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Dave MP
Jan 7, 2008 07:03 AM
I went w/ mchan02 and four others to Bar Jules yesterday for Sunday brunch. Overall, I had mixed feelings.
The space is really nice, I like the lighting, the curved bar and open kitchen. The tables and chairs were comfortable and cozy - overall good atmosphere. Between the 6 of us, we tried many of the choices. One friend had the crepes with jam - these were very good, but for 8 dollars were a bit lacking - the plate consisted of three jam-filled crepes and no sides (this appears to be a homefry-free restaurant). I had a crab salad w/ fennel and radishes - this was 13 dollars and also a bit too dear for what it was. The serving was rather small, and while the crab meat was good and plentiful, there was not enough complexity of flavor - the fennel and rashishes were so thinly sliced that they were often overpowered by the very simple olive oil/lemon dressing. While I understand that crab meat may have spiked the price of this salad, I still didn't think it was a good value - the salad that blew me away at Incanto only cost 8 dollars.
Two friends had fried eggs w/ beets and lentils (and something else?). These seemed good, the eggs looked properly fried. One friend ordered a side of toast, which looked very good. My favorite item on the table was a farro and chestnut soup. The broth was thick and almost creamy, and the chestnuts added a nice flavor to this almost-risotto-like dish. Still a bit pricey at 8 or 9 dollars (it was only a bowl of soup) but it was very good.
Aside from the soup, I didn't think anything was very special, and I thought it just didn't live up to brunch at Canteen, which in many ways is similar. However, there's definitely potential and this place is worth trying if you're in the neighborhood. I'd be curious to hear about other people's experiences there.
Dave MP
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re: Dave MP
I was there for brunch yesterday too ...
The space is so lovely. I could have sat there all day. I had the scrambled eggs with sorrel and parmesan, which reminded me a lot of dishes that I used to eat at Desiree.
The hit of the table was the soup, and the poached eggs with lamb, which were delicious. I would order the lamb dish in a heartbeat after the tastes that I had.
There was a mix up with the hardness of the poached eggs (my friend likes her egg yolks very hard and they were too runny for her) and the issue was handled quickly and gracefully -- the kitchen even sent out a dish of bread pudding for us to share as an apology.
I walked away very happy with the prices and the brunch.
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re: Dave MP
That's very funny (she says, shuffling through her brain to remember what her party was gossiping about and whether it could have been overheard)!
I shouldn't be the bread pudding judge -- I have sweet/savory issues that are too complicated for this thread. The serving was quite large (I don't know if that was typical, or if they just sent out a large piece) and the other women said that it could be eaten in lieu of an entree, and made noises like they liked it.
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I had dinner there with a friend a few weeks ago, just after they opened. They don't take reservations, but we were surprised to find the place half empty (I guess it was kind of early - around 6ish?) and got a tiny table by the window. No printed menus, just a couple of chalkboards listing the choices for the day. I believe you can also check thier website, which lists the menu daily. The options included a romain salad (I think it had blue cheese and nuts but I don't totally remember), proscutto plate, squash soup, osso bucco, a salmon dish, and a couple of desserts - a lemon tart and flourless chocolate cake. We split all of these things except the osso bucco and the choclate dessert. At the time, they were still waiting for their liquor license, so we grabbed a Chimay from the liquor store down the street. Overall, the food was tasty, if a little overpriced. The service was nice, not overbearing, but attentive. We asked them to bring out one course at a time, so we were there for a while, but it was fine. I'd recommend it for a nice neighborhood place. It was cash only when we went, but maybe that's changed now they've been opened for a while.
