Belcourt (84 E. 4th St.)

On the corner of 4th Street & 2nd Avenue is a newly opened French bistro which I've come to love. I've been there a few times before, without my camera, so I'll blog the excellent lunch I had last week, then mention a few memorable dishes from my previous visits.

The decor screams of French Bistro & the food doesn't disappoint. The joint is only a few months old (it opened in October, I think) & it has a great ambience. The large windowed doors that run along the street-facing sides all open fully, so I can imagine that this place will be awesome in the spring/summer.

We sat down & were given a rather small lunch menu. Not exactly what I was expecting as the dinner menu is vast, but I was able to find something I would enjoy. Each dish is accompanied by a beer or cider pairing, which I thought was pretty cool.

I opted for the Boudin which was paired with an excellent cider. I'll admit that I expected something a little more filling, but the boudin was tasty, especially with the sauerkraut & grain mustard.


Both Stefan & Alesha got the lamb burger which was massive. As soon as it was set down on the table, I thought; "Man, I should have got that!" Luckily, Alesha only had half of hers, so I got a chance to taste it. I really enjoyed the burger & I hope to fire up my meat grinder in the near future & give the lamb burger a whirl. This dish was accompanied by Dogfish Head, an Indian Brown Ale.

All in all, lunch was very good & I enjoyed myself. On the dinner menu, I recommend both the Sweetbread & Octopus appetizers; these are absolutely amazing. If you're in the hood, check Belcourt out.

Le Gamin Cafe (536 East 5th St.)

I've been going to Le Gamin off & on for quite some time as it's one of the few really good lunch spots in my 'hood. The decor is French Bistro & ever since they took over the building next door to expand the dining & kitchen areas, dining there has been much more comfortable.

I really love the coffee at Le Gamin, it is consistently among the strongest I've ever had which is perfect for waking up after a heavy night out on the town.

Today, I went with my brother Sous Chef Stef. Le Gamin specializes in Crepes (both sweet & savory), so I went for old faithful; the Coq au Vin Crepe. Wrapped in a delicate crepe, the Coq au Vin is deliciously rich & flavorful accompanied by seasoned rice.

Stefan went for the Grilled New York Shell Steak with fries, a salad & grilled endive. I tasted his dish & there was really nothing exceptional about it, not to say that it wasn't good, just your standard steak.


My only real problem with the place is the long wait to get food. We were lucky today as it wasn't that busy which is why I normally only go for weekday lunch. Dinner or weekend brunch services can lead to a frustratingly long wait for your food. Are they perfectionists back there, or just understaffed? I still Like Le Gamin & suggest you check it out.

Bacchus Bistro, Brooklyn.

So, we all met up in Brooklyn for Teddy's '60th' birthday over the weekend & threw down. Converging on Bacchus (409 Atlantic Avenue) we were in for some primo French Fare. I wasn't so sure what to expect as I'm so used to the amazing food at Casimir. While Bacchus did not disappoint, some dishes had their flaws.



Teddy & I shared starters; Scallops & a Duck Gizzard salad, both were excellent, particularly the salad which I cannot find the words to describe.






Here are a few of the other starters that were had...







I had the duck confit which I found to be VERY dry. Teddy had the skate which was really salty. While these weren't really deal breakers, I wish the food was better on the night. That having been said, I did have a good time at Bacchus.




We went to a local bar afterwards & made complete idiots out of ourselves - good stuff!