Tisserie

Now that I've had my blog for a little over two years, I get more and more e-mail solicitations from PR companies and people wanting me to try their clients' restaurants or products. For the most part, think "special menu" galore from a lot of not-so-special restaurants. Once in a blue moon, I receive a book review request and within a few weeks a beautiful new cookbook appears jammed into my tiny mailbox. I haven't wanted to turn my blog into a book club quite yet, but who knows, maybe this year I will be culinarily inspired to hack away at a few recipes from said books. Morimoto is staring at me from my bookshelf and he's not amused, nor would he be with my attempt at recreating his rock shrimp tempura.

A couple of months ago I received a very sweet e-mail from a girl wanting to introduce me to a cafe in Union Square called Tisserie. For once I didn't delete the e-mail immediately and was curious to see what this place was all about. (E-, if your bosses are reading this, tell them you sold me.) After going to Tisserie.com and reading about it briefly, I decided why not. I was on my later evening shift (which I am no longer on, thank goodness) and I was dying for lunch dates. I made one with E- and met her at Tisserie one deceptively sunny but cool winter day.



I'd never seen anything like it in New York. Tisserie is the Alain Ducasse of fast city food. Every inch of space in the bright, two-storied cafe was filled with rich and beautiful delights. I looked in one display after the next, row after row and my jaw continuously dropped. I felt like Gretel did when she looked at the witch's house in the forest covered in candy. I wanted to snatch every thing up in the counters and run off to a corner in Union Square Park, forget the trail of breadcrumbs, and eat to my heart's content. E- was about half my size and I was already dying of embarrassment of what I was going to eat for lunch, in order to give as thorough a review as possible, of course.



If there are five food groups in the food pyramid, they're all present in almost every individual dish you can possibly order at Tisserie.

"So what were you thinking, Mona?"

"I really have no idea where to even begin."

E- let out a chuckle and I thought to myself, no, really, this may take a while. I kept pacing and pacing, back and forth, between displays of soups and quiches and sandwiches and desserts, wanting to try everything.

Upon further consideration, I decided to go for the gusto.

We tried this special Venezuelan bread, pan de jamon, per E-'s recommendation. It looks like a slice of an ocean wave, but it tasted much better. It's packed with sodium (ham and olives) but the bread itself is actually sweet. I'm not going to lie the look of it scared me a little bit but I really enjoyed it.



Here we have a little potato cake. Think warm potato salad in a cute little tart-shape with melted cheese on top. This was one of my favorites.



And the piece de resistance. A smoked turkey sandwich on this ridiculous bread with onions and cheese. I don't know what I liked better -- the outside of the sandwich or the inside. There was so much going on I loved it.



Last and unfortunately least, we tried the blue cheese and tomato quiche. The middle was a little runny for my taste. I love love love blue cheese -- lay it on me and lay it on thick-- and I didn't taste the blue cheese as much as I would have liked. Two of our items came with a small salad and it was covered perfectly in a very light, but tangy, vinaigrette.



As I sat a la Christmas Carol's Ghost of Christmas Present, struggling to fit in this feast of food in front of me, I noticed some incredulous stares at the five dishes squeezed onto our table. I kept thinking, "Man, I hope I don't run into anyone I know." Then mid-shovel, one of the founders of Tisserie, Morris Harrar, came over to introduce himself. I died. I didn't know E- well enough to ask if I had any food remnants hanging on my nose or chin, or in between my teeth, but I got by with a wing and a prayer. The chef coming over to talk to me? I had my own mini- Gail Simmons moment. He was a sweetheart and was really enthusiastic to meet me and hear about my blog.

I learned he came from Venezuela, studied cooking in France and was very excited, no, make that giddy, about his success at Union Square. I won't be surprised if a couple more of Harrar's creations pop up in and around the city. He was already talking about the possibility of opening up a cafe in a fancy department store. I won't mention which one for fear of jinxing him if the project is still in the works. Harrar was clearly passionate about what he does and his happiness and good spirit were contagious. I wanted to quit everything and work for him, not only because of his energy, but because of the energy of his entire staff. E- seemed to have a few friends behind the counter and one of them was kind enough to prep me my own little dessert box. On the outside I was declining politely, but on the inside I was screaming, "YES! YES! YES!" I tried my first tiger eye, and it will not be my last -- a little cakey cookie with a drop of chocolate in the middle, and the rugalah and chocolate diamonds were also a special treat.



And one more thing. E- casually mentioned as we were about to walk out that Tisserie was written up in the Times as one of the best places for hot chocolate. You can't just say that and not expect me to want to try some. So, I ordered one. I couldn't finish it it was so rich, like someone just melted a bar of Valhrona and poured it in a cup. Forget the freshman fifteen, I left lunch with the Tisserie ten, proud and happy, but suffering from a slight food coma.

857 Broadway, at 17th Street 212-463-0850