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“360”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	French	Brooklyn	Moderate	Good

glistening crispy top layer of fat, over Anson Mills polenta, and the spaetzle, a nod to Arnaud’s hometown of Strasbourg, is spectacular, fashioned into a sort of spaetzle succotash with rich gamey pieces of dark meat pulled from a roasted Cloonshee Farm’s chicken, braised leeks and mushrooms ($8.50) in a deep, buttery chicken jus.

I was also taken with the country pate ($6.50). It was infused with some warm spices and had a fabulous rough texture, served with cornichons and whole grain mustard and a green peppercorn vinaigrette. My steamed PEI mussels were about as fat and plump as I have ever known mussels to be, served in a seriously slurpable Thai curry and chile broth. Jamie’s steak was super tender, marinated and grilled to perfect, with a zippy puree of chimichurri.

We ordered another bottle of wine at this point, a Barbera D’Asti (2003) from Cascina Tavijn ($33), which Arnaud chose for us based on our need for a bigger red than the first. It too, was perfect. As we toasted to more dinners in Red Hook, Arnaud was working the room, welcoming guests, pouring wine, chatting up locals families sitting at the sidewalk tables with their new babies. As I watched him stroll from table to table, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Gerard Depardieu. (If a movie ever gets made, Depardieu must play Arnaud.) Like Depardieu, Arnaud is sweet and sort of big and burly, with long hair that he keeps tied back in a ponytail, and a rich gravely voice with a sexy French accent. He is quite the consummate French host—warm and welcoming and devilishly charming. A night of Arnaud, coupled with Jacobsen’s food and that great (and reasonable) wine, and you will find yourselves in Red Hook heaven.

After dinner, we shared some cheese (they have a great selection including a bold blue from Cato Corners) and passed around a bottle of late harvest Riesling, and then made an attempt at desserts which were fine, especially the panna cotta, though the spice cake tasted like Christmas leftovers. But then at this point, we were overly stuffed and just plum tuckered. We called a few cabs and lingered over the last bites of crème caramel and sipped down the remaining drops of Riesling, getting pretty silly at the table. About fifteen minutes later, in the middle of a fascinating conversation about polygamy (we are all in favor monogamy, though I mentioned that I feel I have entered some rare form of sin ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 23, 2006

Other restaurants in Brooklyn :
+ Chickenbone Cafe-- Closed   + Pier 116-- Closed   + Chestnut   + Lunch at Peter Luger's   + 360   + Palo Santo   + The Good Fork   + Porchetta-- Closed Now   + Bocca Lupo   + Flatbush Farm   + DuMont Burger   + Dressler   + Farm on Adderley   + The Grocery   + Saul   + Black Mountain Wine House   + The General Greene   + Char No. 4   + James   + Chestnut   + No. 7   + Vinegar Hill House   + Motorino   + Buttermilk Channel   + Buttermilk Channel   + Vutera   + Watty & Meg    + Prime Meats   + Aqualis Grill   + Jack the Horse Tavern   + Roman's   + Fatty 'Cue   + Thistle Hill Tavern   + Broken English   + Trix, by Dara Pollak   + An Ode to New Orleans in Williamsburg: Maison Premiere, By Dara Pollak   + Brooklyn Wok Shop by Dara Pollak   + Arthur on Smith   + La Vara   + Gran Electrica   + Pok Pok Ny   + Ganso    + Reynard   

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