, and beautifully executed.
We ended with the halibut which was a small portion, as always; hot, crispy, well cooked, and lovely.
The cocktail of the day at $17 was good but exploitative in price. They tried to charge us $40 for corkage which is outrageous, and reduced it to $30 which is still high. They need to learn that they cannot overtly fleece their customers and still survive.
Hence, the missing top star.
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