Casimir - 103 Avenue B, New York NY 10009
212.358.9683
L Train to 1st Avenue or 6 Train to Astor Place
www.casimirrestaurant.com A few weeks ago, I had the fun of attending a tasting at Casimir, a French restaurant in the East Village. I love going to this part of Manhattan because it always surprises me – so many different cuisines in one neighborhood, and there’s always something new and exciting to explore. My friend Crystal joined me too and we made a nice evening out of it (and even avoided a bad rainstorm that conveniently hit during dinner).
Atmosphere:Tucked away in Alphabet city on Avenue B, Casimir is a bit of a trek to get to, but once you get there it’s worth it. I like the casual bistro vibe that’s fit for small and large groups alike. The front is more social, as the tables have access to the street scene through large open windows. You can sit there with a friend for a casual dinner or bring a book and enjoy an evening solo.
The back of the restaurant is pretty expansive with a mix of small wooden tables and chairs and even some corner bench seating. We were pretty tempted by the quaint outdoor garden, also in the back, but with the imminent rainstorm, we opted for one of the corner benches. It was comfortable and private enough to have a conversation without anyone eavesdropping. I liked that the tables were well spaced out and not packed together as can be the case in some small bistros.
Food:The cuisine is of course French with all your favorite classics such as escargot, steak frites, steamed mussels and such. They have a nice mix of seafood, meat and even some vegetarian-friendly dishes. This was especially great because Crystal is a veggie and I was glad that she had options to choose from.
Escargot – This is one of my favorite treats to get in a French restaurant and it’s also a good indication of what the rest of the meal will look like. Hey…if you can’t get your escargot right, how are you going to score high on mussels, steak frites and other French classics? Anyway…the escargot was lovely – buttery, garlicky with little pieces of sautéed shallots. I was sad that Crystal couldn’t try it and I felt guilty finishing all that buttery goodness on my own, so half of it went back. Shame.
Almond-Melon Gazpacho – We were very excited about this appetizer because it sounded really refreshing, especially on a hot summer night. Not only was it cooling, it was so tasty – with hints of sweetness from the fruit (it had juicy grape halves on top) and a slightly nutty aftertaste. I loved the creamy consistency, which didn’t leave you feeling heavy.
Dubarry Salad – Another one of our starters, it was also light and refreshing. Combining several types of greens such as arugula and radicchio, the salad had a peppery taste, which was nicely balanced out by the sweetness of the beets, green beans and the asparagus.
Apricot Chicken with Cous-Cous – I ordered this dish because it incorporated my favorite flavor combination of sweet and savory. I loved the way the chicken was roasted – it had a beautiful crust on top that was slightly crunchy. The meat was milky white and tender with definite hints of apricot, which were nestled right next to it. Oh and what gorgeous apricots they were – so plump and sweet, almost like candy. Their sweet flavors were balanced out by a couple of braised green olives that gave the dish some bitterness and tang. And the cous-cous, which was both on the side and on the bottom of the chicken, was deeply flavored by it, soaking up all those apricot juices.
Mushroom & Asparagus Penne – Crystal ordered this veggie friendly dish, which she seemed to enjoy. I didn’t try it, but just like all the other things we had that night, it was an amalgamation of harmonious flavors and good quality ingredients. The mushrooms gave this dish some meatiness that made it substantial for a dinner entrée.
Dessert – We went with two classically French desserts, the profiteroles and an apple tarte tatin. While the former looked absolutely incredible, with beautifully shaped puffs and vanilla ice cream bursting out the middle, it wasn’t the best profiterole I’ve had. The actual puff was a bit dry and tasteless, but in all fairness the ice cream and the dark chocolate sauce on top were spectacular—so creamy and rich. I picked around the puff and just ate the ice cream and the chocolate. Crystal did the same.
The apple tarte tatin on the other hand was delicious—consisting of tender, sweet apple wedges with a hint of cinnamon. I loved the buttery crust, which soaked up all that apple goodness and it even came with a side of that rich, creamy vanilla ice cream that was on the profiterole. This dessert was a true home run.
Service and Cost:We had several servers throughout our meal, which we found inconsistent , but they were all nice and we felt that we didn’t wait too long for anything. One area where we saw room for improvement was the time in which dishes were cleared – it took slightly long sometimes but not overly so where we got annoyed.
Overall, Casimir employs an atmosphere where you aren’t rushed out to leave and are free to relax, that’s why the laid-back service, I think.
Costs are inexpensive to moderate, providing a good option for a quality meal that won’t make a dent in the wallet.
