Bresca, Chef Ryan Ratino's European-Influenced American in the Former Policy Space - in 14UP

[ElGuapo]

Chef Ryan Ratino (Ripple, Masa 14, L'Auberge Provencale) has announced Bresca, opening Fall 2017 in the former first floor of Policy:

Jul 12, 2017 - "Major Update about the Plans for the 1st Floor of Policy. Chef from Recently Closed Ripple To Open Bresca" on popville.com

[ElGuapo]

I'm officially excited for this to open: 

Jul 17, 2017 - "Chef Ryan Ratino Readies To Open Bresca, His First Solo Restaurant" by Laura Hayes on washingtoncitypaper.com

[cheezepowder]

Opening this Friday, Sept. 22 (via Laura Hayes' tweet and Bresca's tweet)

[ElGuapo]

We have a Friday evening reservation! SO EXCITED. 

[Ericandblueboy]

While we're not hip and cool enough to be there on opening night, we have already snagged reservations.  Menu looks interesting and the prices aren't shocking (probably $100/pp with boozy drinks, tax & tip).

[funkyfood]

We went there on Friday, which was their first night open to the public.  We arrived early, so we got drinks at the bar.  The cocktail menu was pretty interesting, but many of the options didn't appeal to me.  Anyway, we ordered our drinks from the attentive bartender...then didn't get them for a while.  Instead, he made a drink for a pair of friends who walked in, then made my drink, served it to me, made my girlfriend's drink...then turned his attention toward closing a bill on the POS machine, leaving the drink in the shaker on the counter.  Another bartender noticed after it be that it hadn't been poured, so he served the drink.

As for the food, it was good to very good, but nothing mindblowing. We had the pastrami beets (enjoyable, if not a bit overpriced), ocean trout crudo (simple, fresh, ample portion for the price, delicious), sea urchin linguini (kind of boring linguini with pasta, then sea urchin mixed in...quite buttery), chestnut agnolotti with rabbit (SUPER rich but really delicious agnolotti, well-cooked with creamy filling), barramundi (dry and not that flavorful, with warm romaine covering it...didn't work for me), pineapple and carrot salad (i hardly remember this but think I liked it).

The service was what you would expect for opening night.  Our server was happy to recite his memorized schpiel for each dish, but was a really nice guy.  Unfortunately, it took us almost 45 minutes after ordering before our first dish (the beets) showed up.  Upon complaining, the waiter asked us to pick anything off the menu on the house (we chose the aforementioned agnolotti), then brought us dessert with another sincere apology.  It's highly likely that the delay was just opening night hiccups, and their response indicates to me that the service will be good going forward.

Overall, I'd go back, but won't be rushing to.

[jca76]

In contrast to funkyfood's experience the night before, our group of four went on Saturday night and were all pleasantly surprised.  I'd enjoyed a meal or two at Ripple under Ratino (a bit of a step up from the end of Marjorie Meek-Bradley's tenure, although we still pine for the Logan Cox days), but Bresca ups the creativity a bit, in a good way.  

First, cocktails: the menu is a bit confusingly organized around a hexagon (a recurring decorative motif in the restaurant), requiring rotation to read them all.  (The menu isn't online, so I'm not going to remember all the names/ingredients.)  There are a mix of classic variations and more original drinks, and all were excellent with one glaring exception: a cocktail featuring oyster shell-infused vodka that tasted strongly (and not particularly pleasantly) of oyster (not brine, just oyster) and surprisingly little else.  Despite listing a reasonable-sounding array of ingredients, the drink was otherwise so flat that we were debating whether an ingredient had been left out.  My first order of the Vice Versa was excellent -- we all loved it -- and yet I can't remember more specifics than it was red, nicely tart, a bit floral, flecked with bee pollen for a hint of sweetness.  (It contained bergamot?)  The other couple with us loved the Viens Avec Moi (and ended up ordering a second one), but from my one sip, all I remember is that it was light and fruity (pineapple?) and definitely the sort of thing you'd happily drink for hours on a sunny day.  The Bee's Knees contained truffle honey that added a pleasant earthiness to a classic drink that can sometimes veer a little sweet, plus it was served in an awesome (and kind of hilarious) bee glass.  Variations on the Adonis and Old Fashioned and a rum drink I'm forgetting were all also delicious.  The Old Fashioned was a bit sweet/floral thanks to the creme de Yvette, without being cloying and maintaining its spirit-forwardness.   

