Fleur de Sel

Our final stop for Restaurant Week was Fleur de Sel, which specializes in the cuisine of Brittany and which never fails to be described as a hidden gem, due to its small size and low profile on the New York dining scene. Unlike ilili and Spice Market, the portions here were definitely on the small side, not surprising given that they normally charge twice as much for lunch as they do during Restaurant Week. But the space --- softly intimate and bathed in golden light --- is attractive, and the food, while not sensational, was well-executed.

The Restaurant Week menu only had two options for each course, so we ended up ordering everything they offered. We started with a butternut squash soup and a mesclun salad topped with duck prosciutto. The soup was unexpectedly sweet, and the soft prosciutto played well off the sharpness of the greens.



Our mains were a tender cod with orzo in a tomato cream and a rich veal breast with oxtail ravioli. Neither dish was something we would ordinarily order, but the veal in particular was a hearty welcome on a nasty, snow-spitting January day.



We finished with a trio of sorbets and a plum bread pudding. The sorbets struck us as an odd choice for a winter dessert, but we couldn't fault their taste.



The virtue of Restaurant Week is that it gives diners an opportunity to eat in restaurants they otherwise might not. We won't be rushing back to Fleur de Sel --- at the prices they regularly charge, there are better choices --- but we're glad to have had the chance to try it out.