Salads & Appetizers: $9
Entrees: $12-$25
Desserts: $7
2.5 Mmmms
Bistro Les Minots, the new French restaurant on 30th Avenue and 47th street will be having its first wine tasting, which from now on will take place every Tuesday.
From 5:30pm - 6:30pm, the tasting will feature the following French wines:
Pinot Blanc from Sclumberger, 2005
Viognier, Domaine de Gournier, 2007
Chinon from the Loire Valley of Marc Bredif, 2007
Costiere de Nimes, Chateau Valcombe, 2005 from the South of France
Sounds enchanting...
And enjoy their yummy cuisine along with the vino. They offer a $19.95 prix-fixe dinner from 5pm - 7pm everyday.
Bistro Les Minots - 47-16 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103718.606.2535
N/W Train to 30th Avenue or R/V/G Train to 46th Street www.bistrolesminots.com/
Bistro Les Minots - 47-16 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103718.606.2535
N/W Train to 30th Avenue or R/V/G Train to 46th Street www.bistrolesminots.com/After some buzz in the neighborhood, Meg, Tom, Dan and I decided to try the new French restaurant, Bistro Les Minots. The experience was a good one and while it's not the best French food that I've had, the service and the atmosphere were so homey and comfortable that I'm already looking forward to my next visit.
Atmosphere:
While the exterior is plain and unassuming, the inside is warm, cozy and embellished with fun little touches that have special meanings. For example, we sat at a table close to the bar, which had a small name plate above one of the seats. Ironically it said "Tom," which raised some questions. Who is Tom? We asked about it and found out that it's the name of their very first customer. I thought that was really sweet and quite personal.
The front-of-the-house dining room, while small is comfortable. The walls are painted a warm yellow and there are fun embellishments that make the place come to life. We especially liked the bicycle wheel wine rack and the gargantuan jar of Minot's "mystery wine," made right on the premises. I also loved the beautiful sounds of Edith Piaf and other French artists, that further set the scene.
Food:
Being a fan of French fare, I was happy to see that they offered great, classic options such as escargot, French onion soup, mussels, profiteroles and such. Overall, we were happy with the food--some things were done better than others but generally, we were pleased.
French Onion Soup - I was excited to see how this soup measured up to my previous experiences. It was quite good with nicely flavored broth and plenty of yummy croutons inside--I hate it when they skimp out on those. The cheese on top was of good quality but I wished that it was a bit more on the well-done side. I like to see it slightly browned and maybe next time I'll tell them so.
Escargot - Being that this is one of Dan's favorite foods, he was excited to order it. It looked absolutely gorgeous on his plate, served in a puff pastry shell and flavored with garlic, parsley, shallots and red wine sauce. He said that he liked the pastry and the sauce but that the escargot weren't the best quality. I tasted one and agreed--they had a slightly strange aftertaste and were a bit on the small side.
Truffle Fries - We ordered these for the table and devoured them at record speed. The fries themselves were beautifully golden and crispy. Topped with delicious parmesan and seasoned with truffle oil, they had a hint of decadence and luxury. These weren't your ordinary French fries--they were distinguished and sophisticated. I absolutely loved dipping them into my mussels sauce--it was pure heaven!
Mussels - I ordered the classic moules marinieres with garlic, shallots and parsley in a white wine sauce. The sauce was outstanding and the mussels were generally fine but again, not the best quality. I got a couple of inedible bad-boys that I was sad to discard. Oh well! There was plenty of delicious sauce to dip bread and fries into--and that made me very happy. I ordered the small portion, which was just enough.
Chicken Rolls - Dan chose this as his entree and couldn't be happier. The chicken was stuffed with seasonal veggies and gruyere cheese--and the whole dish was further flavored with a rosemary reduction. What was most appealing, Dan said was that the outside skin of the chicken was crispy and that the inside was wonderfully moist. It came with a side of mashed potatoes and string beans, which he said were just OK. But overall, he gave it two thumbs up.
Other Dishes - Meg and Tom both ordered salads to start and they seemed to enjoy them. Meg's was a goat cheese salad served with herbed mini toasts, grapes and honey dijon dressing. The toasts looked fantastic and Meg seemed to like everything, as she cleaned her plate completely.
For their entrees Meg ordered a classic French dish, the Pisalladiere (a warm onion tart) and Tom chose the Le Fermier sandwich (aka a grilled chicken sandwich). Both dishes looked good and Tom's was an especially generous portion--for $9, I'd say that he got his money's worth. Meg's on the other hand was on the small side but she didn't mind.Dessert - This was hands-down my favorite part of the meal--we ordered two dishes for the table, the profiteroles and the creme brulee. I liked the profiteroles better but that's not to say that the creme brulee wasn't good--they were both outstanding. What I loved about the profiteroles was the puffy, airy dough filled with delicious vanilla creme that melted in your mouth. The whole thing was slathered in warm chocolate sauce and further embellished with fresh strawberries.