We started with the radish crudite (seaweed brown butter, fleur de sel, green goddess) and the pastrami beets (feta, rye toast, flowering cress), both of which we thought were excellent snacks.  The radishes were more umami than your typical radishes-and-butter combo, and the green goddess dressing on the side (with little bundles of micro greens to dip) was delicious.  (Although the bundles were a bit confusing: too large to really be one bite, only two so a bit awkward for sharing, and tied with a tiny string that had to be detached.  It's entirely possible that we weren't supposed to just dunk them in the dressing, but if so, no one explained it.)  As pescatarians who acknowledge that meat tastes delicious, the bf and I are the target audience for vegetarian dishes that lean heavily on meaty techniques, so we very much enjoyed the smoky-sweet-sour-salty combination of beets and feta.  (I disagree with funkyfood on the cost of the beets; for $10, it was a long, thin slice of toast that could be easily cut into 2-3 bite strips to share.  Not a huge portion, but about what I would have expected given the overall prices at the restaurant.)   

The bf and I also really enjoyed the ocean trout crudo (verjus, shiso, labneh, black lime); apply all the usually adjectives to good crudo (fresh, good salt and acid, etc.), and the shiso in particular is a flavor that I love and am not used to seeing in crudo.  The late summer melons and tomato (burrata, tomato jam, puffed grains, rooftop greens) was a surprise hit.  (Not because I didn't expect to like it, but because the composition was more interesting than I'd expected.)  Don't expect a ball of burrata to take center stage; there were a few scattered bites of cheese to add richness, but the fruit is the star.  Excellent quality produce (as expected for the end of a hot September), well dressed to balance the sweetness and pull out the tomato flavor with salt and acidity, speckles of puffed grain for texture.  I wasn't sure what I was going to make of the pineapple carrot salad (grains, curry oil, spicy greens, date), but the pineapple was (contrary to my fears) just an accent to a plate starring delicious roasted carrots.  

The sea urchin linguini (truffle, chili, yeast butter, porcini) was the dish on the menu that I gravitated to first and disappointed me most.  Despite listing a number of great ingredients, funkyfood is right that it was basically just buttery and kind of boring.  I didn't pick up on truffle, yeast, or porcini.  Nice chew to the pasta and tasty, but unexciting.  The only carnivore of our group really liked the chestnut agnolotti (rabbit, sunchoce, pear, mustard seeds).  

Service overall was friendly without over-explaining -- no long spiels on dishes.  Generally service was reasonably paced and appropriately attentive, with two small exceptions:  We waited a bit long for our first round of cocktails -- which arrived shortly after our snacks despite having been ordered first -- but not overly so given their complexity and how busy the bar seemed to be.  Our waitress disappeared for a bit after delivering the dessert menus (we ended up just requesting the check).  But neither hiccup was egregious, and overall we were impressed with how well everything seemed to be running both in front and back of house, given that it was their second night.  Bresca is a food-focused addition to the upper part of 14th (which can skew a bit scene-y at the expense of the food); we will definitely keep an eye on their menu and happily return.  

[Ericandblueboy]

I've seen pasta topped with sea urchin elsewhere.  I don't understand the point.  I don't want to eat warm pasta topped with slabs of cold sea urchin.  I want the sea urchin to be in the sauce!

