BAR BRETON
254 Fifth Ave., nr. 28th St.; 212-213-4999
You may be tempted to call what Cyril Renaud is serving at his new Bar Breton crêpes, but you’d be wrong. These specimens are made, in the style of Renaud’s native Brittany, from buckwheat flour, which qualifies them as galettes. The casual offshoot of Renaud’s elegant Fleur de Sel traffics in galettes for breakfast, and eventually lunch, dinner, and takeout, and stuffs them with ingredients both classic and contemporary. READ MORE
UNBUTTONING BAR BRETON Chef Cyril Renaud (Fleur de Sel) goes the casual route at the new French brasserie Bar Breton, near Madison Square Park, where the menu’s signature dish is the galette, a buckwheat crêpe served with different savory fillings at breakfast, lunch and dinner; despite high-ish pricing, the simple space channels a farmhouse kitchen, with wooden booths, mismatched chairs and a chandelier fashioned from glassware. READ MORE
FRANCIS LAM
FIRST TASTE: BAR BRETON / 01.08.09
I don’t know what this place is, but I’m going to keep eating there. Crêpes are from Brittany and Cyril Renaud is from Brittany, but it was always unfair for me to walk into his restaurant Fleur de Sel and want thin, chewy pancakes. I mean, I have friends from Wisconsin, and I don’t expect them to be churning up cheese every time I visit them. READ MORE
RESTAURANTS & BARS
BAR BRETON
Fleur de Sel chef Cyril Renaud consulted masters in Brittany to perfect his new casual brasserie’s signature item, galettes (buckwheat crêpes). Savory fillings will include smoked salmon with horseradish cream and chives, while the rest of the Breton-accented menu will feature small plates and a wide selection of alcoholic ciders. READ MORE
BLACKBOOK LOWDOWN
Brasserie arm of dearly departed Fleur de Sel. Casual French livened with slants of the chef's native Brittany. Signature galettes, buckwheat crepes stuffed with salmon, duck, or eggs and chorizo. Follow up with bass and bacon, or decadent marrow-crusted strip steak. Bar up front for sipping Breton cider and nibbling niacs. Hint of whimsy in the barstools, shaped like jumbo buttons. Homey backroom rocking farmhouse kitchen vibe. NYC project to snatch every barn in New England continues with booths here, made of reclaimed Vermont wood. READ MORE
BAR BRETON OPEN FOR BREAKFAST; LUNCH AND DINNER SOON
This cute little brasserie is the latest venture for Chef Cyril Renaud, whose Michelin-starred restaurant Fleur de Sel is well-regarded for his approachable presentation of cuisine from Brittany, emphasizing seasonal ingredients. Hence Bar Breton, envisioned as Fleur de Sel's casual counterpart. READ MORE
 BAR BRETON
Chef-owner Cyril Renaud can't get enough of his native Brittany: The Frenchman behind Fleur de Sel once again mines his hometown for culinary inspiration at this brasserie-style restaurant, which he tells us will be "on the casual side, with a much faster pace" than Fleur de Sel. Aside from grilled dishes (bone-marrow-crusted stripe steak) and small plates (baked potato with oxtail and escargot Bourguignon), Renaud will be serving traditional Brittany galettes—buckwheat crepes prepared with either pork fat or butter. (He flew to France for four days this summer for a jam-packed refresher course on galette-making.) In a desire to "go against the trend of doing everything slick," he's giving the place rustic touches by using wood from an old barn in Vermont and mismatched chairs found in yard sales. READ MORE
Gal About Town
Bar Breton Opens
Pizza: Yo, Crepe, you crazy bastard. Who’s that cute galette in the kitchen?
Crepe: My cousin from Brittany, in Northern France. Same family tree, only she’s made with buckwheat, not flour.
Pizza: What’s she doing?
Crepe: Hanging with Fleur de Sel chef Cyril Renaud at his new spot, Bar Breton. They’re doing a French farmy theme — faux fireplace, communal table. Chef even got his parents to come over and paint.
Pizza: What’s with the fancy toppings?
Crepe: Spaghetti squash, sundried tomato pesto, cornichons, and radish sprouts? Crabmeat, apple, celery root, and almonds? That’s not how we serve it in my family.
Pizza: She’s got quite a shape. Slender thing. Rolled and sliced. Like Sushi Roll over there.
