Brasserie 8 1/2

Brasserie 8 ½ is a stylish French restaurant just steps from Fifth Avenue on 57th Street. Chef Franck Deletrain deftly upgrades dishes from the brasserie repertoire, offering sophisticated French cuisine amidst original artwork by Léger, Matisse and others favored by the Louvre. Guests enter by way of a grand, sweeping, spiral staircase and dine on white tablecloths in plush dining rooms....

An attached dessert bar, called After 8.5, is open Tue-Sat from 8:30pm until closing, and serves sweets to be shared, cocktails, dessert wines, ports, champagnes, coffees and teas.

On Sundays the lounge converts to an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet equipped with carving and crepe stations, accompanied by live jazz band---all for a mere $27 per person.

Food22 Decor23 Service22 Cost$65

Zagat calculates ratings on a 30-point scale based on periodic consumer surveys

* 26 - 30

* Extraordinary to Perfection

* 21 - 25

* Very Good to Excellent

* 16 - 20

* Good to Very Good

* 11 - 15

* Fair to Good

* 0 - 10

* Poor to Fair

Make an “entrance” down a “sweeping stairway” at this subterranean Midtown brasserie that provides...

On what has become a boulevard of chain stores and theme restaurants, Brasserie 8 1/2 offers ambitious food and a grown-up setting. Though the name conjures images of Felliniesque dreamscapes, it is an allusion to the restaurant's location, slightly below street level in the famous 9 Building. The design --- of special note is the glass Leger mural covering one wall and velvet on other walls...

A midtown favorite, although setting trumps food. Léger stained-glass mural looms overhead while you inhale abundant poached-lobster salad. Delicious underage eats like grilled baby octopus and roasted baby pig. Always a major scene, Fellini references are no accident. Try retreating to dual downstairs lounges for a break.

In Short
A sweeping spiral staircase allows everyone to make a grand entrance at this subterranean spot. The space is blessed with two bars--one near the lounge rotunda filled with low...

French Restaurant NYC