Jadis

Jadis was a delightful mistake.

I was supposed to eat at Freemans that night. I was mentally prepared to face the stuffed elk, deer antlers and fox fangs on the walls and countertops of Freemans (I'm not really sure what animals are stuffed at Freemans, but I was warned, if weary of eating surrounded by taxidermy, don't go).

I went to Jadis with a fellow Wahoo. He was visiting the East Coast from Calif. and we were "set up" by mutual friends. He was the one who suggested Freemans, and I was excited, having missed a girls' dinner there not too long ago. I was meeting him after work and was starving. Whenever I make dinner plans I tend to save room in my stomach by fasting the entire day. Ok, I don't fast entirely, but I eat one less pound of salad then I normally do at my office cafeteria.

When my Wahoo pal called and said there was at least an hour wait at Freemans I was disappointed. That was not going to cut it. I needed food and I needed it now.

We headed east from Freeman Alley and just a few blocks away he stopped and said, "Let's try this place." I looked inside. It was deadsville -- not entirely what I had in mind for a first-time-hanging-out dinner. He vouched for it being "pretty good." I vouched for my stomach growling. We marched right on in.

We sat one of the small wooden tables towards the front. There was one other couple eating. They glanced up at us like we had disturbed their private seating. Sorry, guys. The server came up to us and in his French accent asked if we'd like some wine. We glanced over the list and my new friend picked a bottle of white wine.

I enjoyed the warm atmosphere of Jadis with its exposed brick and dimly lit space, though the staff was not quite as warm. There was something about our server that was off. It seemed like what he was doing was beneath him. Maybe he was a manager or owner filling in for a server who called out? That would make sense. He seemed to be knowledgeable of the items on the menu but when it came to taking our orders he was short and couldn't be bothered when we needed something in addition to what was already on our table -- more of a back of the house type than front of the house.

We ordered a few different items and just shared them all. This was the mesclun salad with balsamic and bacon-wrapped scallops. It came out looking so pretty I thought it could double as a funky dessert. The balsamic dressing looked like chocolate, and it tasted just as sweet and thick. The bacon was crispy and the scallops were smooth.

We also ordered an assortment of cheese. I tried asking our man what the choices were and what some of the unrecognizable cheeses were and he kind of brushed the question aside. I settled for what I knew: goat cheese, Manchego, and Gruyere.

We shared a sandwich as well, one with ham, Tomme de Savoie and caramelized onions. It was really good, but I think I would have liked the option of having it heated, though this probably isn't the French way. Heated sandwiches seem to be an American phenomenon, or at least a New York City obsession. I don't remember ordering ham and butter sandwiches at patisseries in France and them coming out warm. The caramelized onions made all the difference in this sandwich. I don't normally order them on sandwiches but I think they are going to be my new tomato replacement.


And finally dessert! This chocolat fondant looks more like chocolat tumblant. It was the perfect end to a fun dinner. Whether or not our man was a server, a people person or just having a bad day, he nailed this recommendation. And the strawberries were a nice addition to the oozing warm chocolate. You needed something to soak up the chocolate.


I am really glad Freemans didn't work out that night, and I know I will go back, just not when I'm hungry. I was forced to eat somewhere on the fly that night, a feat that can be disastrous. But that's part of the fun of New York City dining. It's the unexpected delicious discoveries -- walking into a restaurant whose name you've never heard of on a Thursday night with no wait -- that make this city great. We're so used to planning out everything -- from the moment we wake up to the moment we put our heads on the pillow. Imagine the restaurants I'd discover if I incorporated a neighborhood walk into picking restaurants, rather than just typing names on the Internet all day. In fact, I think that's going to be my new plan ;)

42 Rivington St., between Forsyth & Eldridge St.
212-254-1675