Good News/Bad News: Anisette Brasserie

The Alain Giraud-helmed, Mike Garrett and Tommy Stoilkovich-backed Anisette opened a few weeks ago, and knowing the growing anticipation (or Anisetticipation, if you will) for the brasserie's debut, they started with breakfast, added lunch a week later and then dinner last week to ease into things. That plan worked for the most part. Of course Giraud fans would call kitchen scraps "genius" if he put them on a plate, and many have; but there are also a few detractors in these early days. To that, another installment of Good News/Bad News with the best up first:

1) Great News: "All I can say is...wow. I had lunch here today and have already planned breakfast and dinner there tomorrow. My dining companion and I shared the house pate, onion soup, burger and croque madame. We took home some pain au chocolat and a cream-filled raisin bread for later. Everything was wonderful. This is such a fantastic addition to the neighborhood." [Chowhound]

2) Decent News: "Everything was delicious except that the soup and the beef dish weren't hot enough when they were brought to our table. It was really busy from 12 to 2 today so perhaps the dishes sat too long at the upstairs counter before they were served. Next time I would try not go at peak hours. [Chowhound]

3) Very Good News: "The staff is accommodating, unpretentious and gracious. Our original table under the front window was cramped so we asked to move to the bar, which they handled without a problem. When I asked for horseradish for the Fruits de Mer, our waiter pulled out a horseradish root and grated it fresh for us. Finger bowls with lemon came just as we were realizing how sticky our hands were getting?For the entrees, we went traditional: steak frites with Bordelaise sauce and duck confit crisped to perfection with farmer's market carrots. The accompanying Potatoes Lyonaisse were the best we've ever had. All in all, a great night out. If only the tables were a little more comfortable, it would be Balthazar-at-the-Shore." [Eater Inbox]

4) Some Bad News: "Shrimp cocktail... good (but c'mon.. Alain and Brendan should be able to put out a good shrimp cocktail!) but 2 of the 6 shrimp had no tails so it looked like we were at Gladstone's. and the shrimp weren't cleaned completely.. MMMMMM... shrimp poop. "Eggs in purgatory"... description sounded great (Bacon brioche!!) but when it arrived it looked like a Holiday Inn special and you'd swear the tomato sauce was canned. Croque Monsieur - our "neighbors" had ordered them and they looked amazing so we had to get one... Proving that looks CAN be deceiving... only one side of the bread was "cooked" and the sandwich itself lacked any "wow" factor or well, flavor. Dessert... WELL, if you're looking to remember the lavender ice cream Alain used to do at Loew's DON'T try this one... the cooks seem to think the right thing to do is put it in a hot parfait glass so it's nice and melted when it comes to your table." [Eater Inbox]

5) More Bad News, But a Reprieve: "This was our 5th meal there in two weeks, and we really wanted it to be special?Service was really a mess. 40 minutes to get our 1st cocktail at the table because the "bar was backed up". Actually they weren't even two deep at the time. I know it's only their 2nd week and I'm not laying final judgment until further down the road. I have all the confidence that the chef and his staff will be able to turn it around in the near future." [Chowhound]