Affaire is one of those transporting destination
restaurants where you find yourself walking down Avenue B in the East
Village and the next thing you know you're out through the looking glass
and in a bistro in Paris oozing with sex appeal. The menu is primarily
French bistro classics with a few updated takes on classics. Favorites
include their Mussels with frites, Steak Au Poivre, Frites with chevre
(goat cheese) sauce, and for something with a twist, "Buffalo" Frog
Legs.Lobster Risotto is high on the top of my list to try on my next
visit.
I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Affaire's affable Andrew Krauss and the sweet Sasha Cox (the entire staff was great). We had a good crew comprised of NearSay staff, bloggers, a sports photographer and a mixologist extraordinaire and had the pleasure of watching Affaire's Executive Chef Edgar Navarrete work his magic making mussels over the fire.It's always a pleasure watching a pro, be it an athlete, artist or chef in action doing their craft while making it look effortless. And watching him cook the mussels was a lot of fun, almost as much as eating them – almost. We were also sopping up the chevre cheese and pesto atop the frites.
Affaire has a nice, roomy L-shaped bar when you enter; it's well stocked with a nice selection of wines. Their specialty drink menu is geared towards the ladies (fruity, topped with Champagne etc) yet they equally make a nice solid classic stiff drink. If you're lucky, the lovely Nicole will be shaking and mixing them for you. The dining room has wooden tables, one very large lampshade and chandeliers to set the mood. To continue your evening Affaire has multiple subterranean lounges which if I had to pick one word to describe them would be sultry. They are done up with brick walls, dark wood, gold ceilings, banquettes, couches (a raised chaise that got all our imaginations going), and plenty of nooks and cranies for quiet conversation and if things go well some canoodling. Affaire is definitely a place to, at the very least, fall in love with, if not ending up falling head over heels with your date.
For you "cunning linguists" out there, the word affaire is often maligned as an illicit relationship of a sexual nature when in fact the actual definition of the word is "a matter to attend to, an event or happening" which comes from the Anglo-French a faire "to do"
To make the mussels, if I remember correctly, heat up some oil, add chopped shallots, then the mussels followed by chopped garlic (add in after the shallots and on top of the mussels so you do not burn the garlic), add white wine, a bit of butter (butchers thumb) salt, pepper and top with chopped parsley. Once the mussels start opening turn down the flame so they don't overcook. Add bacon, beer and some cream to make Grand Mere style or add cream and curry if that's your thing.
Affaire: 50 Ave. B, at E. 4th St.
I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Affaire's affable Andrew Krauss and the sweet Sasha Cox (the entire staff was great). We had a good crew comprised of NearSay staff, bloggers, a sports photographer and a mixologist extraordinaire and had the pleasure of watching Affaire's Executive Chef Edgar Navarrete work his magic making mussels over the fire.It's always a pleasure watching a pro, be it an athlete, artist or chef in action doing their craft while making it look effortless. And watching him cook the mussels was a lot of fun, almost as much as eating them – almost. We were also sopping up the chevre cheese and pesto atop the frites.
Affaire has a nice, roomy L-shaped bar when you enter; it's well stocked with a nice selection of wines. Their specialty drink menu is geared towards the ladies (fruity, topped with Champagne etc) yet they equally make a nice solid classic stiff drink. If you're lucky, the lovely Nicole will be shaking and mixing them for you. The dining room has wooden tables, one very large lampshade and chandeliers to set the mood. To continue your evening Affaire has multiple subterranean lounges which if I had to pick one word to describe them would be sultry. They are done up with brick walls, dark wood, gold ceilings, banquettes, couches (a raised chaise that got all our imaginations going), and plenty of nooks and cranies for quiet conversation and if things go well some canoodling. Affaire is definitely a place to, at the very least, fall in love with, if not ending up falling head over heels with your date.
For you "cunning linguists" out there, the word affaire is often maligned as an illicit relationship of a sexual nature when in fact the actual definition of the word is "a matter to attend to, an event or happening" which comes from the Anglo-French a faire "to do"
To make the mussels, if I remember correctly, heat up some oil, add chopped shallots, then the mussels followed by chopped garlic (add in after the shallots and on top of the mussels so you do not burn the garlic), add white wine, a bit of butter (butchers thumb) salt, pepper and top with chopped parsley. Once the mussels start opening turn down the flame so they don't overcook. Add bacon, beer and some cream to make Grand Mere style or add cream and curry if that's your thing.
Affaire: 50 Ave. B, at E. 4th St.
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