Goodbye Double Crown, Hello Saxon + Parole

Saxon + Parole

Last night, I had the pleasure of dining at the new restaurant on Bowery, Saxon + Parole. Part of AvroKO who also own Public, The Monday Room & Madame Geneva, Saxon + Parole took over the old Double Crown spot on the corner of Bowery and Bleeker. I was a fan of Double Crown, although with a Southeast Asian/Indian/English fusion menu, is was not an easy sell. So the folks at AvroKO decided to completely revamp the space, all within the month of September, transforming a dimly lit space that was reminiscint of the old world British Empire to a bright and modern venue. There is a large bar, a smaller more intimate room with white tablecloths (seemed a bit more formal) and a space in the back, under an archway lit by candles on the walls (I think..). We sat in a booth that was sort of in the main space. You know, with the cool kids.

The Old Double Crown- sniif, sniff

The cuisine is described as "American Grill" with an assortment of seafood and meats. Maybe not the place to go if you are a vegetarian (although I did see a couple of choices) but if you like fresh and clean flavors then there are alot of options to choose from. We started with a Mini Seafood Tower that consisted of mussels (with a sort of smokey flavor-very original!) oysters (yum) and couple of giant shrimp. Really refreshing and light.



Asparagus Appetizer


For appetizers, I had the Salmon Tartare and my friend had the Asparagus. The tartare was cut into cubes, rather than the typical thin slices, so it was heartier, and paired with flavors from capers, quail egg, and capers. Really good and different. The asparagus was topped with a poached egg, pancetta and hollaindaise sauce. It had a truffley flavor to it and my friend devoured it happily. She actually squealed with delight when she realized that pancetta is bacon! The server also brought over an assortment of rolls with a foie gras butter (holy smokes!) and a whipped butter. Both were light, fluffy with the flavors well thought out.

El Porkchop

For our entrees, my friend had the filet mignon and I had the porkchop. Hers was a thick chunk of meat with a pair of perfect looking tomatos and a sauce served in a hollowed bone. Looked cool and tasted great. Mine was a giantly delicious chop on the bone, with pureed apples on top, and small multi-colored potatos surrounding it. I won!

We were filled to the gills when we were brought dessert. Homemade doughnuts with a chocolate sauce and a chocolate soufflee with whiskey ice cream. We were too full to eat much, but what we did eat of it was crazy good.

All the while, the server and sommelier paired the dishes with wines that complimented the flavors exceptionally well. Prosecco with the seafood tower, then a bubbly rose for the appetizers. When our main courses came, my friend chose a red wine and I a chardonnay. With our desserts we had a moscato d'asti (another squeal from my friend) as well as another dessert wine that I can't recall- hiccup! I was actually quite pleased that I was given all white wines, as I don't really get along well with reds (don't tell the French!)

The server was informative and friendly (I asked for assistance in choosing certain dishes and he steered me in the right direction), the atmosphere hip but unpretentious and the food was all really impressive. Even though we were full, we didn't feel guilty since all of the flavors were so fresh.

We stumbled out of Saxon + Parole with full bellies and big smiles. All in all, a great experience!