It’s late August and even though a hurricane is about to shake it up around here on the east coast, it’s still hot as hell. But, that’s okay, I still hop it on a cool subway ride to my food destination. The person next to me on the subway is coughing a tubercular cough-sure hope it isn’t swine flu. My motto, anything, anywhere for a great meal.
I am at one of my favorite lunch spots in the village called August. Bleeker street between Charles and West 10’th. Fabulous location, dangerously close to Magnolia Bakery, which is really how I stumbled onto August. I was buying cupcakes up the street or would that be down the street?
Here we go again. Why do restaurants change a good thing? I like a good thing and I come to expect it. Here at August it’s the wood oven baked egg dishes served to you in the skillet it was cooked in, so great always. They are telling me it’s now only served on weekends and I don’t want to narrow my window to only weekends. I liked getting this dish every day of the week here. What to do? When all else fails, order something with creme fraiche. I order the smoked trout with fingerling potato’s and creme fraiche.
The bread wins here today as being the best so far on this trip. Crusty and even served with butter. My only note is that I had to ask for it and I prefer they automatically bring you bread.
The smoked trout is good, but probably too big of a portion for me, maybe 8 ounces. On top of the trout are thinly sliced beets and radishes even thinner. The fingerling potato’s and creme fraiche are under the beautiful piece of trout. Fresh chives, is a key ingredient. And I need to remember this, drizzled olive oil, not sure why but I love to see it glistening on a plate of food. I’m really difficult when I come to expect my favorite food at a restaurant and then they switch it up like this, but I’m doing okay considering and I guess I will come back even if they aren’t serving my favorite egg dish.
On Weekends, here are a few items on the brunch menu. My favorite Wood Oven Baked Eggs en Cocotte Provencal: tomatoes, squash and garlic, Alsatian: bacon and onion with creme fraiche, Roman: Tomato and Mozzarella, Andalusian: chorizo and blistered peppers. Challah Bread French Toast with Huckleberry-Blueberry coulis and mint. Traditional housemade Muesli with strained yogurt and honey. Albodigas which is veal meat balls, tomato, two fried eggs and basil.
The dinner menu has slow roasted suckling pig with sweet corn, cranberry beans, dill. Striped Bass with saffron licorice braised artichokes.