Brasserie 8 1/2

[EGlambo1]

My girlfriend and I had dinner this past Wednesday night at Brasserie 8 1/2.  We were seated at a booth in the back, which would have been fine except for the unstable table - the manager switched us over to another adjacent booth over as soon as he found out.  

Although the service left something to be desired and the bread starter was awful - I know this is gratis at many restaurants but there is no need to serve it stale!, the food was exceptionally tasty and fresh.  The crab cake appetizer is full of flavor and cooked perfectly.  I had the Horseradish encrusted sea bass with wasabico, and my girlfriend had the sirloin steak - both excellent and full of flavor.  

Beyond the food, the space is quite spectacular.  You enter the restaurant and immediately scale down a spiral staircase into the upper bar area.  The dining area is a few short steps below the bar - but both are essentially connected.  The restaurant's design is dominated by glass and booth - style seating.  It is extremely spacious, yet not in an overwhelming way.  

Overall I would highly recommend it - Although not for a quiet romantic evening, but more for the food, good bar scene, and to appreciate the restaurant's design.

[thereuare]

Tonite we ate at Brasserie 8 1/2 (9 W. 57th St).

All i can say is that the meal was fantastic on all counts, one of the best i've had in a VERY long time. We started with a few drinks in the bar area and i was little disappointed with my short pour of tap beer (something i've been conscious of ever since a trip to England a few years ago... you'd be VERY surprised as to how many ounces are lost in a beer poured with an excessive head), this was the only negative of the evening. The space is very nice.. soothing and mellow, although one would question who picked the orange motif.

After a few minutes in the lounge area we were seated at our table to start a great meal. Appetizers ordered were French Onion soup and Salmon tartar. The soup was tasty and the salmon had a great presentation. Entrees included lamb chops (served off the bone, i forgot what it's called), filet mignon, sea bass, and tuna wrapped in a tuna "bacon" (the bacon wasn't pork bacon, it was bacon made from cured tuna). We all enjoyed our meals, and each came beautifully presented on the plate, and served exactly as ordered (ie- the steak was cooked as ordered). Service was attentive and friendly, and not once was a plate delivered with the server asking "who got the ...." (even if it wasn't the server that took our order).

I'm not much of a dessert person, but i had the frozen banana souffle which was AMAZING!! I don't know exactly how it was made, but it basically tasted like ice cream made from fresh bananas, with a praline crust around it, along with a drizzle of carmel sauce.... this was a big hit with all of us. Another dessert ordered was a strawberry something-or-other, which i forgot because i didn't try it.... i was too concerned with my banana souffle.

This is one of the better meals i've eaten in a long time, and i know i will be back. If anybody is interested, they are part of the Restaurant Associates group (i know, i too have been disappointed with many of their other restaurants) and they usually offer discounts at their website: Restaurant Associates Discounts

[johnjohn]

I ate here a year ago - I do remember the crab cakes were very good and the shellfish platter was fresh. But what sticks in my mind about this place is when I called to make a reservation. I asked for 1 pm (I called that morning for lunch - 3 people), and was told that they could not seat us at 1pm, but could seat us at 1:30 - fine. I got there early probably around 1pm, and the place was more than half empty. It just pissed me off.

johnjohn

[tommy]

I ate here a year ago - I do remember the crab cakes were very good and the shellfish platter was fresh.  But what sticks in my mind about this place is when I called to make a reservation.  I asked for 1 pm (I called that morning for lunch - 3 people), and was told that they could not seat us at 1pm, but could seat us at 1:30 - fine.  I got there early probably around 1pm, and the place was more than half empty.  It just pissed me off.

johnjohn

perhaps they had no-shows, in which case it certainly isn't thier fault. or perhaps they didn't have enough staff to handle you at 1 but they knew someone else would be available by 1.30? it's a tricky business that reservation-taking stuff is.