[Ericandblueboy]

Oysters with tea foam and bergamot (a type of orange) - a little sweet, but refreshing - 
Brown Trout (they call it Ocean Trout) crudo w/ verjus, shiso, labneh and black lime - good crudo, refreshing - 
Foie Gras w/ madeleines - a little salty but that won't stop me from eating foie gras torchon - 

Sweetbread topped with red cabbage  -  most interesting dish of the night.  The braised sweetbreads were initially invisible under the cabbage.  The sweetbreads turned out to be very flavorful and a bit on the firm side - 

Chestnut Agnolotti - strange looking but tasty - 
Lacquered Duck Breast - nicely cooked -  
Barramundi topped with wilted caesar salad - a bit dry -  

The Funk summed it up nicely - generally good but does not give you a Meg Ryan at Katz's Deli experience.

P.S. I had room for a small Amsterdam Falafel sandwich afterwards 

[Pool Boy]

My wife and I had a really good experience here. Will post further, but the food was very good, service was very good and loved the cocktails. The fact that it is in spitting distance of Jeni's makes skipping dessert an easy choice. Will post photos and more thorough review when I have some more time. Note - it pays to go early - less loud, likely better service before it gets packed, etc.

[malokd]

Superlative dinner here on Sunday night.  Total of 5 of us--to a person, all of us felt that this was the best restaurant meal we had in the DMV in 2017.  I went in expecting a decent dinner and was really happily surprised at how good a meal we had.  The drinks were excellent as well, all with interesting bar pieces made the drink more enjoyable.

Drinks:

BRESCA FRENCH 75:  honey gin- clarified citrus- bee nectar- champagne syrup:  This tasted great, not too boozy with nice acidity

SIRÉNE:  vodka-oyster shell- dry vermouth-manzanilla-verjus- olives:  While I could not detect any seafood taste--this was a good dirty martini with good olives and an interesting fish shaped glass

BEE'S KNEES:  bee's wax gin- truffle honey- citrus:  The only bust from the drinks section

POLLINATION:  vodka- bee nectar- gentian- citrus- chamomile cordial.  This was well balanced, sweet but not overly so

STAN THE FISH: jasmine mezcal- grapefruit- elderflower- soda.  Tasty mezcal drink, not too smoky

Food:

OCTOPUS:  harissa- hummus- tabouleh- yogurt- black lime:  This would have been a star on any other table--combo of black lime and harissa was a nice sour spicy combo

NANTUCKET SCALLOP CRUDO:  yuzu- asian pear- ponzu- charred scallion.  Excellent crudo---the charred scallion has this nice flavor that is not overpowering elevating the ponzu

SEA URCHIN LINGUINI:  truffle – chili – yeast butter – porcini:  We enjoyed this but the uni gets lost.  This was really good buttered pasta

CHESTNUT AGNOLOTTI:  rabbit – sunchoke – pear – mustard seeds:  This was my favorite dish.  Acidity from the pickled mustard seeds, sweetness from the pear and the sunchoke, and buttery chestnut.  My favorite pasta dish this year

OIL POACHED HALIBUT:  vadouvan & mussel chowder - squash - parsley- kaffir lime.  This was really good but came at the end when we were stuffed and could not do it full justice.  Halibut was perfectly cooked and the vadouvan gave it a gentl "curry" flavor

HONEY LACQUERED DUCK; duck fat brioche with apple butter- duck egg- red cabbage- spaetzel- comte- sausage of duck and fennel- fall truffles- coriander & lavender honey.  This was portioned to share and we demolished it.  Every thing about it was delicious.  Well salted duck breast with expertly rendered skin, great tasting sausage, and the spaetzle were delicious.  The brioche was fried which was a little too rich but no one complained.

