Amazing New Orleans Brunch at Maison Premier, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

I don’t usually rave about a restaurant, but after an amazing New Orleans–style brunch at Maison Premier, I have to.

Aside from an odd greeting at the door — “I can’t find my iPad” — the experience was perfection straight through dessert.

We were seated outside on one of those long-awaited days when dining al fresco finally felt possible again. Colin Glensora, the service director, introduced us to absinthe through storytelling, show-and-tell and, of course, libations.

He first brought us inside to see the bar area, where a beautiful four-spouted absinthe dispenser sat prominently at the front bar. Rather than serving us there, however, Colin recreated the ritual tableside with unmistakable Belle Époque elegance. A staff member stood beside him the entire time, balancing an ornate silver tray holding the absinthe dispenser, glassware, ice, and every accoutrement needed for the preparation.

For my authentic New Orleans–style Sazerac, Colin began by rinsing the glass with absinthe from the dispenser before adding rye — in place of the traditional cognac — along with a sugar cube, Peychaud’s bitters and other bitters.

The resulting licorice notes came through beautifully, reminding me somewhat of watered Ouzo, though smoother and far more layered.

We began with Maison Premier’s extraordinary oyster selection, delivered fresh from the coast twice weekly. Diners are presented with a list of roughly 25 oyster varieties and invited to mark their choices directly on the menu, alongside options for chilled peeled shrimp and lobster.

The chef graciously sent out the crudo trio, insisting we not miss it since we were guests of the restaurant. The plate featured tuna otoro, bay scallops and local fluke ($28).

Next came perfectly dressed greens with slivers of Bosc pear and shaved ricotta salata ($18), followed by the Maine crab toast — Jonah crab salad brightened with yuzu atop toasted sourdough ($22).

For our mains, we shared the French toast ($11 for one slice/$22 for two), a thick caramelized slice topped with banana and served with Chantilly cream, along with the Dirty Rice with Eggs ($32): a generous mound of dirty rice studded with shrimp, sausage, ’nduja, okra and fried garlic, all crowned with an egg – a delicious amalgam of ingredients, each element distinct yet perfectly balanced together.

Dessert kept with the perfection of the afternoon—heavenly absinthe crème brûlée ($12), delicate madeleines ($22) with crème chantilly, single-origin drip coffee and another of Collin’s tableside prep of absinthe. He slowly dripped ice water over a sugar cube set in a slotted spoon that sat on a glass filled with a measure of absinthe until the louche opalescence.

Before we departed, we checked out their New Orleans-style garden and vowed to return!