Expectations can be the downfall of any restaurant. For The Breslin, a lovechild of Ken Friedman and chef April Bloomfield who were also responsible for The
Window to the Kitchen
Spotted Pig, a west village favorite, my expectations seemed to be reasonable. After all, I’m a fan of the nose-to-tail eating philosophy whereby you try to use all parts of the animal.
I’m also a fan of gastropub menus, old-school feeling décor, and local ingredients. The Breslin delivers on all these fronts.
Earlier this year I finally visited The Breslin after eschewing my previous vegetarianism. Granted, I went for lunch during restaurant week when the prix fixe menu is limited, but even so, I was disappointed. 
The décor of The Breslin is the epitome of hipster cool. It has that “aged” feel as if you walked into a pub that’s been around for centuries despite have been built in the last year. Windows are smoky, lights have exposed filament bulbs, lots of dark wood, kitschy pig decorations—you feel cool just sitting there.
The menu also sounds promising, exactly what you’d expect: lots of pig and lots of lard. I started off my three course lunch with a butternut squash salad with pomegranate seeds and a creamy dressing. 
The salad greens were nice, but the squash had been roasted with some odd spices that left it far too salty and far too spicy. I love the flavor of butternut squash, but it was completely hidden underneath all these spices. I actually left most of it on the plate, despite getting the small portions that come with restaurant week. My friend got the potato leek soup, which he liked, but it’s difficult to mess up potato leek soup.
For our entrees my friend got fish (I forgot what kind!) with a lentil garnish and he really enjoyed it. I got a hodgepodge of a meat dish with one piece each of chicken, beef tongue, and sausage in a mixed meat broth. 
It was quite tasty with about as much meat flavor as humanly possible. But it wasn’t blow-me-away good. It wasn’t Michelin star good.
For dessert I had a brownie with ice cream that again, was good but not amazing.
I’d like to go back to The Breslin sometime and splurge on a dinner that doesn’t include restaurant week restrictions. Their crispy pig’s foot for two has gotten rave reviews and sounds intriguing. But my first visit was lackluster. At least the company was first rate (shout out to Mishary!).
The Breslin
Ace Hotel
20 W. 29th St.
New York, NY 10001
212-679-1939
Gastropub fare
The intellectual eater 