Mark S.
Yelp
This was a really tough place to rate. It's a cool space, the service was friendly and attentive, things that are really hard to get right were absolutely nailed, but... the things that should be basic for a restaurant like this were really disappointing.
First, the good. The Steak Tartare was very tasty, and the housemade potato chips were such a smart vehicle for it. Added a wonderful salty crunch which paired beautifully! Then the Cauliflower... I am tepid on cauliflower, and when it came out as a full head I was skeptical, but man, was it perfect. Roasted beautifully, and the sauce with it was incredible. Likely the best version of Cauliflower that I've ever had. Finally, the Duck. Duck is always a risky proposition, if it's not done right it's pretty bad, but this came with a "brown butter mustard" that intrigued me enough to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. It was one of the best duck dishes I've had, and that's saying something.
Now, the bad. Our table wasn't ready when we got there for our reservation, which is no biggie, busy Saturday night. But when the host asked us to have a drink at their sister bar (Cheval) across the street instead of having one there, I was a little confused. We soon learned why. When we were sat and our server asked for our drink order, we asked for a lemon drop martini and were told they couldn't do it. We asked for a different drink, and the server said they couldn't do that, either. She then explained that they pre-batch their cocktails and do not have a full-service bar, which was confusing since they have one across the street...
Then, the Toasted Brie. The flavor was good, but it came our barely warm- that's a big miss for a place like this. Finally, the Coulotte Steak- while cooked to the temp we requested- was shockingly bland. It barely had any normal, beefy steak flavor which was very disappointing.
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could, because the good was great. But I couldn't go with 4 because, as I said earlier, stuff that should be staples were huge let-downs. They had a lot on the menu that sounded fantastic, and the good was good enough for me to try some other dishes, and I just hope that they are the hits.