Brasserie de Paris, Hoboken

On Saturday, John and I visited Brasserie de Paris in Hoboken for dinner. We’ve been especially busy lately (and I’ve even cut back on blog posts as a result!), so this date night was just the treat we needed. I’m normally the one who plans our weekend activities, but I decided to put John in charge this time around. Everyone loves a good surprise!

The photo above, as well as the one below, are from the restaurant’s website. I didn’t get a chance to grab a couple photos of the space. Plus, the iPhone probably wouldn’t do too well in the dim lighting. Pretty romantic date night spot, huh?

As soon as we arrived, we received a warm, friendly greeting from the maitre d’. Every member of the staff that we encountered was incredibly attentive, and it might just be me, but I think they could tone it down a bit. I appreciate excellent service and that they take pride in the food they’re serving, but it can be a bit much when they keep interrupting to make sure you’re enjoying your meal.

At first, a 5:30pm reservation seemed too early for dinner, but now that we’ve turned our clocks back an hour, 5:30pm feels more like 8:00pm… or maybe I’m just getting old. John also intended to take advantage of the happy hour off drink specials, but it turns out that happy hour specials are only available at the bar and not at a table! Oops.

Most of the menu was off limits for us a.k.a. not vegetarian, but there were tasty options for us. Please excuse the crazy yellow lighting that the iPhone didn’t fare so well with!

John ordered the French onion soup ($7). The soup was good, not too salty like many French onion soups I’ve tasted. Topped with melted Swiss cheese. The cheese is always the best part, but I can only handle it in small spoonfuls. So rich!

I also decided to order a soup, which turned out to be the highlight of this meal. This creamy cauliflower soup ($9) was one of the specials. The waiter noted that there was no cream in it, just the natural creamy texture of the cauliflower, plus a hint of lemon. Simply amazing, especially with the drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I’m definitely going to try recreating this dish at home with our new Vitamix blender!

Both soups were very filling, and John ended up just having a side of mashed potatoes for the rest of his meal. I decided to indulge in the mushroom ravioli ($19). I eat light healthy meals during the week, so I can fully indulge in this stuff on the weekends! The raviolis were filled with mushrooms and topped with even more mushrooms! The tomato confit was a refreshing burst of flavor — a nice contrast to the rich, earthy flavors.

The creaminess of the cauliflower soup and the ravioli were perfect with the sparkling Blanc de Blancs that we were sipping. I later switched to a glass of Pinot Noir, which is always a match made in heaven with mushrooms.