The Brasserie

Reserve

The Brasserie Review

Actuaries, bankers, and CEOs frequent this contemporary throwback to a colonial country club for lunch and "attitude adjustment" happy hours for cocktails and complimentary canapés. Inviting fusion cuisine, emphasizing local ingredients whenever possible (the restaurant even has its own boat), includes terrific bar tapas like the "Mini Argentinian" (skirt steak, house-made chorizo, chimichurri sauce), or melted Brie with white truffle-and-mango marmalade. Several evenings, you can get a five- or eight-course market-driven "Random Acts of Cooking" blind tasting. Dishes deftly balance flavors and textures without sensory overload: this is serious food with a sense of playfulness. Save room for desserts, from an artisanal cheese plate to an ice-cream-and-sorbet tasting menu to elaborate architectural confections. Lunch is more reasonably priced but equally creative; the adjacent Market excels at takeout, and the wine list is well considered.