All stories about "Brasserie Cognac"
Week in Reviews: Commerce Gets a One
Krieger, 2/19/08
Bruni heads to the West Village's newest shiny object, Commerce this week and gives it one star. Unlike Platt—who thought the good food mitigated the 'exhausting' atmosphere—the Brunz calls the out place (and the food) as fussy, overwrought:
"...he creates a rankling dissonance, his dishes beseeching a closeness of attention that the frenzied atmosphere doesn’t easily permit...Oh but wait. There is one good thing: "...if all else fails there’s the bread basket...a throwback to the days when carb wasn’t a four-letter word....I always vowed not to polish it all off, and I always ended up staring at crumbs." [NYT]And he errs. While there’s some wonderful food that reflects the talent he showed and the experience he received at Montrachet and then March, there’s also some food that’s not cooked or seasoned as it should be, and there’s food that’s too fussy, not just for the ambience but also for its own good...
...It’s more pretty than comfortable, and its menu is more interesting than trustworthy, though no evening is likely to be a bust."
Benoit, Adour, the Elsewhere, next.>>
Eater Match Game: Grom, Benoit, Wildwood, and More
For a little rainy day fun we present Eater Match Game. Match the correct comment from all the usual sources—Yelp, Menupages, Citysearch, blog comment sections—with the correct new restaurant. The prize? You will be slightly less productive at work for the next 5 minutes.
Today's Restaurants: A: Grom, B: Brasserie Cognac, C: Benoit, D: Arlo and Esme, E: Wildwood, and F: YourAsian.
And the reviews:
1) "Like a lot of NYC restaurants, they pack the place with tables, a couple too many in my opinion. It's tight in there...Plates, glasses and silverware were removed between courses, which I loved, but then next course would arrive long before your next round of silverware. One of our appetizers never appeared...We didn't have the chicken, but we asked others about it and only heard raves."
2) "...chickens were flying out of the kitchen...Those who haven’t ordered yet ask their server, “What is that?”...There’s no “voila!” as each plate is delivered. A suit and tie are no longer de rigeur. But the food is right out of the old school—or so it seemed to us."
3) "This is a case of a decent concept that's badly executed...After a few bites, I fled down the block to BonBon Chicken. Now that shit is good."
4-6, ahead.>>First Look: Brasserie Cognac
Last night Brasserie Cognac hosted a preview party so all manner of press people and besuited uptown folk could take a sneak peek of the place before the Monday opening. Chef Florian Hugo was on hand, little tarts and mini croque monsieurs were passed, and the drinks, along with the dressed up ladies and gents that were drinking them, were in abundance. Now, the furniture isn't in yet, but the pictures above give you a general idea of both the layout of the space and the crowd that may be dining here. Basically it's divided into six sections: a bar, a bakery, a room with a cheese station, and three distinct dining areas. And as was mentioned in the Times piece yesterday, the look is of a classic French brasserie, imitating but not exactly reaching the heights of Balthazar. Owned by the Serafina group, Cognac Brasserie's midtown location—right next to the Late Show—means it will be a definite hit with the out of towners looking for an Olive Garden alternative in Times Square, but we'll have to see if they can pull in the locals.
· EaterWire: Chef Named at Brasserie Cognac [~E~]
Plywood Report: Co Pizzeria, Hot & Crusty, Five Napkin Burger and More!!
1) Chelsea: Co Pizzeria, the long awaited project from Sullivan St. bakery's Jim Lahey has plywood boards up, but the space looks a long way from being completed. We haven't heard much on the place since the announcement last summer, but hopefully things are still moving forward. [PLYWOOD]
2) Midtown West: A correspondent writes in: "The former Jezebel (690 9th Ave) space will apparently be 'Five napkin burger' and it is applying for a sidewalk permit but it's still pretty rough inside." This space has been in plywood stages for months, but this is a sure sign of progress. [PLYWOOD]
3) East Village: A tipster writes in with a shot of the new Hot & Crusty on east 14th St.: "For better or for worse, a hot & crusty opened on 14th and 1st. used to be a subway and GNC." Imbible spotted the place as well: "Though I generally don't support the chain-ization of the East Village, as a local, I must say that I'm not displeased to have a fancy deli in the 'hood. We've got tons of cafes and restaurants that are great for eating out, but there aren't many places that offer made-to-order takeout salads, bagels, etc." [POST-PLYWOOD]
Olive Vine Cafe, Brasserie Cognac, Al Diwan, Red Egg, and more next.>>EaterWire: Alinea Decidedly Not Coming to NYC, Florian Hugo to chef at Brasserie Cognac, Brass Monkey Expanding
NEW YORK CITY— TONY's Feed blog gets a statement from Grant Achatz on all those exciting Alinea NYC rumors. He was thinking about it, but not so much anymore: "We started aggressively looking for spaces in Manhattan about two months ago...That of course prompted some serious conversation between myself and [Alinea partner] Nick...New York carries that stigma of being the big pond. And of course chefs outside of the big pond, for whatever reason, feel they need to enter that arena to prove themselves. Basically that amounts to ego as the impetus for a New York opening. It didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t a good enough reason to open there." [The Feed]
MIDTOWN WEST— The newest restaurant from the owners of Serafina, Brasserie Cognac de Monsieur Ballon, opens in just about two weeks, and they've just announced the new chef: "Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, who made their names with the Italian restaurants Serafina and the Japanese place Geisha, will segue from spaghetti and sushi to steak au poivre. As chef of their new Brasserie Cognac de Monsieur Ballon, they've hired Florian Hugo, a dapper, direct descendant of the writer Victor Hugo, who once cooked for Alain Ducasse." [NYP]
Brass Monkey's expansion plans, up next.>>Sign up for our email newsletter.
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