Sunday, October 29, 2006

Florent: Eating out with the Kids I



Male Martha won't be the first blogger to write about eating with the kids and he won't be the last. However, he will be the best. In my case we are not talking about little teeny kids who tend to scream and embarrass you. We are talking about larger, pre-adolescent kids who have limited attention spans and some attitude and embarrass you. Cause that's what Male Martha has. I am always happy to hear from other parents who have either the little screamy or the adolescent-I can't believe your sitting with me variety of child as well.

We went to Florent (69 Gansevoort Street, NYC 10014: tel 212-989-5779) last night for dinner with boy 1 and boy 2. For good measure we brought another 10 year old boy. For those of us who used to go to dates at Florent in the late eighties and early nineties, the change in the Meat Packing district is amazing. For years, the only shoes you could buy down there were the horse shoes from the meat packing plants selling "New Jersey cuts."

Florent, in a good way, has not changed that much. Its still kitsch, and still cash only. The lovely wife and I went alone late last week and after 10 PM the place is sill crowded, although about half the crowd are the same age as me and the lovely wife. The noise level, even at 8 PM (when we took the kids) is high but you can still hear. Other tables will not be able to hear what your kids say, which, only speaking for myself of course, is a good thing. Service is quick and friendly. The tables can handle a spill or two.

The menu has not significantly changed in many years. There is a children's menu, which has burgers, grilled cheese and chicken fingers. My kids of course went for the steak frites. Other things on the adult menu that kids may eat include caeser salad, chicken, and a variety of sandwiches. Adults should have the artichoke, the beet endive salad and the mussels. The kids all liked the mousse for dessert, and the cheese cake got excellent reviews from the add on 10 year old. Entrees are in the high teens to low twenties, appetizers and salads in the high single digits and desserts about $7.00

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Florent is definitely a blast from the past. Did your LW (lovely wife) buy any shoes?

Ira.B said...

No. Shoe stores are actually closed. The weirdest thing is when we went late and saw how B&T went from Chelsea in the eighties to the meat market today. I assume by 2020 they will be either in the river or Jersey City.

MM