Imagine for a second that Grand Central Station was dropped in the middle of Paris in 1907. Not literally, as it would crush thousands of Parisians and cause immense damage to New York’s transit system. I mean figuratively…
Are you picturing it?
The men are wearing sleeve garters and enormous decorative clocks are used equally for their form and function. The space is open and light subtly emanates from every surface.
Still with me?
Now shrink the scale so it fits in a suburban development and imagine everything is cleaner and crisper than the technology of 1907 would allow. Now you’ve got my take on Brasserie Pavil.
Are you picturing it?
The men are wearing sleeve garters and enormous decorative clocks are used equally for their form and function. The space is open and light subtly emanates from every surface.
Still with me?
Now shrink the scale so it fits in a suburban development and imagine everything is cleaner and crisper than the technology of 1907 would allow. Now you’ve got my take on Brasserie Pavil.
While waiting at the bar for the rest of the party, I found myself amused with the uniforms of the bar staff. I was particularly baffled by an elastic strap connecting the bartender’s upper shirt sleeve to ….his lower shirt sleeve. Very odd. I’ll buy a drink for anyone who can properly name this peculiar accessory.
The bartender was very professional, making polite sage comments much the way you would expect from an old western saloon. Not to be completely anachronistic, he also reminded us of their regular happy hour and extended evening hours. We are still in suburbia after all.
As the rest of our group arrived, we started with Gruyere Fondue as an appetizer for the table. The cheese was strong but after the initial shock I found it to be interesting and tasty. The bread was intentionally a bit stale (I suppose to keep it from getting soggy as it was dipped in the cheese) and it sat heavily in my stomach after just a couple of cheesy skewers.
Both Mey and I went for the Friday dinner special of Bouillabaisse – a fish stew with lobster, mussels and scallops. My mouth drips with saliva just from typing the ingredients. It also looked great, but the flavor didn’t quite live up to the hype. The stew itself was salty and incorporated the fish’s flavor, but was overall a forgettable liquid. The mussels and scallops were okay (a tad overdone), but the sauce didn’t bring the flavor alive as it should. What resulted was more of a collection of mildly overcooked crustaceans obscured by broth.
A word on the service - top notch. That’s two words, but you get the idea. I was impressed, especially for a restaurant of this size. Making a reservation on Friday afternoon was not a problem and was warmly received. The bartender was polite, prompt and friendly. The waitress knew the menu and was able to make knowledgeable suggestions. The only misstep occurred when she walked off with half a glass of my chardonnay thereby giving me a facial expression generally reserved for children who recently discovered Santa’s identity. Thankfully she returned and apologized so I could continue to get my drink on.
We ordered an expensive appetizer ($20 fondue), but the total damage was higher than I would’ve liked. Despite the excellent service, a bill of $120 will likely keep Brasserie Pavil out of our regular rotation.
The following day the hostess called to ensure that we had a good evening and to wish us an expeditious return.
She must think I’m sexy.
Either that or it pays to take pictures of your food.
Food: 3
Ambiance: 3.5
Service: 4.5
Value: 2.5
Overall:
.
.
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Is her closet full of muted earth tones of brown, black, and white? Does she own an antique mirror and look at passionate people with envious disdain? Bring her here.
Then buy her a red dress. Everyone should have a red dress.
Then buy her a red dress. Everyone should have a red dress.
While waiting for a table we chatted up the friendly bartender who offered a few suggestions of his personal favorite menu items. After we were seated our table started with an assortment of appetizers including the Tandoori Mixed Grill (as recommended), the Mixed Appetizers for Two, and some Naan. These were a good source of variety as most were great and none were bad. I probably wouldn’t go for the Mixed Grill again unless you were planning on splitting it with 4 people, as it is larger than many entrees on the menu (and equally as expensive).
One thing that’s worth noting – the portion sizes seem deceptively small on first inspection, but there was always more than enough food to fill you up. This was especially true for my main course of Tandoori Shrimp. The waiter took tedious care to ensure that I knew the shrimp were not served with a sauce. The exchange went about like this:
Overall I would say the food was on par or slightly better than 
As I left the restaurant I found myself questioning my theorem. Is it possible that I can like a chef’s food but not share the same taste in other areas? Maybe the big boss from Le Rêve loves SUVs, hates public radio, and dislikes tall buildings.
I ordered some Red Snapper served over risotto with cooked spinach. The fish was covered with a very nice cream sauce and it all combined very well, with the minor criticism of slightly over-salty spinach. Mey’s strawberry salad was decent (the orange bread was squishy and unusual, but in a good way), and I’ll admit that my sweet tooth stole most of her carrot cake. 
We sat at the window against a bar in contemporary barstools while facing a massive church, but not because the atmosphere is something to be avoided. The chef told me that they were shooting for a “contemporary general-store feel” which just about covers it. I really dig the furniture, with the dining area looking like a page in a 
I must say that I regret ordering one of the pricier items on the blackboard. Not that it wasn’t good, but for that kind of coin the lunchtime competition includes seated restaurants like 
Thankfully 
It was an odd thing to watch. On one hand it was a brilliant technical display with intricate motions seemingly impossible to anyone with a normal human skeleton. Truly fascinating. On the other hand I was acutely aware that I was essentially watching a scantily clad exotic dancer while sitting next to my wife. Awkward….
Which isn’t to say the food was bad at all. Quite the contrary. Mey ordered the Doner Kebab and I went with the Lamb Shank a la Turca which were both very good. My dish looked spectacular with the blunt-looking lamb covered with the delicate flavor of an eggplant. If you look back to my review of Shiraz, you’ll find that I ordered a similar entree which was done a little better – albeit at a higher price – at the Olmos Park establishment. 
Mey’s dish didn’t look as spectacular, but the flavor of the slow-grilled beef and lamb was phenomenal. It tasted a bit like gyro meat, but juicier.
