NYC Restaurants: The Breslin Opens

october 22, 2009 new york | meating of minds. contributed by fabiana santana for julib.com gone are the crisp days of wine and roses. the time has come for warming steaks and chops with brown booze to wash it down with. enter the breslin. ken friedman and april bloomfield of spotted pig and rusty knot fame are spinning their culinary wheels again. and this time there is a lot of meat to show for it. their new venture, the breslin – located inside the ace hotel—is named for the breslin hotel that once lived there and gives a big nod to the vintage, 1940s-style pubs that once were. an unfinished wooden floor and dark brown wood trim set the stage for the place; buttoned, mossy green leather banquettes (some with retractable plaid curtains for privacy) are paired with red leather chairs in the 100-seat dining room. so what about bloomfield's meat-centric menu? highlights include a lamb burger topped with feta and cumin mayo, guinea hens with morels, homemade sausages and a nightly rotation of terrines. as for that brown booze? an old school cocktail list reads like a bogart script: drink a "hound on fire" with chili salt and the "rhum clement," made with ginger beer, lemon, whiskey bitters and basil. consider this spot an ace in the hole. the breslin. 16 west 29th street. between broadway and fifth. 212.679.2222. opens soon. www.thebreslin.com