09.10.08
Review of Jules, Sunday July 2008
65 St. Mark’s Pl. & 1st/2nd Aves., 212-420-0998
Great for: appetizers, live music on Sundays, brunch (I’ve heard)
Midtown Hedge Funder and I were all excited to try Persimmon. Some people say it’s better than Momofuku Ko. (It most certainly is not. It should not even be mentioned in the same sentence. Those people’s tastebuds need to be examined, and perhaps replaced in a violent manner. See upcoming review.) However, it’s not open Sundays. So we wandered around a bit and came here instead.
I was delighted with my salade frisée aux lardons and poached egg. I liked the abundance of nice big chewy bacon chunks, the not-too-salty sauce, and super soft egg. A perfect little salad. MHF’s pâté de Campagne de Madame Azeline was a homemade country terrine accompanied by cornichons and toast. It was earthy and strong-tasting, almost meaty. It palled after a bit, but the cornichons perk it up.
Then I had the onglet de boeuf à l’Echalotte, which was pan-roasted hanger steak with shallot sauce and asparagus risotto. The risotto was good, at least. The beef was sliced and a bit bland and chewy. I ordered medium rare but it was more like medium well. I had to put salt on it, and I never put salt on anything. Having said all that, it wasn’t terrible; just ok. MHF’s noisettes de veau “di Mama Bruna”, better known as sautéed veal scallopines with marsala mushroom sauce, Gorgonzola gnocchi and black truffle oil, was pretty good. The gnocchi were not too strong, and the veal was quite chewy but fairly tasty.
I recommend the raspini (a raspberry champagne concoction). It wasn’t too sour, as raspberry drinks frequently are. Champagne is the most calorie-laden of all the wines, though, and they’re not alcohol calories. That’s why I switched to Château Haut Lavigne sauvignon semillon (slightly fewer calories). It was dry and likeable. Sadly, the Château Pourcieux Provence was not. Don’t be fooled by the “rose” misspelling on the menu, it is indeed a rosé. It is also oddly unflavored, almost like water, with a deceptively strong aroma. It basically combined all the worst things that wine could be.
We struggled with the disorganized, or rather non-existent, hostess situation initially but managed to get someone’s attention after wandering to the back of the entire restaurant and almost back out on the other side. This was compounded by the manager trying to take my salad while I was eating it and setting down our entrees at the same time. I think I just stared at him in shock. At least we had a cute, friendly waiter.
The live Buena Vista Social Club-type music, which they only perform Sundays, was good but really loud, especially the drums. Sometimes people are inspired to get up and salsa so I guess feel free. In good conscience I can only recommend the appetizers and champagne cocktails here.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $120 (2 glasses wine, 1 champagne cocktail)
Noise level: very loud music, other parties quite loud too
Chance of walking in: medium. I imagine brunch is a madhouse.