Will definitely be back soon

[franch]

this was pretty fantastic. i'll definitely be returning. wife and i popped in for an impromptu dinner. everything we ordered was good at minimum and most were great.

we started with cocktails - the Viens Avec Moi (gin, green chartreuse, citrus, absinthe, pineapple cordial - $13) for me and the Bresca French 75 (honey gin, clarified citrus, bee nectar, champagne syrup - $13) for her. both of these were outstanding. my wife remarked that she may enjoy the still take on the French 75 more than the classic.

we ordered a myriad of dishes and our waitress divided them into an appetizer course and a main course. for the appetizer course, we had the Buckwheat Pancakes (parsley root ice cream, trout roe, herbs and flowers - $25). this was pretty good, though not perfect. the ice cream and caviar were on the cold side of their respective expected temperatures. the flavors worked well enough, but i felt the execution could be better. next was the Nantucket Scallop Crudo (yuzu, asian pear, ponzu, charred scallion - $17). this was outstanding. just the ingredients alone make this a superlative dish, but it really was executed perfectly. the scallop was fresh and delicious and paired so well with the asian flavors without being overwhelmed by them (as something delicate can be if you just pour ponzu on it). final appetizer was the Foie Gras "PB&J" (madeleines, concord grape, celery - $17). and just holy crap. this was outstanding. i'm a sucker for foie gras in any form, but this was the essence of a super rich and decadent "PB&J". the house baked madeleines were still warm to the touch and were divine. this is a must order on every trip.

another round of drinks was the Boisson Royale (dark rum, cognac, pandan cordial, lime, strawberry bitters - $13), a take on a tiki type of flavor it seems without the cloyingness of the imitators pervading DC right now, and the 1906 Old Fashioned (bourbon, creme de yvette, bee nectar, bitters - $12) -- which, well, what can you say about an old fashioned, but it is really good with the creme de yvette - a welcome floral note.

the two main courses were the Koji Veal Breast (kuri squash, apple, kohlrabi, pumpkin seed & oil - $21) and the Sea Urchin Linguini (truffle, chili, yeast butter, porcini - $22). the veal was perfectly cooked - tender and a mix of unctuous fat with the breast meat worked perfectly with the accompaniments. i share this thread's concerns about the linguini, but ultimately, it was one of my favorite dishes. yes, the uni gets lost in the dish -- i actually heeded this thread's advice and isolated the uni pieces to have with a small bite of noodles rather than attempting to mix it in. but the pasta without the uni is just so divine. i'd order this every time at $16 with no urchin.

the desserts received high billing so we also shared one Foie Gras Cake Pop (hazelnut, chocolate, amaretto, gold - $5) and Tropical Ambrosia (tapioca, mango, meringue, passion fruit - $11). the cake pop was the best cake pop you'll ever have. it was reminiscent of the Foie Gras Snickers at Chicago's Aviary. if starbucks sold these i'd be 500 pounds heavier. the Ambrosia is my subjectively perfect dessert. light, but with the meringue and tapioca to ground it with some substance. tropical fruits are my favorite, and passionfruit tapioca is every bit as good as i wanted it to be.

i'd absolutely return, and want to try some of the other dishes, particularly the seafood ones. i also find the prices incredibly reasonable given the ingredients used and compared to other tapas places (even other tapas places just on 14th Street NW).

[dracisk]

I went on Tuesday and also loved it. My friend and I both loved the Bresca French 75. We split the oysters and tea, which were refreshing and slightly briny. Next came the pastrami beets, which I thought were so-so. I like beets and I like pastrami, but I guess I thought the pastrami spicing would be more prominent. I did enjoy the whole package with the whipped feta and the rye toast. This dish reminded me of the topped breads at Tail Up Goat. We LOVED the honey lacquered duck. The duck breast had a crispy, delicious skin, and the duck sausage had a tasty funk. I loved all the sides, too (duck fat beignets with apple butter - duck egg - red cabbage - spaetzel - comte - fall truffles - coriander & lavender honey). Our waiter suggested we have the foie gras PB&J last since it had a sweetness to it, so we followed his advice. What to say -- the foie gras was delicious, and I loved the way it played against the concord grape "jelly" and the warm, fresh madeleines.

