Nothing beats the winter chill than being indoors and trying new foods. A few friends and I went to Le Cirque to sample some French Cuisine. For those who do not know, Restaurant Week happens twice a year in New York City and participating restaurants offer lunch and dinner for a fixed price. You get to chose an appetizer, entree and dessert from a set menu.

The restaurant is located on 58th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenue. I’m not much for explaining design and decor, but it did not have a stuffy, pretentious feeling even though it was a very dressy place. I think the colours and the monkeys won me over. What can I say, I’m a sucker for monkeys.

For appetizer I ordered the Venison and Pistachio Sausage (with celery root and pickled cherries) , for entree the Bavette Steak (with parsnip purée, sweet and sour mushrooms, and watercress) and for dessert the Crème Brûlée Le Cirque. Wherever there is a French influenced restaurant and Crème Brûlée is on the menu, I’m having it!

Everything was good! The sausage was tender and yummy! Not tough, not gamey, not chewy, but melt in your mouth good.

I am not a big steak lover but I absolutely enjoyed the steak. It was tender – easy to cut into. I didn’t have to wrestle it into submission and that for me is a major plus. I dislike fighting with my food – unless it’s throwing pies at people. The dessert was what I’d refer to as a pretty good Crème Brûlée. The best part of it was the secret message waiting for me at the end.

Overall service was great. So thanks to Evelyn who organized this all.

I am in no way a food critic, nor do I ever plan on getting into that field. However, hanging out at restaurants that one would not normally go to; eating a meal with friends and having a good time with each other while judging the food served is one of the things I love about New York’s Restaurant Week! So if you’re in New York and you have the chance to experience this, then go for it! Try something new, you might like it.

a great meal + a relaxing place + lovely service = A Good Time in NYC!