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Brasserie by Niche
It’s difficult to discuss Brasserie by Niche in the context of Gerard Craft’s restaurants without damning it with faint praise. No, Brasserie doesn’t offer the forward-thinking cuisine of Niche, the playful experimentation of Taste or the rustic, crowd-pleasing flavors of Pastaria. What it does do, though, it still does very well after five years: unaffected French bistro fare, from French onion soup to steak frites to trout almandine. For my money, the best time to visit Brasserie is winter (the colder, the better), when you can follow the onion soup with the peerless cassoulet. For dessert, always, there’s the floating island.