For our last Restaurant Week experience, we booked a table with OpenTable at Ca Va Todd English, a brasserie located in the Intercontinental Hotel, few steps from Times Square. There, the American Chef crafted a menu with modernized brasserie dishes, such as the escargots farcies or the steak frites with herb-onion butter. 

Decor wise, nothing really worth noticing, besides the small room on the right side of the entrance, with its large table, overlooking a bunch of culinary utensils. 

Yes, the main dining room had a hotel feel rather than a brasserie one, probably because of the striped banquettes...

Food wise, they proposed for the $38 prix-fixe a very interesting menu. They first brought us a mini-baguette with butter and some mustard.

For appetizer, Jodi went for the gazpacho, the chilled tomato based soup that is perfect for the summer. 

It was served with a sherry foam and garlic croutons (more croutons would have been perfect). It was a decent soup, although a bit of heat started to build up slowly after a couple of spoons, offsetting the cooling effect of the dish. 

On my side, I went for the escargots farcis. 

The presentation was fantastic, like an art project. Some escargots were served in the shell for presentation purpose, and others were not, so do not imagine that I got only two! It was composed of fennel, crisp ham and sea beans. I loved it, not only because of its visual or originality, but also because of the flavors that were well balanced. 

For her main dish, Jodi ordered the Flétan aux tomates oubliées, or, translated, halibut with forgotten tomatoes. 

The dish was composed of heirloom tomatoes, green zebra tomatoes, arugula and sunflower pesto. I only tried the fish that was perfectly cooked, focussing mainly on my own dish that was the tournedos de boeuf. 

​I know: I broke my rule that is to not order meat if not in a steakhouse...Well, I surely did not regret it. These beef medallions were served with king trumpet mushrooms, bone marrow bordelaise, summer truffles and mash potatoes. The meat was perfectly cooked medium and very tender. 

​The mash was creamy and for sure, there were lots of mushrooms that not only gave a nice flavor to the dish, but also an incredible smell, especially emanating from the summer truffles. Great dish!

For dessert, Jodi got the pain perdu au chocolat blanc or white chocolate bread pudding. 

​It was served with rhubarb and huckleberry, as well as a cream cheese frosting ice cream. It was a delicious dessert, the white chocolate not that present though, but I did not miss it. 

On my side, I ordered the friandises pour l'entracte that was a set of cookies and chocolates. 

There were quite few cookies there:

Chocolate chip:

​Macadamia nuts:

As well as a quince pate de fruit that I loved. 

​This dinner was delicious and the dishes so creative and wonderfully plated that we definitely want to go back there. Oui, Todd English, after this dinner, ça va!

Enjoy (I did)

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