With the opening of Brasserie Cognac East, the adorable chef-partner Florian V. Hugo brings a taste of France to the uptown neighborhood.
I dined there recently as their guest, with the chef helping me make selections along with way. He started us with a rich creamy soup along with warm cheese puffs (gougeres), not to be missed.
Also don’t miss the tuna tart ($18) on a very thin cracker-like crust with tuna cooked a la minute (basically raw!), topped with pickled ginger, horseradish mayo, scallions and a drizzle of fresh ginger oil. Unusually flavorful.
Florian — an Alain Ducasse veteran and a direct descendant of Victor Hugo — explained that his octopus salad demands the most work. He first beats to tenderize, poaches in red wine with a lot of aromatics and cork (yes, cork as it tenderizes the fish), peels then marinates it in rosemary, thyme, olive oil and garlic and then grills the pieces to order. Before serving he dips in the marinade again and serves it with a tomato 
fondue mixed with a basil, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and an olive tapenade. It was tasty, but I would have more grill flavor on the octopus.
Perfect as a light meal would be their signature chicken salad ($18) that starts with grilled chicken pallaird and combines that with strips of romaine, carrots, napa cabbage and green apple, plus cranberries all tossed a Dijon-Caesar basil vinaigrette then served in a fried brick leaf.
Looking for something light for dinner, then try the three lightly seared sea scallops over a pumpkin
puree sauce, with some wild mushrooms and watercress with chardonnay sauce and amaretto reduction ($27). Worth the trip. I was not as thrilled with my grilled marinated boneless fillet branzino, served over grilled zucchini, scalloped potatoes and tomato confit, with pastis sauce ($27). The fish was tasty and succulent, but just missing je ne sais quoi.
Do save room for dessert. Try the dark and white chocolate soufflé ($9), opened and filled with a pistachio crème anglais or, my favorite, the refreshing coconut sorbet dipped in butter chocolate and filled with diced mango pineapple, passion fruit topped with a passion fruit sauce ($9). Also amazing, were the rose petal topped litchi macaroons filled with rose-scented butter cream marinated litchis with lemon, fresh raspberry over fresh berry sauce drizzles. It’s the type of dessert you pop into your mouth in one bit for an explosion of exquisite flavors.
– bonnie
Brasserie Cognac East
Upper East Side
(at 70th Street)
963 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10021
(212) 249-5100
I dined at the Brasserie Cognac when I was in New York. Great food, although I didn’t know the chef was Victor Hugo’s descendant.