My boyfriend, Akuro, is my favorite dinner partner. He enjoys seeing me excited about trying new places and I appreciate always having him to explore these things with.
Last year for Valentine's Day we went to Aqua Grill in SoHo. To me, dinner in SoHo is always a pretty classy affair, so I opted for thigh high boots and a nice sweater. As we were getting ready to leave, I look at Akuro and he was still in sweats and tying the laces to his Vans. I was pretty disturbed that he wasn't even going to put on jeans! After, not much consideration, I changed and put on my Vans as well. "Cozy," as he liked to call it. At that time, we both worked retail in SoHo, so the last thing we really wanted to do was dress up to go back to the same neighborhood we were in every single day.
This year, I found french restaurant Petit Poulet on 34th Street, took us out of our normal comfort zone. We started the meal with the best oysters I've ever had. Petit Poulet is in first place for their oysters alone. I was shocked at how refreshing they were. Oysters are a strange thing to describe and I've had oysters that made me cringe after eating each one, but these were extremely enjoyable. I would return just for this dish.
Although we did not order our entrees from the Valentine's Day Prix Fixe, Akuro requested that we get the Shrimp and Mushroom Ravioli from the menu. Fortunately, the waitstaff had no problem with that and the ravioli was our second course. Thank god we had loads of bread on our table because there was no way I was sending the plate back with leftover lobster creme. We wiped the bowl completely clean. I hope this dish makes it's way to their permanent menu because it could easily be a best seller.
Without a doubt, every time I go to a french restaurant I always get duck. Duck confit, roasted duck legs, pan seared duck breasts, you name it! So this time I opted for the Steak Frites. 12-oz strip steak with a caramelized shallot butter. Akuro had the Loup de Mer; pan seared branzino with a truffle aioli and wild rice. Of course I ate some of his. Both dishes were phenomenal and cooked with perfection. The steak was medium-rare, just how I like it and Akuro's branzino was served nice and crispy.
The entire evening left us fully satisfied. We opted for getting dessert elsewhere so we could walk around a bit, but we were both so stuffed that we couldn't imagine eating anything else. Petit Poulet did a great job from the food, to the service, and even seating people so there was plenty space between parties. If Petit Poulet wasn't on your radar before, I hope it is now. Get the oysters.
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