Bar Blanc

As anyone who knows me knows, I've been screaming about Bar Blanc for a while now. Having worked with the kitchen staff there before, I've seen first hand how talented Cesar is. I had dinner there last night on a whim. I was in the neighborhood and having dinner with an old friend I hadn't seen in months and we wanted a really nice meal (she's a line cook at 57 restaurant in the Four Seasons http://www.fourseasons.com/newyorkfs/dining/57.html).

The dining room there is gorgeous, very chic, very sexy and very very white. I shudder to think what happens when a patron drunkenly spills some red wine on one of those pristine white leather banquets, but I digress.

The food:
I as per usual wanted the tasting menu, my dining companion as per usual did not. This was unfortunate, but not tragic as the a la carte menu is fantastic. I started with the rabbit and sweetbread salad. The rabbit terrine was a really flavorful and delicious and paired with perfectly cooked sweetbreads. There was a juxtaposition of temperatures the terrine being chilled and the sweetbreads being nice and warm, (the word juxtaposition will always remind me of the pixies and the juxtaposition of loud and soft, which has nothing to do with food but alot to do with my brain). The ricotta on which the terrine sat was creamy and perfectly seasoned, the mushrooms and microgreens finished the dish off perfectly.

For my entree I had the monk fish with an open faced crab meat ravioli and a frothy butternut squash broth. This was seriously perfect, I'm not a huge fan of squashes, and pumpkins (sorry), but the broth was flavorful, creamy and not overpoweringly sweet (which is what i don't like about squashes and pumpkins). It was a perfectly well balanced dish and just as good as the pig I had the last time I was there. My friend had the rabbit fettuccine which was wonderfully savory in the best sense of the word. What does that last sentence mean? Um rabbit pasta good. That's about it. We also got a side of brussel sprouts that made me want to smack my younger self for ever hating brussels sprouts. What a flavorful and delicious vegetable, especially with the hints of garlic and pear that the kitchen adds. Wonderful

As for the booze, I had two glasses of rose cava that I enjoyed thoroughly. Megan had a glass of White Bordeaux that was also really lovely. To know me is to know my lack of wine knowledge. Something that I hope will change in the coming months.

They dessert bombed our table, which I have to say I really enjoyed. What I love about the desserts at Bar Blanc is that they aren't' afraid to be as aggressive as the savory dishes. The salty caramel ice cream with the bittersweet chocolate cake is pretty damn salty. But it works beautifully with the deep rich dark chocolate. The meyer lemon souffle is tart, as is the goat cheese ice cream as are the huckleberries, but the combination of the three create a satisfying dessert that is light and refreshing and a perfect ending to the meal.

Bruni reviewed Bar Blanc today as well, he was slightly less enthusiastic than I am, but only slightly http://events.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/dining/reviews/27rest.html?ref=dining . Of course he's never hung out with the boys in the kitchen there, I figure that has colored my judgement a bit, but I sincerely believe if the boys took Bruni to the Patriot they'd be bumped up by a star at least.