Crepe: Hey, quit drooling. She can be traditional, too (with eggs, ham, cheese).
Pizza: Mmm. I’d like to have her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eat Out
The city’s best restaurants and bars
BAR BRETON
Located in the restaurant-starved area near the Empire State Building is this relative newcomer from chef-owner Cyril Renaud (of the late Fleur de Sel). With a little bit of guesswork, you can ascertain Bar Breton’s specialty: The casual yet quaint French eatery touts the buckwheat crêpes (or in regional parlance, galettes) that Brittany is known for. We savored a classic version—an egg with Gruyère and Black Forest ham, folded so that the glossy yolk peeks seductively out—and made sure to wash it down with that other Breton delicacy, hard cider. READ MORE
GOOD EATING | 28TH STREET
A Corridor of Note
By: KRIS ENSMINGER
Published: March 20, 2009
The area around East 28th Street between Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue South may feel like a corridor to the vibrant restaurant scenes in Madison Park and the Flatiron district. But things are looking up with these recent additions.
BAR BRETON (212) 213-4999; 254 Fifth Avenue (28th Street); $$; Article: 12/10/08. This taste of Brittany, owned by Cyril Renaud of the recently closed Fleur de Sel, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is dominated by seafood done in a hearty fashion, savory galettes and sweet crepes, with assorted ciders. Specials include a three-course lunch menu for $24 and a four-course dinner menu for $35. READ MORE
RESTAURANTS: GO, CONSIDER, STOP Edible enlightenment fro our eatery expert Tom Jones and Colleagues Gary Walther and Monie Begley, as well ad brothers Bob, Kip and Tim
Bar Breton - 254 Fifth Ave., between 28th and 29th streets (Tel.: 212-213-4999). Perfect place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food is delicious. Favorites: the galettes (thin buckwheat crepes with savory filling), endive and orange salad, beef bourguignon, mussels and fries and, for dessert, the profiteroles. READ MORE
where i’m
coming from
MY RECENT EXPEDITIONS:
BAR BRETON
Cyril’s Renaud’s homey galetterie, specializing in buckwheat crepes, is delicious and affordable. I want to go back for the galette with poached egg, black trumpet mushrooms, spinach and parmesan cheese.
254 Fifth Ave.: 212-213-4999. READ MORE
Birth Announcements
EDITED BY JULIET GLASS New York City Cyril Renaud, chef/owner of the recently shuttered upscaled Fleur de Sel, shifts gears at his casual three-meals-a-day spot, Bar Breton, which opened this winter at 254 Fifth Avenue. The 75 seat interior is a cozy balance of old and new with booths fashioned from reclaimed wood, a sun-faded color palette, and an artfully mismatched collection of antique and newly made chairs. The menu draws heavily on the soul-warming foods of Renaud’s native Brittany, with desserts and innovative libations by Yvan Lemoine (opening Fleur de Sel pastry chef who has since become a trendsetting mixologist and founder of consulting company iFood Studios.) MAINS ($12 to $26): galette (buckwheat crepe) of Black Forest ham, Gruyere, sunny-side-up egg, mesclun, and wild mushrooms; sea scallops with eggplant beignet, apple chips, and Port reduction. DESSERTS ($6 to $8): pot de lait with chicory gelee; chocolate mousse with fleur de sel and crispy chocolate rice. READ MORE TABLES FOR TWO BAR BRETON 254 Fifth Ave., at 28th St. (212-213-4999)
by Mike Peed
Good food can be found in perplexing places, and this casual French bistro, opened not long ago by the chef Cyril Renaud, sits in what must be Manhattan’s last characterless quarter—an area that some maps sheepishly call Midtown South Central, a grungy zone between Koreatown and the Flatiron district that’s quiet in a decaying, rather than leafy and cloistered, kind of way. Across the street from Bar Breton, there’s a Quiznos, and, above, the refulgent Salon Santa Cruz. Inside, Renaud has constructed a cozy homage to his native Brittany, complete with faux fireplace, but, incongruously, a flat-screen TV hangs over the bar. The other night, a basketball game between the Celtics and the Bulls enhanced the feeling that this latest venture by Renaud, who has been nominated for a James Beard award and who for nearly a decade ran the Michelin-star-rated (and recently closed) Fleur de Sel, is akin to Michael Jordan suiting up for the Washington Wizards. READ MORE |
