Josephine Lee
Google
High prices? Check.
Small portions? Check.
Massive hype? Check.
I don't know if Americans realize that fashion restaurants aren't supposed to be the price-gouging disappointments they so often are here....but, they aren't. Like, the Prada Cafe in Milan charges bistro-level prices for high-quality dishes like saffron risotto that come in nonna-level amounts. By comparison, NYC places like Maison Passerelle and the Louis Vuitton Cafe charge three Michelin-star prices for mid-quality dishes at ant-like portions. Sigh.
I'll give Passerelle props for "trying" to inject some Haitian flavor into an otherwise dull French menu, but this is one clear case where intent does not equal execution.
For a girls' night dinner, the four of us started with a complimentary amuse bouche of mushrooms in broth--and if the actual dishes had been like this, I would be writing a different review. Sadly, the amuse bouche was probably the best part of our meal.
We got the Warm Plantain Bread & Butter to share, except that wasn't possible because the bread was the size of half an iPhone, and we were basically stuck trying to cut it into teeny-tiny bites. It was decent quality, but generally unremarkable. And the seasoned butter accompaniments were nice but no different than the housemade butter offered at tons of other restaurants.
For entrees, my Spaghetti Homard was a laughably small cut of lobster tail with an even tinier dallop of spaghetti and tomato sauce. It took about 5 bites to finish and cost more than $40. Seriously? I mean, I kind of get skimping on the lobster--but why be so stingy with the pasta and sauce? And if Haitian influences were intended to be present in the sauce, I must've missed the memo because the sauce wasn't even spicy.
The Cane Syrup Glazed Duck was bland and forgettable with no hint of pineapple or tamarind as the menu promised. We also got a side salad to share, but that's not even worth typing about. Frankly, the Diri ak Sos Pwa side (jasmine rice and red kidney bean sauce) was the best part of our meal, and that just tasted like any rice and beans dish I've had.
We were all still hungry after our small, lackluster entrees, so we ended up spending way too much money for dessert. The Coconut Chiboust was another over-promised, under-delivered item that was apparently intended to deliver lemongrass and makrut lime flavors along with the main toasted coconut sorbet, but mostly just tasted like coconut water with a hint of lime. The Rose Kayenn was more complex and interesting, but still not worth the price point for what was essentially sorbet with shaved ice. I will say the Souffle was delicious, but at $21, I would rather just make my own.
The drinks were equally disappointing $20+ glasses of under-delivering concoctions, like the bland Situationship and a Sticky Rice cocktail that didn't taste like any sticky rice my Asian childhood has ever had.
Sadly, the only impression Maison Passerelle made was on my wallet, and it wasn't a positive one. If I want Haitian, I think I'll stick to the flavorful mom 'n' pop shops we still have in the city.