Several weeks ago I wrote about a visit to the Baccarat Hotel and Executive Chef Ashfer Biju and a wonderful afternoon tea I had in the Grand Salon. At the time the weather was still a bit early for sitting outside, but I read about their outdoor seating area Le Jardin and I wanted to find a time to visit again and experience a lunch there.
The Summer has been so busy with all that has been happening at YES Gallery and also with other projects, but it had been on my mind to visit Chef Ashfer Biju again and I wanted to try to get there before the end of August because I had read about some of the lobster items he has on the menu and lobster is such a favorite of mine. As the days went by it didn't seem as if I'd be able to find a time, but then just after the one year anniversary celebration of YES Gallery I realized I had a few days before Labor Day that would be possible to find an afternoon to take a trip into Manhattan and relax over a leisurely late lunch.
Le Jardin opens at 4pm and is first come first served, so I planned to arrive around 3:30pm to make sure I could find a table. It's such a lovely little oasis in an area next to the beautiful bar, and though it's on a terrace over a midtown street, it seems as if it's in another much quieter and lovelier world. The plantings are simple and romantically pretty, with verdant jasmine climbing on topiaries and white geraniums softly blooming, and on the day I went it was just the loveliest temperature to be outside, warm with a pleasant light breeze with shady places to sit in the afternoon sunshine.
As before the service was stellar, with some familiar faces who remembered me from my previous visit even though it had been a quite a while before. The menu is lovely an I could have tried so many things, but I chose the cold Maine lobster strawberry gazpacho, a caesar salad and a lobster roll that arrived with wonderful fried pickle slices instead of the usual French fries. I'm a fan of fries, but the pickles were a lovely, delicious and fun choice, and made it possible for me to eat everything and still have room for a luxurious dessert of chocolate fondant which is now one of my favorite desserts of all time.
I could easily return to this beautiful place again and again, and I'm looking forward and hoping for a mild fall that will make it possible to enjoy this beautiful terrace. Sitting in the garden is always a favorite place for me, and as the days grow shorter and the sunlight becomes more mellow and golden, Le Jardin will continue to be a place to relax and dream lovely dreams.
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