Boris: Binging at Benoit

Boris reports to us on his initial findings of the Parisian to New York transplant, Benoit:

"On a recent evening, my gullet and my gout led me to try out Benoit. Located in the former Cote Basque space, I immediately liked the bistro-style feel to the place The accoustics seemed messy however. Waiters cackled while the murmur of convo went on, making it hard to hear either. The crowd was so-so, nothing exciting. We were seated next to some cute but trashy Long Island chickadee and her comely friend. Cute But Trashy kept writing notes on her phone about the meal (she was some food blogger or something). Furthermore, she was too skinny--purging good food is unacceptable. I was happy however, when on our other side a table of Frenchies arrived, drinking and gallavanting the way it's supposed to be done. The restaurant doesn't yet have its liquor license so I had to bring my own wine, which was fine by me, although the staff was a bit pushy in serving it. Speaking of the staff, my waiter was quite an amusing character--a little flaming Latin gent who reminded me of Hank Azaria as Agador Spartacus in 'The Birdcage'. Anyway, on to the meal. I started with an amuse of egg mayo (because I'm a fat kid and you can't go wrong with that mini dish). This was the standard hardboiled egg (one with hard yoke, one with an egg salad innard) with a mustard mayonaisse--always a crowd pleaser. Then I continued with the escargot which was mighty fucking fine! I liked that they serve the garlic-soaked toast points on top of the little buggers, making for an excellent mouthful. I paired the S cars go with a bottle of Corton Charlemegne which went together fluidly. My next course was the Duck a L'Orange which was well done, most and rich just as I like it, while the portion was not overwhelming. The duck was consumed with a Cos d'Estournel--always a winner in my liver. The strange but significant drawbacks of the meal were the small points, such as the fact that the bread on the table was stale as were the profiteroles we had for dessert (a shame because the chocolate sauce was delicious). These overlookings will most likely be repaired as time goes on, so I will not dwell for the time-being. Overall a solid new spot definitely worth trying out. When they do get their bar all sorted out, I may set up a new HQ there.

All my warmest wishes,
Boris"

+Benoit, 60 West 55th Street, New York +1 646 943 7373
+Gout: Symptoms, Causes, Triggers, & Treatment