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“Reynard”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Brooklyn	Moderate	Great

out Williamsburg, circa 2013.

Everything about Reynard so far was just perfect--our server, the setting, the crowd. Everything, that is, except our steak when it arrived—grey and lifeless, tough as shoe leather and just as palatable. We could barely cut through it, let alone chew it. We contemplated what to do. Should we suffer through it, or ask for something else? At $93, we decided we needed to at least talk to our server about the situation. She looked at the steak, looked at us, and we waited for her reaction. I was ready to be sent home. Instead, she was wildly apologetic and agreed that the steak did not look well. She offered to bring over menus for us to re-order, which we did, opting for two portions of the flank steak instead. It was a completely pleasant exchange. How lovely.

While we waited for our new dinners, she refilled Craig’s wine glass on the house and sent out two complimentary apps as mid-courses: an earthy roasted beet salad, with caramelized baby orange roots sweet as gum drops, dotted with creamy ricotta and surrounded by a border of bright citrus supremes; and a hearty “stew” of creamy white beans, bits of sausage, and braised escarole. The steaks arrived shortly thereafter, and they were right as rain: juicy, salty, ruby red in the center, charred on the crust. What a difference from that dull, greying ribeye.

We lingered for a while after our steaks, picking at the last bits of the side of smoky lardons and roasted potatoes. I was sure we’d be pushed out as the hour was getting past 8pm. I asked the waitress if it was okay to rest a bit before dessert, or if they needed the table back for an actual reservation, and she said, “Stay as long as you like.” And we did. Eventually, we shared a little citrus tart for dessert: cheek-puckering lemon curd topped with blood orange segments and crème fraiche ice cream. As we ate, I thought back to the night I was at NoMad earlier this year, when I was served their signature raw chicken for $80. While the kitchen did recook the chicken so that it was no longer raw, I was not offered anything while I waited for it to be recooked. The chicken’s side dishes were removed with the chicken, and then not returned when the chicken was eventually brought back to our table. When I pointed this out, I had to wait for the sides as well, and by the time the entire meal was reassembled I was fed up. For this haphazard meal serv ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 24, 2013

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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