Bar Americain

Bar Americain
152 West 52nd Street
New York, NY
(Visit the restaurant's website.)

The highlight of my recent Bobby Flay eating tour was visiting the Iron Chef's own Bar Americain. Chef Flay has a couple of restaurants in New York City but this one was the closest to where I was already headed and it is the restaurant featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I had to try it. To be brief, it was spectacular.

I visited Bar Americain with a dining companion for brunch and we just ordered as much as we could. First, I have to say th

at the setting is very inviting and nice. The tall ceilings and decor were light and refreshing. Everything was very clean and professional. The whole place seemed to scream "business casual."

We started out with some cocktails, which were a bit pricey but very tasty. I tried the "Kentucky 95," which is a blend of Maker's Mark, champagne, lemon and orange juices. It was delicious but was it worth $12? My dining companion had the Pimm's Cup, which is made of Pimm's No. 1, lemonade, and cucumber. Yes, cucumber. Cool, refreshing, and different what with the taste of the cucumber and all. The drink was so good that she had to order another one.

Our meal began with a delicious basket of bread and coffee cakes. And these were the best coffee cakes that either of us had ever had. They were so warm, fluffy, and chocolaty. But don't think that it was too heavy. Nothing at Bobby Flay's restaurant was too heavy. He's found the perfect way to make food tasty and light so that you can keep stuffing yourself. The rest of the bread was served with very delicious Jalapeno butter.

But onto the actual appetizers. We couldn't decide on one in particular so we chose the sample platter, which included jumbo shrimp and tomatillo dip, crab in a light coconut milk, and lobster with avocado. I have to say that I am no fan of crab meat but I was willing to give it a chance here at Flay's. Well, I'm sold. This was just tender crab and the light sweetness of the coconut milk (and mango?) was perfect. I couldn't get enough of it. The lobster was perfectly cooked and tender. The meat tasted wonderfully with the avocado too. The shrimp was also tasty but not as good as the other two. We would have ordered more but there were other items to look forward to.

The main courses did not disappoint either. I was torn between the burger and the steak. This being Bobby Flay's place, I had to try one or the other. I went with the strip steak since Flay has often bragged about how he likes grilling steaks. This perfectly portioned slice came with an array of sauces including a home made steak sauce with a kick to it. The fries weren't anything special unfortunately but the meat itself was cooked very well and quite tasty.

My dining companion had the red snapper tacos since there had been a recent episode of Throwdown with the dish. These were perfectly cooked red snapper pieces served with cabbage slaw, a few salsas, and soft flour tortillas. The combination of flavors and the texture of all the ingredients was unbelievable. Now, that's a fish taco. It was perfect.

We were full by the end of the meal but we just had to have dessert. We finished off with a blueberry lemon crepe and a Granny Smith apple tart. The former was wonderfully smooth with brown sugar and brown butter while the latter came with delicious maple walnut ice cream.

Did we overdo it? Yes. But it was worth every bite.

Brasserie Montiel & Coffee House

Brasserie Montiel & Coffee House
2001 Commonwealth Dr.

Charlottesville, VA

Brasserie Montiel: well lit and well decorated.

This coffee house and restaurant is a superb place for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. The place is rather new but there is no learning curve necessary for the chefs here. Well decorated with bright colors and filled with light, Brasserie Montiel is just a really nice spot for a leisurely or fast meal. Here, my companion and I tried the crepes and we were not disappointed. The Nutella and banana crepes are terrific. The crepe itself is soft and well made. Some places just don’t care about the batter but these guys know how to make a good crepe that is soft, not burnt, not greasy, and tasteful. The crepe can certainly hold its own without any toppings like Nutella. My dining companion had the orange crepes and they were just as good. Another plus is that these guys use actual fruit. None of that slimy, overly sweet preservative! These are fresh fruits that really mix well with the crepe.

Tasty crepes: orange on the left and bananas with Nutella on the right.

The coffee here is also very good and I’ve enjoyed more than a few tasty cups. But what about the other breakfast items? The three-egg omelet is great too. You have your choice of cheeses: Cheddar, Mozzarella, or Boursin. Add to that chopped tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, bacon, or ham. The omelet comes with toast and hash browns. Now, are they too heavy and greasy like at most breakfast joints and diners? Not at all. These omelets are gourmet. They taste good and they’re not greasy. I don’t know how they do it but these guys have made a terrific meal that isn’t too heavy and leaves you feeling very good. Here, I’ve had an omelet with Mozzarella, spinach, onions, and ham. OK, the ham may be a bit salty but that’s a minor criticism of this really great place.

(Images by AG and MB)