A.O.C. East Fall 2017 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Owner Jerome Leroy
The best vegetable risotto you will ever have:
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It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we were pleased with A.O.C. East earlier this year:
and they even earned a spot in Chandelier Peachy:
Of the definite hundreds and possible thousand restaurants we have considered for review by now, we think we have a pretty good idea of who is going to make it and who isn't.
Oooh la la Mademoiselle Peachy was even more impressed on her second visit.
A.O.C. East is one of the most promising new restaurants we have seen opened in Manhattan at all across the board in 2017; they opened on February 17, 2017.
AND, they're French.
We have been into French for quite awhile and it is what Peachy studied in school because of all of the awesome French Canadian hockey players she knew growing up like Mover and Shaker Andre Lacroix.
We are even more into French these days because of The Collection, which we all told you to watch at 10pm on PBS on Sundays:
#FashionAlert Meets #SmallScreenScenes on #WhomYouKnow: Dressed to Kill and Highly Recommended by Whom You Know, The Collection Starring Richard Coyle, Mamie Gummer, Tom Riley & Frances De La Tour feature in a high-stakes, high-fashion thriller on MASTERPIECE Sundays, October 8 – November 19, 2017 on PBS
http://www.whomyouknow.com/201
http://www.whomyouknow.com/201
As you know we like to eat to match other aspects of life!
Though she is a Francophile (and Anglophile) at the end of the day we want to make sure you can do a hamburger properly because Peachy is wicked American. The first item we tried this fall were the sliders, and they were, in a word, perfection. Literally on the menu notes it says "PERFECT" in capital letters in Peachy writing.
You'll also revel in the black angus beef joined by pickles, and cheddar, found under Petits Plats, otherwise known as appetizers if you didn't have Mademoiselle Charton (we are still looking for our retired French teacher...last we knew she was in Marseilles?)
We were pleased with the Fresh Crab Croquette and Tartare Sauce, another appetizer that is a good start to ignite your appetite. Three dainty delicious delights of crab with a lovely red pepper kick await you.
They insisted on a glamour shot because obviously they watched The Collection too after they lived happily ever after in Peachy's stomach.
We will tell you every place thinks they are just fabulous at everything. We are polite and do not tell them to their face when they are not fabulous; we just smile. They find out when they read...and we must say an awful lot of people that own restaurants in Manhattan think they are great at Tuna Tartare. The difference is that A.O.C. in actuality IS GREAT at it and it is a beautiful presentation too. The round presentation is as attractive as the tuna is fresh and we must say these french people make better guacamole than any mexican place we've had it at. The frisee on the side was a nice touch and so was the potato chip garnish. Peachy is a strong advocate of potatoes in every form.
We were happy with all of the components we tried, but the best by a marathon was the vegetable risotto, a total surprise. We did not even know we liked vegetable risotto and maybe you don't know either. Market Vegetable Risotto is TO DIE FOR. Where has it been all our lives? This is the most unique and relevant fall dish we have seen anywhere. Crafted with parmesean, balsamic from Modena (Italy), White Truffle Oil, Spinach, Shiitake Mushrooms, Carrots, this is the edible embodiment of the word homemade and a must for a cold brisk day. It is risotto on fire: sophisticated like the French.
Try not to drool on your computer screen.
Both sides of Berkshire Slow Cooked Pork Belly and Sauteed Haricot Verts are essential companions to your entrees, one an angel and another maybe a devil of nutrition: we balance them out. When they say slow cooked in regards to the Pork, they aren't kidding as it is cooked for 12 hours. The green beans were beautifully flavored and had a crisp crunch like they should. We hate wimpy green beans and these were not that at all. They are seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper that is superior to these three ingredients we have had at most other places. Sel de guerande is the wonderful salt they use.
The Bistro section of the menu means entrees. We chose the special of poisson: Sole Filet. Again, this was perfectly peppered and sensationally salted, as were the green beans with great success on the Sole, in effect giving your tastebuds soul! It's nicely joined by a red wine vinaigrette and a side of spinach.
Here, owner Jerome Leroy shows you the next entree: Classic Coq au Vin.
He owns A.O.C. East along with co-owners Collin Yairis and Romain Bonnans.
This smiling, hearty wonder of magnificent chicken is joined by noodles, carrots, mushrooms and parsley yielding a pure comforting effect that will affect your day quite positively in every bite of dinner. Going into winter, this is going to be hugely popular we believe.
A.O.C. continues to be impressive and we look forward to seeing what they do next.
