Oui, Oui for the Brasserie!

 I am not French nor do I speak the language but this past weekend I did visit a place that reminded me that I do like their food. And one day will sit and eat it on the Champs De Elysee with my lovely bride. I will thank them for the Statue Of Liberty and for Steak Frites.

I digress.

We visited the other side of the bay and stopped in for dinner at The St. Pete Brasserie on Central Avenue. Very unassuming from the outside but when you walk in you do get a sense right away of a nice and lively little bistro with a bar on the right side and ample tables spread throughout. The crowd was buzzing when we arrived and we were shown to a table all the way at the back of the dining room.

A diverse crowd was in house and as we dined we noticed a lot of regulars coming and going based on the interaction with the ownership and staff.

We also had the pleasure of using a gift certificate for our first time here which had us looking at the apps right off the bat. Nice thing about restaurant.com GC's is that you can then add on items you might not normally try and really get a good cross section of the menu. We ordered a Chicken Liver Mousse that came with cornichons, toasts and a ginger pallete cleanser. It was lovely and delish.

I got a beer and ordered my wife a glass of the Clos Du Val Chard to start and we took our time perusing the entree selections before making the call. We decided on the old standby, Steak Frites and also the Duck Confit with a Brasserie Salad and a side of the recommended Mac and Cheese.

The salad was pretty standard fare BUT the lively vinegar based dressing was a real standout in this dish. I asked our server to bring me a good red wine with my Steak Frites and she did choose a nice one, the name escapes me but it was right on for my dinner. The Duck Confit was rich and flavorful and sitting atop braised red cabbage and some whipped potatoes. My steak was perfectly cooked and had a bit of a sweet taste from the marinade and the fries were crispy, hot and perfect with the meat.

The reco of the Mac and Cheese was a GOOD one and the al dente pasta and the rich cheese blend made this a must order for next trip. We could not finish half of it due to our full state.

We did LISTEN to the dessert choices before politely declining them and coffee due to my wife's tired state.

Our server was good for this evening but I felt she was "selling" a bit too much.....I don't know if it was due to the GC or what. Still all in all attentive service though.

Bottom line, we will be back and this one was one of those places where you talk about it the next day and try to dream up a reason to go back as soon as possible.

Tab with our GC and lavish tip was only $65. It was worth it without the GC and they did their jobs so to speak. They will get us back.......and soon. I hope to be able to order in French next time in.