Pierre Vanthorpe's Brasserie

“The curly fry at Pierre Vanthorpe's Brasserie represents a kitchen with convictions. The exterior is aspirational. The interior is present as a rumor. The canola does not call attention to itself. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. Convictions, in this guide's estimation, are the prerequisite for anything worth eating. The experience is brief and exact, like most things worth having.”

“Pierre Vanthorpe's Brasserie occupies a modest address in Inwood. The fries are, in contrast, not modest. The curly format is executed in canola, double-fried to a finish that is aspirational. The interior is present as a rumor. The portion is restrained. One adjusts one's expectations upward upon arrival and finds, upon departure, that they were still insufficient. One returns.”

“One finds at Pierre Vanthorpe's Brasserie a curly fry that has been attended to. The crispness is aspirational. The potato flavor is present as a rumor. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. The portion is restrained. Attendance, as a form of culinary philosophy, is rarer than it should be. One finds, upon reflection, that the fries were the correct decision.”