Cherche Midi

Over the winter, I read a round up of all new restaurants opening this spring, and I was excited when I read that Keith McNally had a new venture in the works. Turns out, this new place, Cherche Midi, opened last week in the old Pulino spot.

Talk about up my alley - this place has rustic-but-cute pink tablecloth and napkins. Ok, already a winner! The red banquettes reminded me of my beloved Balthazar. We walked in around 8:45pm or so on a Monday night and there was no wait for a table, but I don't know how long this phenomenon will last.


Nathan and I had both watched the USA Ghana game, but at separate locations, so we had snacked prior (namely, I ate about a dozen buffalo wings). Since we were both semi-full, we decided to split the asparagus salad and the prime rib burger.

I normally eat asparagus in its stalk form, but this salad sliced it (on a mandoline?) so it was crunchy, and, while I usually don't eat croutons/breadcrumbs, the garlic breadcrumbs in this salad added an interesting-in-a-good-way touch. I realize that based on the photo below, this salad looks more like a Parmesan salad topped with asparagus, but all that Parmesan just adds to the fun.

And now on to the main show...The Prime Rib burger is Keith McNally's newest creation, and said to rival (my beloved) black label burger at Minetta Tavern. The burger is topped with gruyere cheese and bacon marmalade. My verdict is that this isn't as good as the Black Label, but it certainly has its merits. The bun wasn't as notable as the Black Label brioche, but the bacon marmalade/gruyere cheese combo was tasty, the marmalade added just a touch of sweetness. As expected, our burger was a perfectly seared medium rare. And, the fries were fantastic.

{Gulp. Cheesey and medium rare goodness}

And the chocolate souffle? Good, but not great. As in, if I were tracking my calories on myfitnesspal so I can fit into my underbutt shorts, I would skip it.

Overall: I plan to return to try out more menu items (especially the steaks), and next time I won't share the burger! Cherche Midi is tres adorable, I'm waiting for brunch!

Cherche Midi
282 Bowery
New York, New York 10012
(212) 226-3055

http://www.cherchemidiny.com/

You should probably make reservations, I think it was a stroke of luck that we were able to walk in and get a table.