French Onion Soup & Moules at Bar Tabac

A friend and I met at Bar Tabac the other night for a good meal and lots of people watching at one of their outdoor tables along Dean St. People either love or hate Bar Tabac (128 Smith St. at Dean St., 718-9230-0918, www.bartabacny.com). I happen to be a fan & find their food decent, even if the service can be spotty.

We started out with some soups. The Potato Leek soup was really nice; the flavors full and fresh. It was however, all beige, so a photo will not be supplied. The French Onion Soup on the other hand is the one to get, this being a French restaurant and all, and is so photogenic in addition to being delicious.



Mmmmm, all that melted cheese, some of it slightly burnt. It was chock full of sweet onions and bits of soaked bread, YUM!

I then ordered the Chicken Liver Brochette, which is one of their many small plate type items. It was great, on skewers with pearl onions and zucchini, but there was A LOT of it, and so half of it came home with me for another time. It was great with the sauce and spread on the bread we were given baskets of.



My friend got the Moules and an order of Fries. Again, these are some of the best items at Bar Tabac. The mussels come piled high in a tangy, slightly creamy sauce, and were great to share.



The Fries come in a little metal bucket and are perfectly salted with both ketchup and mayonnaise for dipping. Delish!



Bar Tabac is a fun, lively spot with a variety of good food at reasonable prices. Big thanks to Serious Eats for the mention!

Dinner at Char No.4

I noticed Char No. 4 before they opened, because of the simple yet elegant signage and the earth-tone color palate that stood out in contrast to the rest of surrounding Smith St. (196 Smith St., between Baltic and Warren Streets, 718-643-2106, www.charno4.com). I was excited about trying the newest restaurant to open up in the area.

I love love LOVE the lighting in the front room. Hanging from the ceiling are what look like about 30 upside-down round ottomans, covered in a brown burlap-like fabric. Or an upside-down pack of cigarettes. Very cool looking.

We started with the Kentucky Ham, served with Fig Jam, Pickled Onions and a chunk of toasted, crusty bread. WOW! This was ridiculously good. The ham was sliced super thin, had the lightest, nicest flavor and was paired with slightly sweet jam and beautiful pickles topped with black sesame seeds.



For a main course, I ordered the Hanger Steak with BBQ Sauce and Crispy Potatoes. The serving is definitely small-looking, but it's really plenty of food and the steak was perfect. The buttery meat cut easily, was tender and tasty and slightly salted on the outside. The BBQ Sauce was really interesting. I think there was some kind of cayenne pepper in it that gave it a little bite. The potatoes were nice and crispy and again, perfectly salted. Delicious!



My boyfriend got the Shrimp & Grits. This too was incredible. The pieces of shrimp were tender, fresh and not at all fishy-tasting. The dish was covered in lemongrass and scallions which added a nice, green flavor and the grits tasted a bit like really good corn chowder. It was such a refreshingly new combo and so well made.



For dessert there were two options, and we chose the homemade Pralines & Cream Ice Cream drizzled in Old Crow Bourbon. MMMmmmm. This was really great, full of sugar-coated pralines and raisins and made me want to drizzle bourbon over every dish of ice cream I have from now on. Amazing!



It's a bit on the pricey side - but is a nice spot to treat yourself on a special occasion. Thanks to Eater for linking to this review. And for more reviews, check out Urban Spoon.

Tasty Sandwiches from Ted & Honey

I wrote about Ted and Honey here a few weeks ago when I wrote about a delicious cookie I had from there. I went back to have lunch the other day and got to sit outside, where they've set up a few tables and chairs, to enjoy my sandwich, and bask in the beautiful weather while taking in the sights and sounds of busy Clinton St.



This is a BLAT - Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato on Ciabatta bread (you get 6 or 7 bread options to choose from). It came with a small side salad with big homemade-seeming croutons and a vinaigrette dressing. It was so good. The terrifically smoky, salty bacon comes from a local farm and is organic and the addition of avocado really made it special. The tomatoes were ripe and juicy and there was a perfect amount of mayo. It was a seriously good sandwich. Ted & Honey (264 Clinton at Verandah Pl., 718-852-2212).

***UPDATE - 10/4/08***
I went back to Ted & Honey the other day and had a sort of bizarre experience. The service was SO slow and so weird. My sandwich was placed in a bag without any wrapping to keep it together. My friends and I were treated almost like a burden. It was enough to make me think twice about going back.