Review: Brasserie Ruhlmann

*Jazz Fans: Check out Brasserie Ruhlman’s Uptown Jazz Tributes here. Feb 4th, 2010 – March 11th 2010.

My knowledge of midtown eateries is spotty at best.  Ever since I moved from Hell’s Kitchen to Union Square, it has become less and less likely for me to make a trip uptown just to grab a bite.  However, even I would make an exception for Laurent Tourondel.  Most people know Chef Tourondel as the creative mind behind the BLT family of restaurants, but I’m guessing much fewer know that he’s also the Executive Chef for Brasserie Ruhlmann.  The restaurant, which is named after French designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, is located in the highly trafficked Rockefeller Plaza.  The decor is decidedly upscale, but the atmosphere was refreshingly casual for the fare.

I had actually been to Brasserie Ruhlmann for a birthday dinner some years ago, and I was eager to return.  Over the recent holiday weekend, I met up with fellow TLS contributor Steve for dinner at the restaurant.  We were immediately greeted and led to our table by the waitstaff, who were attentive throughout the meal.  Once seated, I was beset by that familiar indecision that always confronts me when everything on the menu looks absolutely wonderful.

To start, we ordered two appetizers, which the kitchen was gracious enough to pre-split onto separate plates for us.  The first appetizer that came out was the Blue Crab Salad with shaved blue crab meat, mache salad and a honey-lime vinaigrette.  We decided that this dish was the belle of the ball.  The crab meat was incredibly fresh without any hint of briney-ness, and the amount of lime juice was perfect for the amount of salad on the plate.  If you come here and you don’t order it (barring some sort of a shellfish allergy), then I will have to disown you as a friend.  It’s that good.

The next appetizer to come out was a Wild Mushroom Risotto with brown sage butter and parmigiano-reggiano.  The dish contained over six different types of mushrooms, but the standouts for me were the chanterelles and oyster mushrooms.  I found the consistency of the sauce to be just right – not too thick and not too thin.  Also, while I found the rice to be a little too al dente for my preferences, I was surprised to note that the firmness of the rice provided a great contrast to the soft texture of the mushrooms.

For an entrée, Steve and I flipped a coin to see who would get to order the Cassoulet.  Since Steve was the lucky winner of the coin toss, I’ll let him describe the cassoulet for you.

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(Steve)  The concept of a cassoulet, even for a carnivorous meat enthusiast such as myself, seemed just over the line of offensive self-indulgence.  But the list of ingredients alone was too much for me to pass up. A bean stew base with duck confit, pork sausage AND bacon… well that’s just ridiculous.  Initially, I wasn’t aware that bacon was even involved.  I stopped reading at “duck confit and pork sausage,” but the bacon was certainly a welcome surprise.  Duck confit seems to usually stand as the centerpiece of a dish, yet in this case, it was more like a supporting player to the flavor of the sauce and absorbed some of the spiciness of the sausage.  It was not your typical duck dish.  It tasted more like a complex pot roast, maybe a gumbo, heavier on the French than the Creole.  Lots of interesting textures and temperatures were happening.  If I could change one thing, I would have cooked the bacon separately and added some crunch, but it seemed like a bonus anyway so I can support it.  It was such a surprising contrast to the crab salad (which I could have eaten several portions of) that I would have gotten up to do a victory dance, had I not been in such a severe food coma.
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I chose to order my standard brasserie fare, a Hanger Steak cooked medium rare with Pomme Frites.  Sometimes, the best things are the staples.  Hanger steak should always have a slightly gamey taste to it, and this steak was certainly no exception.  The steak was perfectly cooked, and it came with a béarnaise sauce on the side that I never got a chance to use.  I sauce my steak the same way I use condiments for fries — when I want to mask the taste.  This steak was good all by itself.  Of course, no steak order is complete without a side of creamed spinach.  Now, I could write an entire article about just the creamed spinach, but I’m pretty sure that would violate the Geneva Convention for some of you.  So instead, just order it and try it for yourself.

Dessert was a Dacquoise Pour Deux, which was actually more than enough for three.  Every time I have a rich dessert, there are always two competing thoughts in my head.  The first thought is a general feeling of euphoria at the deliciousness happening in my mouth.  The second thought, which doesn’t really start until much later, is a very specific feeling of self-hatred because of how much chocolate I’ve eaten.  As the euphoria increases, the feeling of self-hatred also increases until it actually overpowers the euphoria and forces it into hiding.  I call that the point of no return.  I can judge every dessert I have by just seeing how long after the point of no return I continue to stuff my face.  The dacquoise at Brasserie Ruhlmann rates at 5 minutes.  (I know that doesn’t seem too long but try counting out 300 seconds to yourself and you’ll get a good sense of how long it really is.)

All in all, it was great meal.  Don’t forget that next week is Restaurant Week here in NYC.  Brasserie Ruhlmann is on the list of participating restaurants, so make sure to include it on your list.