I hope everyone had a fun Memorial Day weekend! We have done many fun things over the years during the 3-day-weekend, but one of the top, best, and most delicious experience we’ve had was at Maison Premiere. They have a bit of Speakeasy feel to it, since there is no actual sign, other than the one that says “Bar/Oysters.” On Memorial Day, they opened earlier than normal at 12 noon.
But don’t let that simple exterior fool you… It is quite fantastic in the inside! As the sign suggested, they have a large bar, taking up most of the space. They have table seating around the bar, to the side, front, and yes, to the back. Not many seating as you can imagine, and with that, wait time can get a bit crazy…reservation is recommended!
But to me, the BEST part of this place is not the bar, not the interior décor, not even the Speakeasy-feel of the place. What is it? Well, they have this amazing, beautiful, so super-fantastic patio in the back! It is such relaxing space, a true oasis in the busy Brooklyn street.
They have nice amount of greens overhead to keep us cool, and they have huge sun shades above that, if the sun gets too strong, or if it starts to rain. Luckily for us, we had great weather here every time we’ve visited.
With the huge bar upfront, they do offer some impressive cocktail and Absinthe menu. They also have wine, beer, bubbles, etc. We ordered Maison Jungle Bird ($16) and Maison Piña Colada ($22). Somehow we both ended up with tropical drinks, how fun is that!
Maison Jungle Bird ($16) is made with Hamilton Black, Cruzan Black Strap, Pineapple, Campari, and Sugar Cane. It came with a huge pineapple on the side, soaking up the tasty drink… It was fun and tropical, strong and yet elegant. It was sweet as expected, quite decadent.
Maison Piña Colada ($22) was a bit of surprise. It came with two straws, so maybe it was meant for two people??? Well, not to worry, we saw other people ordering this individually too! So if you want one, go for it! The drink came in a Whole Young Coconut, which was awesome! The drink is made with Santa Teresa 1796, Pineapple, Spiced Coconut, and Lime. The straws were made of bamboo, which was another cool addition to this drink. It had loads of mints, covered in coconut shavings. It was sweet but not overly sweet, with great real coconut flavor. I felt as if the flavor of coconut increased with time? Maybe from the drink being served in the coconut shell? Either way, it was great!
And the first food items we ordered? Oysters, of course! They had a good varieties of oysters to choose from, and we picked 2 of Conway Pearl from PEI ($3/each), Conway Royal from PEI ($3/each), Kumamoto from CA ($4/each), Anchor Bay from WA ($3.35/each), Fanny Bay from BC ($3.35/each), and Royal Miyagi from BC ($3.35/each). Look at this spread!
They were all super fresh, not fishy in any way, and yes, tasty! I think Mr. Miyagi would be proud of these babies, including the Royal Miyagi oyster! I bet they did enough “Wax On, Wax Off” training to get to the royal status!
Well, they have great oysters, but why come here on Memorial Day? Great question! They actually offer special Memorial Day menu! On normal days, they have a bit of New Orleans themed dishes, such as Dirty Rice and Eggs, Shrimp & Grits, and Biscuits & Gravy. But, we went with the Memorial Day Specials, St. Louis Ribs ($20), and Beef Brisket ($22).
St. Louis Ribs ($20) was smothered in Kansas Style Barbeque Sauce, and came with Mac and Cheese. The portion was really good, huge ribs! Much bigger in portion than I expected. The ribs were tender and packed with flavor, but not quite fall-off-the-bone. It was still slightly tough. The sauce was tangy and sweet, rich and delicious! It had a little kick to it, which made it even better. Very filling!
Mac and Cheese was small in portion, but since the ribs were huge, it ended up being the perfect size. It was small yet had large flavor, great with perfect seasoning! So addictive, I could’ve had a huge bowlful!
Beef Brisket ($22) came with roasted asparagus. The brisket was so amazing, after one bite, I was in brisket heaven! Oh my freaking brisket! So juicy and tender, packed with flavor. They were so good, melt in your mouth kind of good! Soooo amazing, I liked this better than the ribs.
Even though the briskets were quite amazing, but asparagus did not shy away from trying its best to steal the center stage. The asparagus were cooked to perfection! Firm yet not too hard, great natural flavor of asparagus with great seasoning. So tasty!
At this point, we were quite full, but my hubby (ok, and I) could never resist some sweets at the end… So, we ordered a dessert and coffee. They have Single Origin Coffee served in French Press ($3). The house coffee is El Beso de Las Piedras, Guatemala.
The coffee was strong and rich, earthy and yet mild and relaxing. It had about a cup and a half in there. The quality of coffee was high, and the price so low…love it!
For dessert, we ordered Cheesecake ($10), topped with Marcona Almond and Chocolate Ganache. It was fluffy and yet creamy, very comforting. I liked the crunchy texture on top that had sort of caramel flavor to it. Simple, elegant, nicely done! Chocolate ganache on top was a plus.
They have a small uni-sex bathroom by the bar. They have one of those old Western swinging saloon door, and you are greeted with a sink. They have a bathroom to the right and left, quite small. After you are done, and not sure how to flush the toilet, look up to find the water pull handle thing on the back wall. You are welcome.
The service was great, warm and welcoming, polite and friendly. Our server Rachel, who was really lovely, took a good care of us. Our water glasses were always filled without ever asking for it. We had another amazing time here, and I have raved about this place to many others! And any of them who visited this spot had wonderful time here as well, and thanked me for the great recommendation. If you want to have some awesome drinks and food in a beautiful oasis, head over to Maison Premiere!
Maison Premiere – 298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249