Last week, we were looking for a French restaurant and ended up at Gentleman Farmer on the Lower East Side. This small 20 seat place is unnoticeable, but, to my surprise, served some delicious food crafted by Chef Karim Nounouh. There, the Chef serves seasonal dishes inspired by French cuisine.
We went early and the place was empty, fairly dark and with a space definitely optimized to pack as many tables as possible. Needless to say that I was glad it was not crowded so we could enjoy a quiet evening, rather than hearing the conversation of the table next to us...
They started off by bringing us some bread with butter as well as peppers. I ate the bread with my appetizer: curried snails, an original dish, far from the original escargots de Bourgogne and their delicious butter and garlic sauce. It was good, although medium spicy.
For the entree, I wanted to order the cassoulet that was on their menu online as well as outside the restaurant. Unfortunately, both of them were outdated and they did not serve it. So, I finally decided to go with the tournedos Rossini that is filet mignon with seared foie gras on top, accompanied with asparagus and carrots confit. It was not my first choice because I often have been disappointed by meat in non-steakhouse restaurants. I was wrong! The filet mignon, ordered medium rare but coming more on the medium side was very good: tender and juicy, it was the perfect combination with the sublime foie gras. The veggies that came with it were also quite good, my preference going to the carrots confit that were melting in my mouth.
Jodi went for the mushroom ravioli, made with seasonal mushrooms and shaved Summer truffle. This was the only vegetarian entree. I tried a bit of it and have to say that it was very good, a perfect dish if you love mushrooms.
Last was dessert and we decided to order a classic, the creme brûlée, that was delicious, perfectly set.
We had a great time at Gentleman Farmer: the food was delicious and the prices not outrageous. This is definitely a place to know about and I recommend it. But if you like quiet, I suggest you go at 6pm, when they open for dinner...
Enjoy (I did)!
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Gentleman Farmer - 40 Rivington Street, New York, NY10002