One of the most interesting movies I’ve watched is called Amélie. It is such a cute, strange, adorable and weird story and characters! Well, I found a restaurant called Amélie, which is a modern wine bar/lounge with French flair.
The inside decoration was…well, unique. It had white cloth loosely hanging on the black-colored ceiling, with bright red bar. The bright red and white was used throughout the interior, including red and white lit wine bottles, floating on the wall.
We were there for a weekend brunch, excited to try some French dishes. We started off with Onion Soup Gratinée ($8.00) to share. It was not a big bowl but certainly big in flavor. It was cheesy, steaming hot, and each spoonful was so comforting. It had just the right amount of saltiness to it, and cheese was gooey goodness. We loved every sip of it!
They also brought us a complimentary bag of baguette, which was pretty cool and cute.
For the main meal, we ordered Moules frites ($18) and Gratin de Ravioles du Royans ($14). The Moules frites came with mussels steamed with white wine, cream, shallots, leeks, garlic, served with French fries. The mussels were very flavorful, after soaking up the white wine and decadent soup. It was not fishy at all, cooked just right. The fries were really addicting, soft and potato-y. It was exactly what we wanted, full of flavor and generous portion.
The Gratin was a “specialty of Valence in southern France” and was made of wheat flour stuffed with Comtè & cottage cheese. When it arrived, I was a bit disappointed with the small portion. However, since it was packed with ravioli pasta and cheese, it was SUPER filling. Afterwords, I could see it was just the right size. It was another level of comforting dish, steaming hot with soft, slightly chewy pasta filled with wonderful cheese explosions. I can see the reason why this dish is one of their customer favorites.
The only thing was that it was quite oily, so I had the bowl tilted on one side, allowing the oil to drizzle away from the ravioli.
After the meal, full and satisfied, we asked for the check. And what a lovely way they brought it out, inside an old French book! I like the unusual and unique things they have going on there, with the book, interior decoration, especially the entrance that almost look like a sail on a boat.
They have a nice sized bathroom all the way in the back, with black tiles and hint of red, of course. It was spacious and clean, much appreciated.
The staffs were all French, which really helped enhanced our French dining experience. They were nice and mostly left us alone until we needed something, allowing us to enjoy a relaxing brunch. Our water was filled at all time, and we did have a nice, relaxing time there. I heard they have a very popular happy hour with flight of wines, but we liked the quite, peaceful brunch time. I can see this is a great spot for a romantic “rendezvous” or just hanging out with your family and friend. And afterwords, you can walk toward the Washington Square Park to walk off the calories, and listen to some classic piano by the Crazy Piano Man there. On our trip to the park right after the brunch, he played music from the movie Amélie, which could not be any more perfect!!! I would like to go back for some more comforting French fare, and some desserts the next time!
Amélie Wine Bar – 22 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011