Ever since Claudine opened on Bush street back in November, I have gazed longingly upon it as I passed by each morning on the 1BX - imagining the culinary creations and French treats behind its doors. As I found out last week, there aren't many except for a killer dessert.
"Typically we give up your table ten minutes after your reservation time, so you lucked out that it's still available." This was how the hostess greeted my family as I walked in at 12:12pm for a 12pm reservation last Friday. Nice to see you too!!! This is going to be a blast.
The lunch menu is simple: a few sandwiches, salads, and entree meat and pasta dishes. I selected the lamb shoulder sando (over the lamb belly entree); my mom went for the mushroom sando, and my dad the ... crap, I have no idea. It was some sort of cheesy, baked pasta dish. Note to self: take better notes.
The first thing I noticed when the sandwiches came out was how ridiculously thick the bread was. Each slice had to be an inch thick, while the meat was particularly sparse. Read: proportions way off. The bread was also dripping in oil to the point that a puddle of it remained on my plate. I actually ended up eating the top bread piece solo and the bottom half with the toppings like toast. The optimist in me says I got two meals!
I was underwhelmed at this point so decided to take a chance on desert to turn things around. We ordered a berry bread pudding and a layered s'mores concoction. The berries in the bread pudding were far too tart and chocolate-less for me. The bread was also offensively dense for a pudding. "Comes Through in the Clutch" Award goes to the S'mores dessert which was hot, fudgey, graham crackery, and slightly chewy with the marshmallow layer.
Claudine is a new restaurant and has some kinks to work out. It is one part bar, one part cafe, and one part gift shop (there is a wall of books and treats for purchase). I wouldn't really go back for either of the three. Make that s'mores to-go and we may be onto something....
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