Dressler

Address: 149 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York

http://www.dresslernyc.com

Phone: 718- 384-6343

We first heard about Dressler from the Michelin Guide in 2008, when it was awarded a one Michelin star that year. I was initially interested in the restaurant because I thought with its location in Brooklyn, it could be a good value Michelin star restaurant. But Dressler's very simple, not-very-creative and pricey menu put us off for about a year, before we actually ate there last month. I guess we managed to convince ourself that the food must be really good/fresh/seasonal, if the menu is so limited.

We ordered the pan roasted diver scallops, veal ragout and peeky toe crab cake for appetizers and the Long Island duck and bacon wrapped monk fish for entrees. We were both very impressed with the appetizers. The pan roasted diver scallops dish was delicious and the scallops were cooked perfectly. The veal ragout was also out of this world; the veal was so tender that it practically melted in my mouth. The peeky toe crab cake was not bad as well.

Gan and I were pretty much in cloud nine after the appetizers, but when duck and monk fish entrees came, we felt disappointed. To be fair, the entrees were still decent, but just not what we expected, especially from a one star Michelin restaurant and definitely not after such impressive appetizers. The seared duck breast and braised duck leg, although perfectly tender, was uninspiring. They might as well just serve me the duck without anything else because the sauce, potatoes and roasted cippolinis did nothing for the duck dish. And something about the bacon and monk fish combination just didn't taste delicious, perhaps the bacon was oversmoked and the fish was overcooked. The fat of the bacon just didn't do it in enhancing the flavor of the fish. We didn't have much appetite after the entrees, but really needed a dessert to cheer us up. Since the warm banana tart tatin with rhum ice cream dessert looked promising, we went with that, and it was good indeed.

Eating at Dressler was not cheap at all and next time, we rather go across the street to the good old Peter Luger and get totally satisfied with some juicy steak and bacon.

Pan Roasted Diver Scallops with Cauliflower, Salsify & Wild Mushrooms

Veal Ragout with Hand Rolled Pasta & Fresh Herbed Ricotta

Peekytoe Crab Cake with Remoulade

Long Island Duck with Yukon Gold Potato, Spinach & Roasted Cippolinis

Bacon Wrapped Monkfish with Shrimp Risotto & Broccoli Rabe - although we were not crazy about the fish, the risotto was one of the better risottos we have tasted in the city

Warm Banana Tart Tatin with Rhum Ice Cream, Macadamia Nut Brittle