The creme brulee was light on the tongue yet rich on the senses and included two flavors, vanilla-bean and banana. I preferred the classic vanilla-bean and again, the dish was enhanced with a fresh strawberry. I highly recommend both desserts.
Service and Cost:
Our servers were also the restaurant's owners and that made our experience lovely. They were hospitable, jovial and so very French. We loved hearing their charming accents and they made our evening at Les Minots fun and interactive. I use the word interactive because they made us guess 10 ingredients in their homemade "mystery wine," which we got to sample. It was absolutely delicious and we tried our best to guess the 10 ingredients for a promise of a free dinner. We guessed 8 of them and by the end, the whole restaurant was in on our little game. It was a really great time and I'm looking forward to more fun at our next visit.
The costs are moderate and we ended up paying about $40 per person (including tax and tip) for a three course meal with wine. Les Minots has a $19.95 dinner prix-fixe where you could get a choice of appetizer and entree or entree and dessert between the hours of 5pm - 7pm. I think this is a pretty good deal and they have tons of options to choose from.
2 Mmmms
Tournesol - 50-12 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101718.472.43557 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Avewww.tournesolnyc.com
I've been wanting to try Tournesol for a long time now--ever since I tasted their amazing bacon and onion quiches at the Taste of LIC event back in June. My cousin Vicky has been there a couple of times and suggested that we go after our birthday massages last week. A great plan and we enjoyed a delicious meal.
Atmosphere:The vibe at Tournesol is very homey and personal--you almost feel like you're in someone's dining room rather than a restaurant. Local artists showcase their works on the walls and a rustic bar rests in the middle of the room. If you look up, you'll see that the ceiling is in its original design--another sign of personality and uniqueness. Needless to say, Tournesol is small but that's part of its charm. You really feel like you're part of something special here and that the food is going to be prepared with care, instead of being mass produced. The staff is charming and actually French--their accents are endearing to listen to.
Food:Vicky and I decided to order from the appetizer menu and share everything. I love this approach because it allowed us to try a variety of dishes and even dessert. Here's what we tried:
Grilled Calamari With White Beans - What immediately sold us on this dish was the grilled vs. the fried calamari as well as the chorizo. We weren't disappointed--the calamari was quite large and the white bean salad provided a heartier touch. I was a little surprised to find that the chorizo was dried (I would've preferred it in its traditional form) but it was still good--crispy and smoky.
French Onion Soup - This was by far the stand-out of my entire meal. The cheesy crust was bubbly, hot and well-done--as I like it. The broth couldn't be more flavorful, as it was packed with tons of garlic. While I'd probably avoid this dish on a first date, I was more than happy to finish it in my cousin's company. She tried it as well and also commented on the fabulous garlic flavor-- tres bien!
Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart - Hmmm, I'm not sure what I was expecting here but it didn't quite meet my standards. There was a little too much acid from the tomato and the goat cheese could've been crumbled into smaller pieces. The flavor was too strong and I could only handle a couple of bites. However, the heirloom tomatoes that dressed this dish were fantastic.
Grilled Shrimp Skewer - This was yummy and we both devoured it quickly. The shrimp was large and grilled to perfection--with a nice char taste. It was accompanied by veggie cous-cous and frisee salad--refreshing and light, it was a great summer dish. I'd definitely recommend splitting it between two people--the portion was generous.
Bread Pudding - Another memorable dish, this ranked high for me, along with the onion soup. It was super soft and decadent, with a ribbon of cinnamon running through it. A garnish of a fresh raspberry and mint leaves made this even more elegant and once dipped into the luxurious Creme Anglaise sauce, I was hooked. Although Vicky swore that she didn't want dessert, she simply couldn't resist this heavenly treat.
Service and Cost:We didn't have complains about the service except that it seemed inconsistent. A new waiter every few minutes seemed strange but it didn't bother us because all of the waiters were very attractive (and polite) French men. We had one female waitress who took our dessert order and she was a bit short with us and not as friendly as the men. But overall, the service was nice and just like Tournesol itself, it was personal and homey.
Tournesol is wallet friendly. Appetizers range from $7-$11.50, entrees from $14-$19 and desserts are all $7. You can easily spend less than $30 per person here for a great dinner. They also serve brunch on weekends, which is affordable, with most dishes under $12.
3 Mmmms
