La Sirene: Delicious French Food in an intimate, cozy setting!

Hi foodie followers and friends! I wanted to apologize for my hiatus from writing, as I have been overwhelmed with wedding planning and trying to eat healthy! I recently went to this amazing French restaurant that was romantic and quaint, but also jam packed with flavor. La Sirene (558 Broome St., New York, NY) is located on a quiet street in Hudson Square. The menu offers a wide variety of French delicacies and new ways of preparing traditional fare in a more modern flavor. 

La Sirene offers an extensive wine list, while also welcomes guests to BYOB (one bottle of wine per couple for a $10 corkage fee). You can enjoy your favorite wine alongside a very impressive meal! 

I went here with a group of people, and we all tried each others' dishes, which allowed me to taste many items on the menu :) 

Sautéed Baby Octopus with Garlic, Parsley, Olive Oil, Tomato, and Mushroom

The sautéed baby octopus appetizer sounded amazing on paper, and was even better in conception! It was served warm with a very good amount of octopus pieces that were cooked and seasoned perfectly. This dish had so many mushrooms in it, that perhaps for most people could be overboard, but I loved it! Since my fiancee, who is allergic to mushrooms was not there,  this was my opportune time to enjoy in a colossal amount of mushrooms. The sauce that this dish sat in was nice and light and full of the garlic flavor. I definitely soaked it all up at the end with bread. If I didn't have bread, I may have considered drinking it!

Roasted Escargots in the Shell with Butter and Garlic Sauce

The escargot was served in the shell on a plate with butter and garlic. I can't remember the last time I had escargot in the shell, versus served in the pool of garlic and butter sauce that is standard at most restaurants. I hate to say it, I kind of prefer it without the shells, but  I did not dislike this dish. I love sauce, dips, and garlic, so the other way is more to my liking! The rest of my friends at the table did prefer it served this way with the shell, and liked that the snail was not overly covered in garlic sauce and that you could taste the snail's flavor more. I guess everyone has their preference!

Mussels Creoles (Appetizer Portion)

The mussels served Creoles style were amazing! These mussels had the most unique flavor of any mussels I have had, and were packed with flavor. The sauce tasted like a dream and had all senses of sweet, spicy, savory, and creamy. The sausage pieces that were served with the mussels were an extremely welcome surprise and were very plentiful. The appetizer portion was very large and my friend could not finish it all! She had to ask for a lot of help from me, which I gladly gave :)

Seared Filet Mignon Topped with Foie Gras (Pate Style), Shallots, Port, and Red Wine Truffles Sauce 

The Seared Filet Mignon topped with Foie Gras was by far my favorite dish at the table, and luckily was mine :) The foie gras was extremely creamy and rich and probably one of the best foie gras that I have had! The combination of the foie gras with the steak and the red wine truffle sauce was so divine and heavenly! I had never seen this type of combination before on a menu, and it was exceptional. On top of the foie gras sat a piece of black truffle, which was a nice surprise to this dish and made this dish a home run in every category! The only negative I could mention is that it was a tad bit overcooked, and could have been served a little more pink in the center, but otherwise exceptional!

Frenched Rack of Lamb with White Wine Rosemary and Truffle au Jus

The rack of lamb was cooked perfectly and very tender. The meat was seasoned perfectly and served over a white wine rosemary truffle sauce, which was nice and light and perfect for dipping! The portion of this dish was very good, and perhaps a great one to share around the table!

Cassoulet Toulouse's Style (Signature of the House) 
Cannellini Beans, Carrots, Tomato, Garlic Duck Confit, Slab Bacon and Pork Sausage all braised with Noble Duck Fat, White Stock and Foie Gras Jus

I only had one bite of the cassoulet, but from what I could tell, it was hearty and full of flavor. I loved the crunchy top coating, which kind of reminded me of macaroni and cheese in texture. The bacon and pork sausage were a nice addition to this dish and added so much savory delciousness! This is definitely a man's kind of meal (on a cold winter night) because of the size and heaviness, but definitely delicious!

Rabbit Stew with Wild Mushrooms, White Wine, Carrots, and Herbs

The rabbit stew I didn't taste, but at least here is a preview of what it looks like! All I know is that everyone who tasted it enjoyed it.

Side of Four Vegetables for the Table  (accompanies every dish)

We received two long plates of vegetables for the table to share, that accompany every dish. The assortment on these platters was nice and also healthy. There was one vegetable I am unsure of what it was, but it was tasty. The other vegetables were squash, green beans, and pureed carrot. I appreciated how these were displayed, almost as if it was a vegetable tasting menu!

Dark Lava Chocolate Cake and Homemade Coconut Sherbet 

Dessert in a French restaurant cannot be missed since the French definitely know their pastries and their chocolate! I had to order the Dark Lava chocolate cake because that is always my favorite dessert on every menu! This one was one of the best I have ever had because of its richness, airiness, and also its decadent fudgey center! The coconut sherbet that was served alongside this added some freshness to the plate since the rest of the dessert was warm and rich! The whipped cream side was amazing and light and was definitely made in house!

The gooey inside of the Dark Lava Cake...MMMM!!!

Tartelette aux Fraises
Short crust, fine pastry cream, fresh strawberries, whipped cream

The Tartelette aux fraises was more refreshing and sweet, but not my favorite kind of dessert since I tend to lean towards chocolate desserts. The crust was crunchy and soft all at once, with flavorful cream and tart strawberries on top of it. I know that everyone enjoyed this one.

Choux Chantilly
Choux puff pastry stuffed with home light vanilla whipped cream and sugar

The Choux Chantilly was delicious and super creamy, but not my type of dessert either. In my opinion, this dessert needed some type of chocolate element to it. But according to Chantilly lovers, this one was is one of the best! So not to be missed, if this is your thing.

Big Profiteroles
Puff Pastry with Ice cream, chocolate syrup, and hazelnuts

The Big Profiteroles were huge! This dessert was definitely a sharable one and reminded me of an ice cream sundae, but on crack! The puff pastry "sliders" that surrounded the ice cream were nice and soft, and soaked up the chocolate syrup that was extremely rich and plentiful. The hazelnuts added a nice crunch and saltiness to the dessert, and all in all was a great combo of sweet, rich, and refreshing!
I definitely would love to return to La Sirene, and just found out that they are participating in NYC French Restaurant week, which is coming up in a week from July 13-July 19th. I know I was just there, but I may return sooner than later!

In case anyone is interested in checking out the NYC French Restaurant week, here is a link:
http://www.opentable.com/s/promolist?metroId=8&promoid=616&ref=10558

I will be back soon for more blogging now that most of the wedding stuff is out of the way and I can get back to work!