Stepping into my favorite bar in the lobby of the Ace Hotel, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Breslin was having its soft opening. So of course I had to go. Same owners as The Spotted Pig, but no horrendously long wait in line with a slew of foodies? Hell yes.
The place is nice, its in an old unrestored room, great ceilings. Lots of animal heads and sculptures hanging out. Has that worn overstuffed leather feel but all the furniture is brand spankin new. It's like all the hipsters in Williamsburg grew up, made lots of their own money an opened a "rustic" hunting lodge. It's actually designed by Architectural firm Roman and Williams, who did the Lobby of the Ace Hotel. Vinyl records, horsehair and stuffed badgers, oh my...
Wait, so next I bring the food to the... ummm...Service is slow, they are obviously working out the kinks. Since it was the soft opening, there was a limited dinner menu, and the kitchen was definitely going through a shakedown. I'm sure they'll get thinks going smoothly soon.
Charcuterie from Left: head cheese, rabbit with prune, rustic pork with pistachios, ginea hen with morelsThe Charcuterie is ok. There are some mighty fancy ingredients going on, unfortunately none of them are allowed to sing. This is most evident in the Ginea Hen with morels, it tastes just like a cheap processed chicken loaf; watery with a bit too much salt and a disconcertingly homogeneous texture. The rabbit suffered the same consequences, just being kinda "meh", and was a little tough. The head cheese (really bad name for a food) tasted like it should, pulled pork with a ton of fat. The rustic pork was the only star here, the pistachios added a nice variation in texture and it tasted like a lovely unsalted fresh salami.
After our main dishes finally arrived, I regretted only coming with one companion, as we could only order two items. I must say the mains are where this place shines.
After our main dishes finally arrived, I regretted only coming with one companion, as we could only order two items. I must say the mains are where this place shines.
Rustic photo (grown-up hipster for "low light iphone shot") of the Poussin.The Poussin had a superb "perfect roasted chicken" flavor, offset by a bitter pomegranate reduction and pops of the pomegranate seeds. The pumpkin seeds here and there were fine, but the best part was an unexpected hit of mint. The accompanying toasted pumpkin was sweet and delicious, with a hint of cumin. Really an inspired grouping of diverse and unexpected flavors.
The Beef shin was cooked nicely, perhaps erring on the firm/dry side, but not too much. There is a punch of citrus in it, and when eaten with the parsley's fresh herbal notes comes together marvelously. The polenta is firm and good, but the real star I thought was the black cabbage puree; it had wonderful amounts of butter and cream, so it was rich and delicious but did not step over the line into cloying.
The deserts need work. The quince crumble was almost there, the buttery sauce and quinces being done just about perfectly, but the crumble falls painfully short. Instead of a wonderful complex topping it seems like someone sprinkled store bought granola on it. They brought us a chocolate mousse with beer (the dessert chef is really nice btw) and the mousse had an inconsistent texture, at times thick, others runny, and the beer flavor added a little too much bitter that was not quite balanced.
The Beef shin was cooked nicely, perhaps erring on the firm/dry side, but not too much. There is a punch of citrus in it, and when eaten with the parsley's fresh herbal notes comes together marvelously. The polenta is firm and good, but the real star I thought was the black cabbage puree; it had wonderful amounts of butter and cream, so it was rich and delicious but did not step over the line into cloying.
The deserts need work. The quince crumble was almost there, the buttery sauce and quinces being done just about perfectly, but the crumble falls painfully short. Instead of a wonderful complex topping it seems like someone sprinkled store bought granola on it. They brought us a chocolate mousse with beer (the dessert chef is really nice btw) and the mousse had an inconsistent texture, at times thick, others runny, and the beer flavor added a little too much bitter that was not quite balanced.
Overall
Ok, here I buy the high end super expensive "salt of the earth pub fare" genre. Its great. Also the breakfast menu looks great, fry ups with pork of all kinds, mmmmm yes. Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield have once again managed to bring the Gastro-Pub rage to us from across the pond (with the help of Peter Cho, the current chef at the Breslin Bar).
The Breslin, 3 out of 5 bacon strips.
Ok, here I buy the high end super expensive "salt of the earth pub fare" genre. Its great. Also the breakfast menu looks great, fry ups with pork of all kinds, mmmmm yes. Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield have once again managed to bring the Gastro-Pub rage to us from across the pond (with the help of Peter Cho, the current chef at the Breslin Bar).
The Breslin, 3 out of 5 bacon strips.This concludes Gastroliaison's mini review of the Breslin Bar.
Posts