I have a pretty big appetite, and I was comfortably full after all this. The duck and foie gras were both pretty rich. My only regret was that I didn't get to try any desserts, especially the foie gras cake pops and the banana pudding. Next time!

Oh, and Tom says 2.5 stars.

[Deborah Lee]

From May 15, 2018, an extraordinary evening of modern culinary innovation with no limits to the imagination and possibilities from a brilliant chef and his talented team.  I still day dream about all the awe and delight revealed with each dish.  Every moment was sublime.  One of the most exciting dining experiences of 2018.  Chef & Owner Ryan Ratino and Chef de Cuisine & Partner Jose Arguelles are passionate about quality sourced seasonal ingredients.  My dining companion and I witnessed the daily hand delivery of the freshest, pristine seafood from a highly notable purveyor, who hand selects all of the seafood he supplies to Michelin restaurants from his exclusive relationships with select local fisherman.  So we were inspired to build a seafood focused menu with our selections.  Wines were brilliantly paired by our server, Kristen Wilson, who curated a truly memorable evening.  

• BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES 
  heart of palm ice cream - trout roe - finger lime - caviar
• SCALLOP CRUDO 
  duck dashi - radish - charred celtuce - lime
• SQUAB AND LOBSTER 
  shellfish emulsion - asparagus - last year's cherries
• FAZZOLETTI NERO 
  squid - calabrian chili butter - olive - parsley - tuna confit
• YELLOWFIN TUNA TONNATO 
  green garlic tonnato - white asparagus - morel mushrooms - grapes - miner's lettuce - wild fennel
• {continued in second post}

 

 

[Deborah Lee]

• {continued from previous post}
• RAMP LINGUINE "CARBONARA"
  wood grilled maitake - mint - pecorino - fava beans
• FOIE GRAS "NEGRONI"
  strawberry – campari – orange – celery
• FOIE GRAS CAKE POP
  hazelnut – chocolate – amaretto – gold

 

 

[Pool Boy]

Thanks for the updates - it sounds  like I need to get back here again soon as well.

[Deborah Lee]

Right now is an exceptional time to dine at Bresca.  

Creative momentum is exciting.  Chef Ryan Ratino and Chef de Cuisine Jose Arguelles are creating some of the most innovative dishes in the city.  I have dined 3 times since May 15 and have 2 additional dinners scheduled before the end of June.  I hope I can keep up as the menu is evolving so quickly I don't want to miss a dish.  One of the dishes I enjoyed tonight was the Octopus Lettuce Wraps.  Chef Ryan's truly innovative take on Ssam.  Every component and detail of this dish was perfectly executed.  He created his own fish sauce by fermenting sardines.  The heat comes from 'nduja in his own version of nuoc cham.  Cucumbers in blossom dashi were so exquisite.  Octopus was tender perfection.  Octopus bagna cauda was sublime.  Love the roasted Virginia peanuts and array of fresh herbs.  All the flavors coming into a beautiful balance of caramel, saline, sour, spice and nuts.  Immediately following was the Tropical Ambrosia, which was the perfect ending.  The mango and passion fruit layered so well with the existing flavors of caramel, saline, spice and nuts. 

All the layers of flavors are still lingering on my palate as I am writing this post.  Photos and complete list of dishes to follow when I am able.

[saxdrop]

On 6/16/2018 at 10:05 PM, dslee said:

Right now is an exceptional time to dine at Bresca.  

Had my birthday dinner here June 2 -- I don't disagree.

...mmmm.....48-hour lamb...

[Deborah Lee]

1 hour ago, saxdrop said:

Had my birthday dinner here June 2 -- I don't disagree.

...mmmm.....48-hour lamb...

I agree...so darn delicious and lots of fun enjoying this dish.

