By Brandon Voss
The fat cats on Wall Street may be on a crash diet, but New Yorkers can count on Capsouto Frères to keep us from tightening our belts. After all, the three Capsouto brothers’ restaurant has weathered many a financial storm since it opened in October 1980, including September 11 (the brothers offered their place as a soup kitchen of sorts following the nearby attack, providing free meals for firefighters and rescue workers). Aside from reasonable prices and top-quality comfort cuisine, this French bistro provides a friendly home-cooked hospitality that we need now more than ever.
On a recent late-evening visit to this unassuming oasis on Washington and Watts streets, my boyfriend Nick and I sought refuge from the freezing cold and sat at a cozy corner table surveying the spacious yet warm dining room, a high ceilinged, exposed-brick-walled space that feels far removed from Manhattan. Guided by his shivering blue extremities, Nick gravitated toward more traditional bistro offerings such as the perfectly crusty, cheesy onion soup gratinée, which had a lovely subtle smokiness. Next, he savored an outstanding white bean cassoulet, a seasonal chef’s special stocked with lean, succulent pieces of lamb, pork, beef and sausage, which proved hearty without being too heavy.
I personally recommend the $39 prix fixe menu option for two of the bistro’s most popular dishes: the flavorful, many-layered vegetable terrine Provençale and the roasted duck with ginger and cassis sauce, which wowed with its tenderness and tanginess. For a mere $5 more, upgrade the dessert course to one of Capsouto’s signature soufflés. Impossibly light and fluffy, these masterpieces aren’t decadent as much as they are delightful, finished off tableside with ladlings of warm, sweet, creamy goodness; the chocolate is delicious, the hazelnut is a revelation, and the seasonal fruit special should not be skipped.
So whip out your subway map—the Capsouto bros are waiting to help you forget your troubles.
Capsouto Frères, 451 Washington St, 212-966-4900, $$.
from: http://hx.com/archives/2700#more-2700