Pastis. Here's a place my friend insisted to take me to. One for its great food and second for it's popularity after being featured in our all favorite series, Sex and the City.
Thanks to this hit TV show, the Meatpacking District in New York became one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Manhattan. As its name suggests, its warehouses were once full of cow carcasses before Samantha Jones’ purchased her loft there (the silent witness of her onscreen debauchery), characterizing the Meatpacking district as a chic destination now famous for its designer boutiques and exclusive clubs.
MICHELIN guide 2009 Recommended, Pastis is a trendy French restaurant, frequented by fashionistas, the occasional celebrity, and Carrie-wannabes. Needless to say, it’s a great place to grab a drink and a bite when you want to see and be seen. Executive Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson and Chef de Cuisine Pascal Le Seac'h prepare a menu that combines hearty Provençal dishes with moderately-priced bistro fare.
Indeed a great bite.
Starving to death, we walk into a lovely yet loud place where a crowd of beautiful and stylish people are dinning. It's a typical French Bistro with dim lights, busy waiters all around and a a bar serving a range of house cocktails, wines by the glass, carafe or bottle, and several varieties of pastis, an anise-flavored aperitif from the south of France. We ordered two red wines by the glass, Steak Frites w/Béarnaise and Pastis Bar Steak w/ Maitre D’ Butter . Yes we were in the mood for a good piece of meat and for dessert a piece of Blueberry Cheese Cake.
I enjoyed my time...
- The place is beautifully decorated. You feel like you're in a nice place in France, yet when you walk out enchanting positive feeling of New York still awaits you
- The food was exceptionally delicious. The meat cooked medium although we had asked for well done is served with a generous portion of crunchy French fries.
- Béarnaise - My God. Dip every piece of fries in it - You will thank me.
- The cheese cake was topped with fresh blue berries. Heavenly.
- The waiter came a million times to our table to ask if all was ok... if we needed anything and so on.
What I wish for: The Chef is French - that means he's super strict in how he prepares his food. Even if you ask for a well done piece of steak, he will still serve it the way he believes the meat will taste best. I respect that, but the waiter was a bit worried to go ask him to cook our meat more saying "Are you sure this is what you want. I am sure the chef will not be happy." After he said all that we decided not to change the order. We ate it and enjoyed it.
It was a great dinner, good food, amazing crowd in an amazing city. Make sure to try it when you're in town.