I followed Chef Ryan's recommendation and constructed sandwiches with the house-made milk bread rolls, 48-hour Shenandoah lamb shoulder (BBQ of black garlic and rhubarb molasses), bread and butter pickles and mustard with mustard seeds.  I alternated bites of the sandwich with the spring greens salad with lamb bacon lardons and lamb fat sherry vinaigrette.  Paired exceptionally well with Jordi Llorens Blan 5.7 2015.  One of the best dishes I've enjoyed this year.  

[dracisk]

4 hours ago, dslee said:

I agree...so darn delicious and lots of fun enjoying this dish.

I followed Chef Ryan's recommendation and constructed sandwiches with the house-made milk bread rolls, 48-hour Shenandoah lamb shoulder (BBQ of black garlic and rhubarb molasses), bread and butter pickles and mustard with mustard seeds.  I alternated bites of the sandwich with the spring greens salad with lamb bacon lardons and lamb fat sherry vinaigrette.  Paired exceptionally well with Jordi Llorens Blan 5.7 2015.  One of the best dishes I've enjoyed this year.  

That sounds incredible!!

[DonRocks]

23 hours ago, saxdrop said:

Had my birthday dinner here June 2 -- I don't disagree.

...mmmm.....48-hour lamb...

I get the willies anytime I see things like "72-hour short ribs" - is the 48-hour lamb cooked sous vide?

[Deborah Lee]

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I get the willies anytime I see things like "72-hour short ribs" - is the 48-hour lamb cooked sous vide?

I reached out to Kristen Wilson with Team Bresca.  Below are the details she provided for the 48-hour Shenandoah lamb shoulder:

"Lamb shoulder is hay smoked, seared, cooled and then put in a cryovac bag with lamb fat, black garlic and aromatic herbs and cooked sous vide at 60 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. It’s then pressed, binchotan grilled, glazed in a black garlic, harissa and rhubarb molasses put under the salamander, glazed again and under the salamander again to caramelize the molasses. Pickled shallots and soft herbs are garnished on top (currently blue basil, dill, chervil and apple mint)." 

No reason for the willies since Bresca has a HAACP plan in place for sous vide.

Here are the remaining details:

"Milk rolls glazed with butter, fleur de sel and chives and a salad made of dandelion greens, lollo rossa and baby romaine with shaved radish, pickled shallots, lamb lardons dressed with a clarified lamb fat, sherry vinegar, chili and honey vinaigrette.  Accompaniments include house made bread and butter pickles and pickled whole grain mustard.  Mustard is pickled in Bresca's house made mead vinegar."

[porcupine]

"TROPICAL AMBROSIA

tapioca – mango – meringue – passion fruit"

---------

The current iteration of this involves tapioca pearls, passionfruit pastry cream, coconut, pieces of mango and maybe pineapple? with a touch of blue basil oil, all topped with a meringue cap; it sounded like a case of Way Too Much Happening In This Dish but was the most brilliant dessert I've had in a restaurant in ages, and it wasn't precious. The rest of the meal was excellent, too, but I'd go again just for this. Admittedly I am a fool for passionfruit (and mango, and coconut), so this was right up my alley, but then again I know a well-executed dessert when I taste one.

[istuffmyface]

Showed up super early and sat at the bar around 5 on Saturday.

Service nice overall and they let me take my time between courses and sipping on a couple of glasses of wine. And I'll assume that wasn't just because there were plenty of empty seats at the bar that time of night. Very hospitable.

Started with the sea trout crudo that was super delicious and an incredibly balanced dish. A little crunchy element would've made it perfect.

Went for the urchin linguine, and boy do I wish I had read this thread ahead of time. It was totally fine, but calling it sea urchin linguine sets up expectations for a briny, urchin-y pasta dish that this was not. Just a couple of lobes of uni in a very rich sauce. While not very generous with the urchin, it was a generous portion overall, I will say.

On the strength of the trout dish, I'd totally go back.

