Restaurant: Bar Americain(http://www.baramericain.com/)
Location: NYC – 52nd St
Total Rating: 4.7
Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 5, Ambience:5, Accessibility: 3
Summary: An American brasserie, Bar Americain celebrates the foods of America with a healthy dose of the bold flavors Bobby Flay is most known for. The 200-seat restaurant, designed by Rockwell Group, features traditional brasserie elements while mixing "Hollywood" banquettes in the dining room. Bar Americain's mezzanine provides an ideal vantage point for people watching with a slight respite from the bustle of the main floor below.
Oct 2006: Bobby Flay is one of our favorite chefs, so on a trip to New York City we decided we had to eat at one of his restaurants. Bar Americain was larger than expected with two levels and a huge raw bar. The experience was very nice with beautiful presentations, although I found my smoked chicken entrée to be a little too smokey for my tastes. The service was lovely and we anxiously await to try another of Flay’s spots.
UPDATE: Five years later, I finally returned with a wonderful group of ladies as one of our highlights during our NYC bridal weekend trip. Our server, Jake, was very attentive and provided great service all night. We munched on the warm variety of breads as we perused the menu. Between the seven of us, we ordered 3 appetizers, 3 sides, and 3 desserts (plus each had their own entree) which was more than enough food. We covered all the major categories: my grandmother had the porterhouse lamb chops, my mother and one aunt had the steak, my cousin had the cioppino seafood stew, my dear friend had the skate fish, while my other aunt and myself had the vegetarian crepes. The flavors were crisp and bright just as I remembered. Each spice used complimented each dish perfectly, rather than overwhelmed it. The ingredients were very fresh and overall we had an amazing meal. Unfortunately, Bobby was not there that evening, yet his touches were prominently felt throughout the restaurant. We would have thanked him personally for such a special experience.
What I ate:
Shellfish Cocktail Tasting
Tasting of shrimp tomatillo, crab-coconut, and lobster-avocado
Smoked Chicken
With hatch green chile spoonbread and black pepper vinegar sauce
Crepes
with butternut squash, ricotta, wild mushrooms and brown butter sauce
Cauliflower Gratin
Red Velvet Brownie Sundae
with cream cheese ice cream and walnuts
Chocolate Cream Pie
Lemon Butter Crepes
with tangerines
