Vaucluse, Restaurant Week, NYC

It has been a couple of weeks since I returned from Paris so I felt overdue for a French fix. There are plenty of great French restaurants in NYC but I was tempted by the great choices on the menu at Vaucluse, a lovely brasserie on the Upper East Side.

Sophisticated, and elegant decor provides a pleasant setting.

This is the Restaurant Week menu.

The regular lunch menu is only $36, and offers plenty of delicious choices.

I treated myself to a snazzy elderlflower fizz drink, which was really refreshing on a stifling hot day.

My friend and I decided to get different dishes and share.
This was the salmon rillettes - whipped smoked and fresh salmon, lemon creme fraiche, and toasted baguette. This was so delicious and light, I actually looked up how to make this when I got home. There were plenty of great recipes online, and most were quite simple.

Our second appetizer was the Poireaux - grilled leeks with toasted almonds and mustard seed vinaigrette. I am a fan of leeks and really liked them paired with toasted almonds and lemon zest.

My friend chose the Daurade - Mediterranean sea bream, with heirloom tomatoes and zucchini ribbon.

We ordered the sauteed wild mushrooms from the regular lunch menu; they were a great addition to our meal.

I got the Agnolotti - duck confit ravioli, with forestiere sauce and Parmesan.

Every aspect of this dish was fantastic; the filling, the dough, and the sauce.

There were two desserts offered so the choice was easy, we got both!

The milk chocolate mousse and lavender ice cream were delicious and silky smooth, and the vanilla parfait with berries and bretton cookies was delicate and light.

This was a lovely meal in a beautiful and relaxing setting.

Vaucluse
100 East 63rd Street
NYC
Open daily for lunch and dinner

Joanna

Comments

Bordier Butter - The Best Butter in France

France is in the midst of a butter shortage! Due to a decrease in milk production and a substantial demand for French pastries all over the world (mainly China and the Middle East), the price of butter has increased by 60% in one year. The French are stocking up and thus creating shortages. French newspapers are publishing articles titled "A guide to cooking without butter". So, with hopes that the shortages are temporary, here is my ode to the best butter in the world. I'm not kidding. The. Best. Butter. In. The. World. Mr. Bordier, a grandson and a son of cheese mongers, became a butter artisan in 1985. He acquired a creamery originally founded in 1927. The supreme taste of the Bordier butter was first recognized by a chef from the Plaza Athenee while vacationing in Brittany, a beautiful region in northwestern France. Bordier is the lone butter master to still use the old method of kneading the butter according to the 19th century t...

Azura, Jerusalem

Azura, an eatery in the Machane Yechuda market was opened by Ezra, nicknamed "Azura" in 1952 after he emigrated from Turkish Kurdistan. These days, Azura, run by Ezra's nine children, has a cult-like status, and the crowds to prove it. Azura is not easy to find and your best bet is to enter it from the Iraqi part of the Machane Yechuda market. It is almost impossible to find it from the street. The restaurant is located on a small square filled with older man playing backgammon and sipping tea, which just adds richness to the already wonderful atmosphere. The food is cooked slowly in these large pots over gas burners. The menu was so packed with delicacies, we had a difficult time choosing just a few dishes. We started our lunch with this wonderfully creamy hummus with warm mushrooms and onion, a combination which has always been my favorite. The tomato, cucumber, and onion salad came garnished with parsley and a healthy dose of ta...

OCD Restaurant, Tel Aviv

After our first very memorable visit to OCD, we were eager to repeat the experience. I booked our dinner about a month in advance since, deservedly, OCD has become much more popular in the last year or so. They still do two seatings per night and one Friday brunch per month. There is something very exciting about the surprise aspect of the dining experience at OCD. There is no menu; while booking the reservation one is asked about any dietary restrictions, and during the evening the diners watch each dish being meticulously prepared by the team in the open kitchen. We marveled as we watched attention being paid to every minute detail and the choreography utilized by the chefs in assembling each plate. This is more than a dinner; it is a theatrical production with spectacular and beautifully presented food. Our dinner began with this beautiful poori with cardamom leaves foam and cucumber ceviche. Marinated amberjack with soy and lemon, b...

A Fork And A Suitcase

Search This Blog