Review: Brasserie Pavil

By rerockstar • March 12th, 2010

Paris comes to San Antonio.

You may have heard me mention Brasserie Pavil before, but this time, we’re not talking Twitter, we’re talking amazing food.

It was my eight year anniversary with my wife recently, so we decided to swing by Brasserie Pavil (map) for a late lunch/early dinner. My wife and I are pretty simple when we celebrate the milestones and don’t often go “all out” on them, but we decided we’d treat ourselves to a nice dinner (it didn’t hurt that we had a gift card either). Nice is an understatement.

Surf and turf.

My wife decide to have mussels, which we both love. Described on the menu as “Prince Edward Island Mussels with White Wine, Chopped Tomatoes and Fine Herbs with French Fries,” these did not disappoint. The taste was just as I would expect from a French Brasserie (I’ve had this same dish in Paris more than once) and the mussels were juicy and plump, not the little, limp mussels I’ve disappointingly been served so many times at a million restaurants (I never learn my lesson I guess). She was in seafood heaven eating them and of course, I had more than my fair share.

I didn’t know what to have there were so many things on Brasserie Pavil’s menu that I wanted to try. I get like that in restaurants…I can’t choose between a few things and usually wait for the waiter to come to the table and then I blurt something out. This time, my mouth moved and out came “Peppered NY Strip Steak with Cognac Black Peppercorn Sauce, served with French Fries.” I owe my quick thinking mouth a debt of gratitude. I love steak. I can eat it just about anyway you can serve it. I like just about any cut too. Even the cheap stuff. Whoever grills the steaks at Brasserie Pavil is a genius. I have never had a NY strip steak that cut like a ribeye. This one was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection. I’d dare say it was better than a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse steak (and I do not throw that statement around lightly). My only complaint would be that they didn’t serve the Cognac Black Peppercorn sauce in a gallon jug. My heart probably wasn’t loving the rich, buttery sauce, but heart be damned it was too good not to enjoy. We both had frites (fries) with our dinner (how very French!), so I didn’t have to share mine. She would have had to fight me for them. Frites, French fries, shoestring potatoes – call them want you want, I’ll stick with “delicious.”

Whether it’s lunch (their sandwiches are incredible) or dinner, it’s easy to see why so many local San Antonio residents rave about Brasserie Pavil. Be sure to follow @Brasserie Pavil on Twitter to keep up to date on their daily specials and other great offers.

Disclosure: CMP.ly/0