Artisanal Restaurant Review

I woke up Sunday morning in a panic realizing that I only had hours left in New York City and we hadn't settled on a restaurant for brunch yet. In the haze of my hangover I decided that I needed one last great meal before I left the Big Apple. I first tried for reservations at Balthazar so that I could have a few last moments in Soho but silly me, how could I expect Balthazar to have space open on a brisk Sunday morning. The very unkindly lady said she could seat the 4 of us at 3pm for brunch (I had to leave for JFK at 4pm). I then tried to the Central Park Boathouse but amazingly for a New York City restaurant, they didn't take reservations. Last resort, Google. I cross-referenced a few "top brunch spot" lists and came across Artisanal Restaurant in Midtown. I was hesitant to settle on Artisnal since it is afterall in Midtown, the area where mostly tourists and theatre goers dine because they have nowhere else to go. On top of that they easily gave me a reservation for 4 at 1:30pm, no questions asked. But the chef sounded promising and who could say no to a restaurant centered around cheese.

We arrived a bit early and had ample space to wait at the bar. Near enough to 1:30pm we were seated into a tight space where I felt like I was dining with the family seated next to us. This was definitely the Park Avenue Sunday brunch crowd so again I was nervous this restaurant would be more about the "cheddar" than the cheddar. One look at the menu though and I was hooked. First of all it was no question that I would have the artisanal cheese fondue as my main so it took some arm-twisting to settle on a starter. It came down to a choice between the gougeres and the beignets. With my savory cheesy main, the waiter suggested the beignets ($12.50) that didn't dissapoint. They were perfectly bite-sized pillows dusted in cinnamon and sugar. They came out piping hot freshly fried as they always should be.

My fondue ($24.00 for 2) made from a blend of artisanal cheeses followed shortly. I wished I'd asked what the blend was exactly because it was a great balance of sharp flavors and luscious melted goodness. One knock against the fondue was they were out of the kielbasa so we were left to dip crudites, bread, and apples slices ($8 for dippers). We also ordered egg with the fondue which used a preparation I'd never heard of or seen before but supposedly it was traditional. Once we hit the bottom of the fondue pot, the waiter came and cracked a raw egg into the still warm enamled cast-iron bottom. He let the egg sit and once cooked, scraped up all the cheesy bits with egg. It was unusual but oh so good. My companions also had the eggs benedict ($14.50) which looked scrumptuous but I can't comment since I didn't try any and the egg frites ($16.50). If I get a chance to go back I will definitely be having the eggs frites. It was two eggs cooked over easy placed on a bed of crispy garlicy french fries. So pungent and delicious! The french fries were especially good dipped into the cheese fondue.

I wish I'd had room for more cheese after the fondue but we moved on to sweets instead. How could we not follow the cheese fondue with chocolate fondue ($24.50 for 2)? As unfashionable as fondue might be, I can't but enjoy dipping bits of fruit, cake, biscuits, and marshmallows into melted chocolate. The chocolate fondue did have a strong liquer that I didn't care for and would ask them to leave out next time. We also ordered profiteroles ($11.50) which always good but typically not impressive. These profiteroles did leave an impression though with the use of a very good quality pistachio ice cream instead of the traditional vanilla. In the end we someone managed to log over 3 hours just for brunch.

The Damage

Food $130.75

Liquor $44.50 (what is brunch without mimosas and bellinis?)

Tax $14.68

Service $30

Total $219.93 for 4 people

Overall rating

(3.5 out of 5 tube stops)

Ambience: Walking in I was reminded of Bouchon which reminds me of any typical Parisian style bistro. Straw charis, round cafe tables, and wood and zinc bar. As mentioned the tables were a bit tight but the restaurant benefited from high-ceilings making the space feel open in general. The restaurant can get noisy at times since likely seats ~100 diners. This is not a restaruant for a quiet romantic dinner.

Drinks: 3 of us had the strawberry-rhubard sunrise and 1 had a mimosa. You can probably guess that the sunrise was a mix of a strawberry-rhubard puree with Champagne. It was a good quality Champange though that subtly dry and refreshing.

Price Range: £££ (out of ££££)

A bit pricey for brunch but we were well hungover and splurging.

Reservations: As mentioned I had no issues getting a table for brunch at 1:30pm for 4 people. There is ample seating so I can't imagine not getting in at a reasonable time unless pre-theatre dinner time on a Friday or Saturday night.