La Cafette

Summary

This restaurant has been on my list for a while. Before I moved out of North Williamsburg, I wanted to eat something with pork. Unfortunately at the time, they were closed on a Tuesday for whatever reason, so I did not have the opportunity to try this place until today.

The ambiance is a dimly lit romantic setting right near the corner of Havenmayer. There were a lot of candles all over, and the tables were pretty close to each other reminding me of my time in Paris. Keeping in mind that I am getting over a slight head congestion, my tastebuds might be a little on the dull size.

We got the special soup which was basically shrimp, clams, and mussels in a thin tomato based broth. This reminded me very much of a tomato based bouillabaisse soup that wasn’t spicy at all. The broth came out warm, but the seafood in it was all pretty good. The mussels, shrimp, and clams tasted a little stale as if they were chilled a little too long. To be honest, it felt like the seafood wasn’t exactly the most fresh as it was just slightly warm, but it’s the day after and I’m not sick. At the time though, I very much enjoyed the flavor. This was $9, so I leveled my expectations.

The la mixte is basically a platter of charcuterie and cheeses. The charcuterie was quite delicious. There was some pate in it, salami, proscuitto (???), and another mash of meat reminding me of corned beef. The waitress served us some warm bread, and it brought me instantly to the time I was in a cafe in Paris eating a bunch of cornichons with pate on bread. Really good. The cheese was equally good too. There was definitely a brie in there (I think it’s the front), a hard cheese that is a little sharper to the right, and a circular cream cheese texture in the middle. The “cream cheese” disc tasted like a very rich cream cheese, which for me is delectable. The platter came with cornichons (of course), jelly cubes, and walnuts.

The poulet rôti was very tender and rich. It’s basically roasted chicken with their famous potatoes and mushrooms in some sort of sauce. I hate mushrooms, so they were tolerable. The sauce though was salty with a taste of some wine in it and paired well with the chicken. The chicken was also very tender and juicy, and it reminded me of a cheaper but better version of Le Coq Rico in the city. The potatoes were great too. They were a little on the mushy side, but still very good.

The bavette à l’echalote is a hanger steak with crispy potatoes, shallots, and porto sauce and salad. The hanger steak was cooked a medium rare and was really good. The crispy potatoes were delicious, and I want to try to replicate this at home. They were crispy with some space between the skin and the potato meat. The salad tasted like it had some mustard seeds in the dressing. The porto sauce was good too. Everything tasted very French and not too modernized if you know what I mean.

For dessert, we ordered a fondant au chocolat which is basically a chocoalte cake with pistachio ice cream. This dessert was fantastic as it was perfectly sweet and harmonious with the pistachio ice cream. The cake came out nice and hot with a nice center to it.

The ambiance at this place is excellent along with the price. It’s so very un-NYC like because it’s affordable and quaint like the typical North Williamsburg cafe.

The two criticisms if I had to pick would be to turn the music slightly loewr and that a lot of the entrees did not come out super hot. They weren’t waiting at the window very long, so that might tell me the chef had let the dishes sit there for a little before coming out.

Regardless, this is such a charming place for dinner that I highly recommend if you’re around the area with a significant other. If and when I come back, I do hope that the onion soup will be back in stock.

Final Verdict

The price point, quality of food, and ambiance makes this French cafe a sublime dinner place to visit if you’re around the North Williamsburg area.

Yelp Jabs

I can only speculate on the quality of the food which is ostensibly ‘French’ but the general vibe of the place is comparable with every other Williamsburg restaurant where the most interesting things on the menu are the Brussel sprouts and burrata

That is simply not true considering the items we ordered. They offer those items though for the people that are afraid to adventure outside the norm.

Overpriced food in an uncomfortable setting! Very chilly night went here due to overcrowded restaurant next door. The French waiter sat us near the door which was drafty every time door opened as they had no vestibule. We ordered cheese plate was 20.00. We were brought four small slivers of cheese and some bread and a couple of raisins on a tray.

So this person had a bad night due to poor planning. Don’t be this person and have high expectations when you don’t plan properly.