CCXLVI: La Brasserie

I know, I know. Too much eating out or talk of food over the past few days. Can you really blame me? It only started settling in today that I have become a bit of a foodie. What can I say? I can be a bit slow sometimes. Rarely. But it happens.

And to think, it all started by reading a weekly now-defunct food column in Metro News. I miss you, Urban Foodie!

Smeek chose the restaurant tonight, a "Franco-German" place on Davie Street called La Brasserie. I've walked by many times with interest and mild curiosity, but this was piqued when Oli bought a pulled-pork sandwich (or something to that effect) for lunch on one of my days off. She raved about the sandwich weeks later and I never got the joy of trying their cuisine.

Bunny and I walked by around 7:20pm and put our names down for a table since they don't take reservations. There was a 30-40 minute wait, not a problem since Smeek was not supposed to be done her shift until 8:00pm or so. Unfortunately, a scene Bunny and I witnessed on our walk to the restaurant had a rippling effect on the hospital, causing a lockdown or "code orange" so that Smeek was held up for an unknown amount of time. We were eventually reunited around 9:30pm.

Bunz and I shared the Alsatian Onion Tart and Steak & Frites. The tart was a long, narrow slice and was topped with crème fraîche. Though good, it did not match that of Les Faux Bourgeois. The steak was perfectly medium rare and tender, lightly flavoured with truffle morel butter (I couldn't taste any truffle!). By the time we finished our steak, Smeek joined us and ordered a Steak Tartare, which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Then the three of us shared a lemon tart and vanilla crème brûlée -- I don't normally like either but the crème brûlée was especially good. That being said, neither were spectacular.

Final verdict? If you want French and German food in one restaurant and love beer, go here. I don't think I would come for dinner again (maybe brunch/lunch instead), and much preferred Les Faux Bourgeois in comparison. It didn't help that one of our servers seemed passive-aggressive and borderline bipolar, showing attitude one moment and being "friendly" the next. Don't judge me because I'm not ordering a drink! And don't make it seem like your restaurant is busier than it is! We wanted to change tables so that Smeek could join us and it seemed to greatly pain her. Not cool, lady. Not cool.