[thereuare]

Funny you mention that, as the restaurant was quite less than full. I asked the waiter if Saturday is typically a slow nite for them and most of their business is business lunch and dinners. He replied that it's really hit-or-miss, all depending upon weather, traffic, events in the city, etc. He must have not thought we were not local because he explained to us that many people in the city make 3 or 4 reservations throughout the city and then pick one to attend right before they go out. He then said that the average "no show" for a reservations at NYC restaurant is 30%! Don't know if this is actually their average or the average throughout NYC, but the number seemed quite high to me.

BTW, i will also mention that the portions were plentiful. I had the filte mignon and it was QUITE a cut of meat.

[foodgeek]

I had a good meal at Brasserie 8 1/2 last year. Nice food, decor, and service. It was a nice place to take a date.

I used one of their $50 certificates, so it was affordible. They (Restaurant associates) are giving $25 certs for Brass 8 1/2 now, although they still give $50 for Nick and Stef's.

Here is their the link for the discounts:

http://www.ra-dineout.com/ra/

I wanted to rost the report on the other food site at the time but they were blacklisting Brasserie 8 1/2. They may not be blacklisted anymore.

[tommy]

their beer dinner sounds like a decent enough deal.

[mogsob]

Trying to read a bit into your post. I've never had cause to complain about the size of a pint in England, given that they are Imperial pints to begin with (20 oz. vs. 16 oz. in the states) and half the price anyway.

Also, as I recall Brasserie 8 1/2 had a lot of Belgian beers, which are supposed to be poured with a thick head -- pouring beer down the side of the glass does not release flavors properly and is the unfortunate product of Miller executives wanting to make beer pouring appear more elegant in a TV ad. Sounds like they are pouring the beer correctly.

[thereuare]

My England reference refers to a "small, independent brewers" festival i went to while i was there... it was a true find as we were simply looking for something to do for the day.

Anyways, they had a poster there with a 3/4 filled milk bottle on the left, and a pint of beer on the right with a thick head on it. The tag line read, "You wouldn't settle for this (refering to the milk missing 1/4 on the top of it), so why would you settle for this (refering to the large head on top of the beer). It was distributed by some organization that was fighting to regulate the industry for an "honest pour".

We bought glasses at this festival as souveniers and one day while in the kitchen i saw the glass and remembered the sign, so i filled up the glass but left a little bit off the top. I then poured this glass into a 12 oz. glass and almost all of it fit! Due to the glass being MUCH wider at the top than at the bottom, the top part of the glass holds a deceptively large part of the liquid.

I've never complained about a short pour at any restaurant, it's just something that i now notice.

[foodgeek]

their beer dinner sounds like a decent enough deal.

Yeah, but thats for a different restaurant, rockcentercafe. Brasserie 8 1/2 is better, right?

[tommy]

their beer dinner sounds like a decent enough deal.

Yeah, but thats for a different restaurant, rockcentercafe. Brasserie 8 1/2 is better, right?

yeah, i was in my own head at the time and used "their" as in "one of restaurant associates' restaurants." i wasn't going to bother clarifying, but thanks for doing it for me.

[menton1]

I just received a certificate good for $50 at Brasserie 8½ on West 57th street. Checking the menu online, it sounds good, but I somehow have the feeling it caters to tourists because of the location.

Anybody been here and have some input? Thanks!

[sammy]

No, definitely not a "tourist" place. Owned by Restaurant Associates, it is a solid restaurant in a very nice room. You will not be disappointed, especially with the $50 coupon.

[ellenesk]

Have eaten here many times on business. Food is good, but service has never been one of their strong points.

[LJC]

Food and service are fair to good. The space and decor is pretty cool; nice bar and lounge area. The prices are high and even with your $50 certificate it will not be cheap. I am very skeptical of RA promos especially after I went to Brasserie for the advertised 2lb lobster dinner for $25. Maybe the whole plate including the ceramic was 2lbs.; the lobster itself was no larger than 11/2. A $25 2 lb lobster is a great deal but that’s not what I got. I felt like I was the victim of a scam. RA lost my trust and any good will they might have had.