[Keithstg]

Had a great time catching up with a friend at Bresca last night. He captured the restaurant perfectly - "kind of under the radar now, but still full". That was the case last night, as the room was full for the majority of the evening.

Highlights: Scallop Mi Cuit - one of the better ceviche-ish dishes I have had in a while. The beef tendon with puffed rice was also excellent.

Oddities: The "welcome cocktail" was a nice touch, but a bit too much Shrub for my taste. Hadn't seen this before, especially a gratis pour, which is a nice touch. The cocktail list still follows that ridiculous octagonal map thing, which makes reading the cocktails more challenging, nevermind understanding if they were laid out according to some rhyme or reason.

Challenges: Our mains were the buckwheat linguine and the tuna. Both were overly salty - and we both enjoy salt! Not salty enough to send back necessarily, but both discernibly out of balance.

Overall: Very nice and accommodating service. Well priced, interesting menu and great atmosphere. I found the food somewhat at odds with the glowing reviews above - there was a lack of finesse in the mains as opposed to the nuance found in the small plates. Seems like better QC is needed.

[Ericandblueboy]

3 hours ago, Keithstg said:

The beef tendon with puffed rice was also excellent.

Tell me more about how that’s prepared?

[Keithstg]

51 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Tell me more about how that’s prepared?

Beef tendon was sliced thinly and the puffed rice was fried (?) around it. The order was probably four large puffs.

Somewhat challenging to eat as the rice sort of shattered around the tendon when cut.

[FranklinDubya]

5 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Overall: Very nice and accommodating service. Well priced, interesting menu and great atmosphere. I found the food somewhat at odds with the glowing reviews above - there was a definite lack of finesse in the mains at odds with the nuance found in the small plates. Seems like better QC is needed.

Worth noting - head chef Ryan Ratino is currently off on a research trip in Japan which could certainly contribute to that. 

[Keithstg]

7 minutes ago, FranklinDubya said:

Worth noting - head chef Ryan Ratino is currently off on a research trip in Japan which could certainly contribute to that. 

Fair enough. That said, I'd hope that the current staff could function well enough in his absence to produce consistent meals, if not ones to inspire the wild hyperbole upthread.

[FranklinDubya]

On 3/15/2019 at 3:15 PM, Keithstg said:

Fair enough. That said, I'd hope that the current staff could function well enough in his absence to produce consistent meals, if not ones to inspire the wild hyperbole upthread.

Also totally fair.  I haven't posted in this thread but I've had overall great experiences at Bresca but I will say the experience tends to be more of like 3 or 4 out of 5 dishes are great with 1/2 being underwhelming, but the highs for me have been superlative (the various foie dishes, duck a la presse, chestnut agnolotti on the original menu, beef tartarlets come to mind) which makes up for the lows (for me) especially since they're very creative.  However I'd definitely be a little more "whelmed" on the whole if the dud dishes were entrees, which is always unfortunate.

[Pool Boy]

We were here in Novemberish for a game dinner - skipped the wine pairings that were special to the night. It was very good but not mind blowing.

Wild Pheasant Dashi withmatsutake, golden ossetra and clotted cream
Pheasant egg scramble with dungeness crab, white truffle and alliumDry aged squab with brioche, foie gras and quince
Red deer with koji, squash, black truffle and apple.

Very good service and, since it was mid-week, it was not crazy noisy in there.  Honestly, I would have preferred the preparations to be more simple as I think that can best highlight the game itself. But upscaling it did not harm the experience.  I would have also preferred to pick and choose things, perhaps from a larger game-centric menu but I totally understand it is difficult to gauge what diners will and will not like and order, and a safer way is to do a set menu where all you have to do is guess how many people you think are going to order the set menu.

Went again in February of this year with friends and enjoyed it again. One highlight was that the person who used to do cocktails at Macon Bistro is now here doing her thing. The cocktail options, while not a problem area before, I think will enjoy her talented contributions here in the coming months.