Brasserie 8 1/2

It was extremely difficult to write this blog, as I didn’t come home with a memorable experience. Mind you it was not a terrible experience at all. The décor was like a stateroom on a ship. The staff was polite and the wine was good, but it just wasn’t good enough for me to remember the name.

The 3 course prix fixe is such great value for the money. Eleven Madison has a 3 course dinner prix fixe for $95 and Brasserie 81/2 is at $35.

The portion size is great and if you aren’t vegetarian you have a few good options. The non-vegetarians couldn’t stop talking about the seafood (annoying).The mussels were the best Satyen has eaten, and he probably eats mussels at any restaurant that serves them.

The must haves were:

Truffle Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

The mussels from the prix-fix

Japanese Yellowtail avocado roulade, braised kombu, passion fruit

I must admit, the desserts weren’t bad at all. However, do not order the cookies in a jar, unless you feel like having every type of cookie ever made. This must have been the point in the dinner when too much wine was consumed as we all started singing “who stole the cookies from the cookie jar……” and began laughing hysterically.

So I would say if you are:

(a) Over 50 years old OR

(b) In the neighborhood OR

(c) Feel like having a decent meal and not hear anybody else in the entire restaurant OR

(d) All of the above

Then this place makes prefect sense. Other than that, it’s just average in every way.

Bloggers recommendation: 2/5
Price: $$$
Ambiance: 2/5
Website- http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=67
CUISINE: FRENCH

Butai - actually more like "BOOO"-tai

Well let me begin by saying, the only thing fun about the evening was the company. Adventures can be a hit or a miss. This week’s restaurant was an absolute miss.

Where do I begin! The terrible Prosecco or the fact that all of us had different champagne glasses; and when we asked for a fourth glass we got a wine glass! (Mind you - this wasn’t a fast food restaurant we went to)

We ordered a variety of dishes, from a basic Mixed Green salad to the Bali Bali cabbage, the Mushroom Paradise and the Lamb chops. I am no gourmet chef, but trust me; I could’ve prepared a tastier meal. The organic chicken had to be the best on the menu, and that’s not saying for much. According to the non-vegetarians at the table, they had never eaten anything this rubbery. Our friend Sahil Kamdar (eligible bachelor may I add) had to gulp down the food with water. He sure will not be accompanying us on our future adventures.

Now let's move onto service - there was no order to the food served. We got our entrees before some of our appetizers. The Sushi arrived and guess what – there was no Soy Sauce. Our server managed to get us our food faster than McDonald’s does – gotta give them some credit for speed. Our table was bombarded with food and the waiter wouldn't even clear the empty dishes out. Ohhhh and I almost forgot - I got showered with champagne..oops I mean lousy Prosecco.. by the clumsy waiter.

I wish I could say something good about Butai, but they are out of luck.

It was finally time for dessert and we were all hoping things would turn around. So we ordered Crème brulee and Green tea ice cream and...they didn't have either of the desserts we were so looking forward to eating. The check finally arrived with incorrect billing; I didn't expect any different. The silver lining to the evening was Habibi lounge which though doesn’t meet the ‘restaurant blog’ criteria, is so worth mentioning - with the yummy fruit flavored hookah. The night ended with a slice of Pizza from a small deli and of course Kathi roll....I love NYC...no one sleep hungry.

Here is a link to the restaurant though you probably won't be needing it: http://www.butai.us/index.html

Bloggers recommendation: 0/5
Price: $$$$
Ambiance: 2.5/5
No Pictures worth posting too

CUISINE: JAPANESE