Brasserie 19

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

Made reservations and made it a point to make it clear that it was for a 6-year anniversary for my girlfriend and myself. It was a Sunday evening and it was more lively outside than in so we asked to be seated outside. Ambiance was generally fine. I would recommend if being outside to be seated under the front archway. Being seated there seems to get the most attention and service. We were seated and waited several minutes for our server and another several minutes for water then finally nearly 10 minutes in, we were given menus. Food: To start, the tuna tartar and octopus. The tuna itself was fine, the sauce surrounding was very acidic and tart. The octopus was mealy, stringy and bland. For entree, the duck breast and veal chop. Duck breast portion was well cooked, yet small portion for the price. The bedding of greens was horribly salty and acidic. It was as if the flavor of the day was vinegar. I didnt care too much for the duck crepes that accompanied it. It was supposed to be with a type of orange reduction, yet it tasted like banana, very odd. The veal was slightly overcooked into being dry. It was very bland as if nothing had been done to it except microwaved. Presentation-wise, the veal looked amazing and seared, but it ended up being all for show and zero in substance. Service: I was worried about the reviews on here regarding the service being sub-par. I can attest that they are indeed sub-par. We were never approached or asked how our meal was or if we needed anything else. We were able to grab our server from time to time and he fulfilled our requests but promptly left without a word. Unfortunately he also didnt sound like he knew the menu too well either. I asked him how many ounces the rib eye was and got a range of 12-16 ounces and hand gestures that suggested a 22ounce steak. I didnt want any surprises, that why I went for the duck. Very much so ignored the majority of the time and felt as if we were disregarded. It wouldve made more sense to me if I didnt see that our server only had 3 other tables of very small parties (2-4 people). Suggestion for the place is to train the staff and never let the patrons feel neglected and cast off. The good? Ambiance was nice, albeit being inside would be the preferred choice if I had to choose again, and the bread was wonderful . 6-year anniversary was never mentioned by anyone the entire night. I will never spend another dime here again and will do my best to steer my corporate dinners away from any suggestions towards this place. Save yourself the time, money and appetite. It just not worth it.

TA

Tam Vu

It was date night without the kids so we decided to try Brasserie 19 since we had a gift certificate. It turned out to be a great night and we walked away very happy with the experience. We came on a Saturday night and there is plenty of parking not too far away. The shopping center around the restaurant is brightly lit so you dont have to valet if you dont want. We are not big on wine but I can appreciate the unique approach of bringing out an iPad to help you select your wine or cocktail. It has great detailed descriptions of everything. Its too bad the app they use is very slow on the iPad and it takes you a long time to browse the selection. It would still be much faster to flip through a paper wine list. We started with the escargot and French onion soup. The escargot came out with a flaky pastry layer on top that made me think it was chicken pot pie. Dont get me wrong, it turned out to be a perfect complement to the escargot. They had a hint of lime and lots of garlic. That gave them better flavor than a lot of other places that just drench them in butter. The onion soup was also good without being too salty. Dont forget to ask them for bread since they dont automatically bring it to the table. It comes out warm, and I love it when restaurants serve soft whipped butter so I can actually spread it on my bread. For out meals, we ordered the cornish hen and Brasserie 19 steak and frites. The hen was fantastic. The meat was flavorful all the way through. I would highly recommend it for anyone not looking for red meat. As for the steak, it is a dry-aged New York strip that was cooked just right for the medium-rare that I requested. You get a good portion of fries along with it and a side of garlic aioli. I asked for ketchup since the aioli was not really my thing. The steak was fine but I couldnt help myself from going back to my wifes cornish hen dish. To wrap up the meal, we ordered the apple galette. Its served warm with a small scoop of vanilla bean gelatto. They did a good job with it not being too sweet and served on a thin and flaky crust. I also ordered coffee that comes in a personal French press. We had a great time and we were seated at a table that was perfect for people watching. There was a good variety that night. We would definitely consider coming back to this place in the future.

A

A Private User

While visiting Brasserie 19 during Restaurant Week, when the establishment should have been at its best to entice guests to return, we had the unfortunate experience of working with perhaps the most condescending and rude "Managing Partner", Shawn Virene. Shawn was brought to our table in order to assist us with selecting a bottle of wine to accompany our meal. We were told he was the best at understanding what we were looking for and answering our questions, which we were excited about because we love learning new things about different wines. This was not the case. Shawn appeared at the table, we said wed like a smooth Malbec with minimal after taste, to which he pointed and said "this is what I would recommend" without so much as a description or any conversation. We said that may be a worth trying and were in the process of asking a few more questions when Shawn rushed from our table, grabbed the bottle he referred to, opened it and placed it on our table. Now expected to buy the bottle, which was less than enjoyable, we were somewhat upset and became even more so when Shawn refused to admit his fast paced "used car salesman" tactic was the wrong approach. The other half of our party was coached by the waitress and settled on a much better bottle of Malbec, which we hadnt even heard about, so we decided to request Shawn exchange our bottle for one of theirs. This was the breaking point - We asked Shawn to make it right and switch our bottle (which could have easily been sold by the glass) with the bottle our friends had chosen. After talking down to us and explaining "how the wine business works" he became angry and said we were attacking him "in his own freaking restaurant" (verbatim). He then refused to make the situation right and stormed away from our table, leaving us quite shocked, stuck with an unimpressive bottle of wine, and not the least bit tempted to ever return or recommend Brasserie 19. Bottom line - the entrees and dessert were very good, but horrifically poor service, high prices, and noisy atmosphere make this a location we cant promote with a straight face to even our most distant friends. Diners beware!