Artisanal

[Daniel]

Went here last night.. I havent been here in a few years.. Sure its too crowded, the waiters are average, and the spacing between the tables suck.. But its has some pretty good food..

With started with the Gourges..

I like mine better.. But they were certainly good..

Soup:

Then I got the french onion soup and my girl got the seafood soup..

I was extremely surprised that the accoutraments for the seafood soup, did not include cheese.. I have ordered this dish from Le Cirque to a bar in Quebec and have never not received cheese along with the garlic mayo and toasts.. It was just especially surprising to be missing cheese in New Yorks Temple of Fromage..

The french onion was extremely beefy.. It arrived luke warm.. I dont particularly care for this version. Its extremely strong.. Almost eating a demi glace..

Salad:

I got the Pig Trotters, the girl got the Hamachi Salad..

A few years back I use to live next to American Place.. It was another restaurant that Brennen owned.. I loved this place.. Sure it was overpriced, but it was great food.. There was this one dish that stood out in my mind.. It was his deconstructed deviled egg.. It was served in a martini glass and had a layer of chopped whites,yolks, cream fresh, caviar, and some crunch stuff.. It was fantastic!!!! I completely made the conection last night after tasting the Pig Trotter..

The trotters were shredded and then deep fried.. Placed over a bed of Mache and these chopped eggs in a sauce.. It was very similar to the taste from the deviled egg dish.. So i was very happy with this.. .However, it was extremely rich and even with the help of my girl we did not finish it..

The Hamachi salad was good.. The quality was obviously terrific.. The problem was it was very Sesame.. The tastes did not really belong on the menu.. Clashed with the other offerings and general feel of the place..

Entree:

We split the hangar steak and frites.. The frites are good.. They were very close to being great.. Mabye another minute in the fryer.. Les Halles still has my heart on this subject.. The steak itself was prepared perfectly.. Medium rare, pink and sliced beautifully.. However, I was not a big fan of the sauce it was served on.. Almost tasteless.. It was such a rich gorgeous red, I was expecting tons of flavor.. But it really did nothing either way for the steak.. At 25 bucks for the steak and fries, it was overpriced..

We didnt have dessert.. But we both left full.. With tip the meal was $150... I would go back, or I might just sit at the old smoking section by the bar and just order cheese..

Edited December 29, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[raisab]

We ate at Artisanal on the 28th for lunch.

I ordered the Snails as an appetizer and wasn't very pleased with them, to me the taste was off, it needed more butter, garlic and oil, after all it is about the sauce and not the snails.

My son and husband had the French Onion Soup. I thought it was delicious! I like the thickness of it and the cheeses. Did it have cheese on the bottom also? If someone can PM me a similar recipe I would love it!

My kids shared the Classic Fondue, I think everyone thought it had too much of the wine(?) in it. It overpowered the taste of the cheese.

And to tell the truth I cannot remember what my husband and I had for mains, so it must have not been too impressive.

Desserts were a chocolate fondue for the kids, a Fig Tart for me, and a Cheddar Cheese Tarte Tatin for the husband. I did not like any of them.

But believe it or not, I would go back here for the onion soup alone! Plus their selection of cheeses is wonderful and I don't find the prices that bad. Next time I would just order the soup and cheese and salad.

Edited January 3, 2006 by raisab (log)

[Daniel]

They have a recipe for there soup in Artisinal Cooking by Terrance Brennan.. I know they call for four different cheeses in there mixture.. Parm-Reg, Gruyere, Beaufort, Emmenthaler.. They use Leeks, Spanish, Shallot, and Red Onions.. Its a beef stock.. There is sherry, there is white wine.. I think they use a extremely rich beef stock.. I love the cheese combo, just would prefer a lighter soup..

Edit TO ADD:

Here is the link to the cookbook

amazon.com Artisinal Cooking

Edited January 3, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[gaf]

Cheese/Steak New York Entry #78 Artisanal

Some out-of-town friends swear by Balthazar, and so when they were planning to visit Manhattan I suggested that we dine at Artisanal, Terrance Brennan's brassy cheeserie in Murray Hill. American brasseries - Balthazar, Les Halles, Pastis, and Artisanal - seem to result from the same design cookie cutter: walnut, porcelain, tile, posters; gold, maroon, black, and white. An American imaginary exists as to what a brasserie should be, not nearly the diversity found by the Seine.

At a place like Artisanal - a competitor of Murray's as to the best cheese shop in the city (I give the edge to Murray's as to the diversity of their selection, their accompaniments, and their knowledgeable workers) - one is well-advised to focus on cheese. The high point of our meal was the pair of cheeses at the conclusion, a surprisingly spicy and pungent Munster and a luscious Brillat Savarin.

Table service was friendly, although plates were whisked from the table before they were cleaned and our pleasant waitress was not fully conversant with the wine list.

With the exception of some fine frites (not as luxurious as those at Les Halles), dishes that lacked cheese were pedestrian. I was unimpressed by Burgundy snails and pastry puffs on a bed of chopped onions. Neither the bread nor the onion added richness to the inoffensive slugs. The dish was bland and constrained. The hanger steak was similarly ordinary, pleasant and tasty, but not compellingly beefy. The garlic sausage was a roughly ground mass that lacked appeal, even with sturdy lentils.

We treasured our gougeres: airy puffs whose lightness made their rich cheesy aroma all the more powerful. Aside from the post-prandial cheeses, the gougeres were the star of the evening. On this Sunday night our Artisanal cheese fondue was less ethereal. The problem was less the heated cheese itself - although it could have been heated more, filled with a bubbling mix of varieties - but with the accompaniments. Both the bread cubes and the cut apple seemed stale and tired: yesterday's products. Better was Onion Soup Artisanal, made with three cheeses and three onions. The topping was somewhat overcooked, but the liquid was both sweet and strong: chicken soup for the Gallic soul.

At Artisanal the closer to raw cheese the better. I may return for a cheese plate with one of hundreds of wines by the glass. Otherwise, despite fair prices, food and service lack a strong profile. At Artisanal man must live by cheese alone.

Artisanal

2 Park Avenue (at 32nd Street)

Manhattan (Murray Hill)

212-725-8585

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

Edited March 20, 2006 by gaf (log)

[littlechinagirl]

My husband and I will be visiting NYC this weekend (from DC) and have reservations for Sunday Brunch at Artisanal.

My question- do they offer the grilled cheese sandwiches at this time? The gougeres? The macaroni and cheese?

Thanks!