The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
I was looking for a restaurant on InKind when I stumbled upon The Consulate in Murray Hill. With its entrance in a plaza tucked away from the street, this French restaurant had a a nice brunch menu and so we checked it out. And, because we had a good experience, we went back for dinner. Twice in fact. Does that mean that it is a great place, if not the best ? Let’s see.
The dining room looks a bit like a French brasserie, but I admit that, at the time, with the nice weather, I preferred their terrace. The dining room, dominated by an impressive bar, has floor to ceiling windows that give a nice light during the day and is surrounded by few red upholstered benches that give a cozy feel.
I mentioned the bar that serves classics cocktails with a twist like the old fashioned ($22), made with bourbon and mezcal, as well as a French 85 ($20), made with gin, pamplemousse (grapefruit juice) and sparkling wine, that was quite refreshing. If you prefer a mocktail, the Green garden ($($14), made with mint, cucumber, lemon and soda is perfect on a warm day.
Old fashioned at he Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
French 85 cocktail at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
GReen garden mocktail at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Brunch also has classics, like their avocado toast ($19), made on a delicious sourdough bread that was also used for the croque madame ($26), that was deliciously cheesy and for which I truly appreciated that I did not have to fight the bread. I loved the texture of the soft bread combined with the gooey egg yolk, melted cheese and bite of the ham. A must have.
Avocado toast at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Croque madame at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
For dinner, I am not sure why I would pick as my favorite appetizer between the escargots ($11 - Happy Hour), bathed in a generous amount of butter with parley and garlic in which I dipped some of that grilled country bread, that is the same bread served with the baked Camembert, that was a decadent dish and a must have if you love cheese, the melted Camembert pairing perfectly with the honey that added a nice sweetness. And last, still with that bread, the bone marrow that they have as a side ($14) or as an appetizer ($25). I got the former and was surely not disappointed: it was rich, buttery and deeply savory. A bit less successful is their confit artichokes ($18), served with Parmesan and chives. It was good, but, when I saw confit, I was thinking about something that would melt in my mouth. It was not really that, although quite soft with nice hints of lemon.
Baked camembert at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Confit artichokes at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Escargots at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Bone marrow at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
For dinner, I had to try two French classics: the moules frites ($32) and the steak frites ($45). Mussels and fries are one of my favorites: there, steamed mussels are prepared with a white wine, garlic and shallots, a sauce where I love to dip either bread or fries. And these fries are some of the best I had: skinny, crispy on the outside and cooked all the way through. I thought originally that they fried them with fat, but no, they just roll them in flour before hitting the hot oil. Of course, these are the same fries that are served with the steak frites that was pretty good: the hanger steak was perfectly cooked medium, and I loved the fact that the au poivre or pepper sauce was not overpowering. Definitely two must have. On her side, Jodi got both times we went for dinner the mushrooms and truffle pizza bread ($16 during Happy Hour), that is made with mixed mushrooms, gruyere and goat cheese, and white truffle oil (just the right amount).
Mussels at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
French fries at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Mushrooms and truffle pizza bread at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Steak frites at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Dessert was otherwise just ok: I thought that the pineapple upside down cake ($16) was not what I was expecting and a bit small, with little pineapple, but, fortunately, the creme brûlée ($15), was perfectly set, silky, with a delicious layer of hard caramelized sugar on top.
Creme brûlée at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
Pineapple upside down at The Consulate Murray Hill in NYC, NY
So, for sure desserts are not the reasons why I would go back to The Consulate, but the rest of the food was delicious and I would certainly recommend that place if someone was asking me where to go for French cuisine in that area.
Enjoy (I did)!
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The Consulate Murray Hill - 160 E 38th St, E 37th St Entrance, New York, NY 10016
