A stalwart bastion of Frenchness in Fort Greene, Chez Oskar's one restaurant everyone will get to at some point. I've been a few times, though not since starting this blog, which is why I never got around to reviewing it. Does it really need a review, though? I mean, Chez Oskar's not going anywhere, and if you're ever considering going after some French food in the neighborhood, you're going to consider Chez Oskar. Eventually you'll go, and you'll probably enjoy yourself.
As French fare goes, I actually preferred Loulou when it was around. I'm not sure if the food was any better, but I really liked the more intimate atmosphere, especially the back yard area. It's been replaced by an Italian restaurant called Dino, though, so if you want French you're probably going to head across the street to Chez Oskar, or maybe up to Myrtle for its sister café Chez Lola. Either way, you'll be chowing on some Chez.
Olivia's a new transplant for Fort Greene, so she'd never actually had any Chez in her life to this point. The other night I figured it was time to put a stop to that and head over to Chez Oskar, which I will document henceforth. Liv's got some experience with French food, as you may remember, so I was really curious about her opinion of our version. We weren't super hungry, so it wasn't a big meal–just an appetizer, a couple of entreés, and a few drinks.
To start, the Vegetable and Goat Cheese Terrine Gratinee that was really impressive with the way it combined a variety of flavors. The goat cheese was very pungent and tasty, and since it was warm it was partially melted. Combined with the vegetables and the bread it was a super tasty way to start the meal.
I had soft shell crab as my main course, which I was less thrilled with. I overreached a bit in going for something interesting, and when it arrived I immediately realized that I wasn't in the mood for soft shell crab at all. Sometimes I am, and I'm sure had that been the case that I would have enjoyed it. This night, however, was not one of those times, and I kind of had to fight my way through it.
Liv did much better by picking the rabbit, which was absolutely perfect. Rabbit's another one of those meats that you tend to love or hate, and we both love it and thought this was a great example. Delicate and buttery and not too heavy, while still feeling hearty, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure it does, but it's what I'm going with.
If you want traditional French food in our part of Brooklyn, Chez Oskar does a good job of fitting the bill. Price-wise, it's right in line with all of the local restaurants, and there's a great wine list if you feel so inclined–I just had a glass of the house pinot while we were there. It was good, but not great, but the price was right. Loulou will be missed, but it's good to know Chez Oskar will always be here.
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