Bavette's Bar and Bouef

I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally dine at Bavette’s.  Friends of mine have raved about the place, but for some reason, it sat there patiently waiting for a visit on my “restaurants to eat at” spreadsheet.  (First, ignore the grammar on my spreadsheet title…and maybe altogether.  Second, yes, I really do have a spreadsheet for places where I want to dine and places where I would return.)  Back to Bavette’s.  It earned a spot on the “will eat at again” spreadsheet.

Let me first start off by saying that the service was great.  I was a little nervous as I’ve found the service at Gilt Bar to be lacking on many occasions, and they are sister restaurants.  However, the service at Bavette’s was nothing but pleasant and attentive.  On to the food…

We didn’t order the seafood tower, although we admired it on several other tables.  There were in fact so many dishes on the menu that looked appealing, we had a hard time ordering.  Ultimately, we did enjoy the shrimp, as well the smoked whitefish Caesar salad for starters.  Again—this one is a sucker for Caesar.  Not to mention, a good smoked whitefish brings back happy childhood memories…but I digress.  I thought that it was a great little play on a traditional Caesar, and there wasn’t a leaf of lettuce left on that plate. 

For dinner, again there was a dilemma because every dish looked appealing, we ended up going traditional brasserie—roasted chicken and steak frites.   Both were fantastic.  I am not sure if someone in the kitchen had a heavy hand with the salt that night, but I found my chicken skin to be slightly salty as well as the frites.  (How can they be too salty you ask?  Well, they just can!)  However, that didn’t stop me from eating the chicken and frites that night, nor did it stop me from indulging in the roasted chicken leftovers the next night.  We ordered some sides as well, but I thought that I would mention the Elote style corn.  It is not for those on a diet—essentially corn kernels mixed with a delicious aioli, other spices and of course some cheese (I believe).  We ate every kernel.

Believe it or not, there was still some room for dessert—but only a little bit.  So we opted for the Black Dog malted whiskey gelato, and it even came with a side of hot fudge.  It was the perfect end to a wonderful and decadent meal.   And a perfect excuse to hit up Black Dog Gelato later in the summer!

I now see why so many friends raved about Bavette’s.  I’m looking for another occasion to go back—any suggestions? 

Beatrix

Beatrix is the most recently opened venture from the Lettuce Entertain You Group.  It is attached to the Aloft Hotel, but it doesn’t give the impression or feeling of being a “hotel restaurant”.  I’ve had the pleasure of dining at this casual restaurant a couple of times since it opened. 

I didn’t feel blown away by my meals, but there were enough successful dishes that I am looking forward to experimenting with menu upon upcoming visits.  My favorite thus far is the Caesar salad.  For the record, I’m a sucker for a good Caesar.  I really enjoyed the lighter version of their yogurt dressing, and instead of large croutons, there were crunchy bread crumbs sprinkled throughout the dish.  So each bite was almost a perfectly orchestrated forkful of salad and toppings.  The tsukune (aka chicken/turkey meatball) in a chili cilantro sauce was definitely enjoyable as well.  The big hit thus far in my book, is the chili and chocolate glaze salmon.  (No, I’m not just saying that it was delicious because there is some chocolate in there.)  The mole-esque sauce does not overpower the salmon, and serves as a wonderful compliment.  It is served with an almond slaw which was excellent. There were corn tortillas for those that wanted to make salmon tacos, but I think that the dish stands on its own without the tortillas. All in all, the salmon all made for an excellent dish. 

There was one huge miss in my book—the chicken with leek bread pudding.  The bread pudding itself was outstanding—it was flavorful, and I think could potentially be served as its own side dish.  However, the Amish chicken was a major disappointment.  To say that it was bland was an understatement, and to put it into perspective, I have made better chicken at home.  It was essentially baked chicken with a piece of thyme shoved under the skin.  I’m sure that there were other seasonings included, but they were unrecognizable.  The only time that the chicken tasted remotely interesting was when it was paired with the bread pudding.  Personally, I believe that when you have a “simple” dish of chicken and stuffing/bread pudding, each component should be able to stand on its own…they will just be even better together.  Hopefully they will figure out how to improve this dish over the coming months.

I also tried the fries, which are made with Kennebec potatoes.  These are less starchy than some of the traditional potatoes such as a russet, and deliver more flavor.  I was really looking forward to trying these, and, although the fries were decent, I felt a little let down.  Perhaps my expectations were too high for these little spuds?  Or perhaps I may have to pay closer attention next time?  Perhaps a taste test is in order? 

Overall, I liked the concept of Beatrix—especially that they have items on the menu that one could consider lighter fare.  It is great not only for summer, but there are just some nights when I can’t stomach a heavy meal.  Beatrix is a great option--not to mention, the cocktails and wine were delicious, and the wait staff was quite attentive.  

The Bedford

The Bedford has been on the list of places to dine for quite some time, yet for some reason, we didn't make it there until recently.  I will admit that my expectations of the food actually weren't that high based on some early reviews.  Perhaps that is why we weren't banging down the door to eat there.  However, I was pleasantly surprised, and would put it on the list of places that we would certainly re-visit. 

We were joined by friends, so we had an opportunity to sample quite a few things from the menu.  We started with the shrimp cocktail and the charred baby octopus.  The shrimp were great—plump and fresh.  However, as a lover of eight-legged friend, I felt a little let down by this appetizer.  The octopus was certainly edible, evidenced by the fact that we finished every piece, but the meat itself didn’t have the buttery texture that I enjoy.  Also, the beans in the dish were served a little too “al dente” for my liking.  All in all, not horrible, but I can’t say that I’d order it again.

What I would order again was the scallop dish!  I don’t often order scallops, as I often find that I’m let down—not enough sear; a little too rubbery; etc.  I was not let down this time.  The dish came with 3 large scallops and the sear was beautiful.  The texture was meaty and the flavor was complimented by the cauliflower soubise (aka béchamel type sauce).  I cleaned my plate! (Although, for those that know me well know that I am a regular member of the Clean Plate Club.)  Other dishes enjoyed around the table were the rainbow trout, which I sampled and found incredibly flavorful, as well as the lamb meatballs.  The lamb meatballs with polenta dish was incredibly rich, but delicious.  Fair warning:  I’m a sucker for polenta, so you can pretty much mix it with just about anything—dirt, bugs, you name it—and I’ll happily eat it.

The service was great, and they were a little late in bring out my entrée, so they brought out four—you heard me FOUR—desserts.  (Let me note: We were enjoying ourselves with friends, and we did not complain.  I was busy enjoying samples of everyone else’s dish.  However, the restaurant took it upon themselves to do this.  They get an A for services in my book for this!)  We passed around the gelato, but my favorite for the evening, was a wonderful mint chocolate chip Sunday.  I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t even get upset with myself when I spilled a spoonful all over my shirt and pants as I was trying to shove the last bits of it into my gaping maw.   (Isn't that a lovely thought?)

Here’s the takeaway—a little loud, but good food and tasty cocktails.  Enjoy!