Bouillabaisse 126
Judging from the crowds jammed inside this tiny new bistro mid-blizzard,
Bouillabaisse will have no trouble attracting business. It took us at least
twenty minutes of trudging through fresh, powdery snow drifts (you really
have to appreciate NYC storms quickly, as the scenery turns from pristine to
putrid with each dirty footstep) to make the mere 7.5 block journey.
By the time I reached the restaurant, socks soaked and mascara streaked,
I felt like I'd really earned a soothing dinner and glass of wine. (Luckily,
we knew it was still BYOB. Unluckily, we only had one bottle in the apt. and
liquor stores werent open. We had no one but ourselves to blame for the
tasty, but probably incompatible Spanish red). The wintery landscape
fostered by our adrenaline boosting journey made me a little giddy. This
mightve been a case where atmosphere and circumstance make the meal. If had
been any other Saturday night meal my impressions might have been duller.
James ordered the requisite bouillabaisse and I tried the seafood combo
(which sounded like the exact same thing) for comparison. They both included
lobster, crab, scallops, shrimp and mussels, but mine had a tomato parsley
base while the bouillabaisse broth was lighter, perhaps tinged with white
wine and saffron (I preferred the namesake dish over my choice). I think the
traditional preparation is very particular about using fish, and certain
kinds, but this loosey-goosey Brooklyn rendition suited me fine. We also had
to try the “signature” dessert that I'd just seen disparagingly
described as sour and crunchy. Well, it was sour and maybe more chewy than
crunchy. But heck, we saved a few bucks not buying wine, a dud dessert was
nothing to get worked up over.
Bouillabaisse 126 * 126 Union St., Brooklyn, NY
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