In the growing Easton restaurant scene, Brasserie Brightwell is a French-style cafe with a relaxed, upscale setting serving an extensive array of small plates and Franco-American dishes. In keeping with one definition of “brasserie,” which is a brewery, Brendan Keegan, executive chef and co-owner, has stocked the bar with world-renown beers and wines.
Bottom line, we loved Brightwell. We’ve got some issues, which we’ll get into in a moment, but it makes a great addition to the downtown scene.
The upside is a four-star-level casual dining experience on the Eastern Shore, which is hard to find these days. We were warmly greeted and offered seating inside or on a large outdoor patio with umbrella shaded tables. The interior was bright and charming, especially considering it had formerly been a garage. A good sign for a dining experience.
Our first course included a spectacular duck confit, falling off the bone and served atop a white bean puree. The House Cured Salmon was lackluster leaving an unsavory aftertaste even though it was served on a wonderful bed of tender micro greens. A true winner was the steak tartare with homemade waffle chips deliciously seasoned with a subtle hint of tarragon.
Main courses included mussels and frites, perfectly steamed in a rich wine broth that begged to be mopped up with a crusty baguette of French bread. However, imagine our disappointment when a basket of cold, white, doughy bread arrived. Another classic selection was the steak and frites, which was cooked to perfection. The limp frites, however, were not at all in keeping with the French method, which requires cooking twice in 325 degree oil for a perfect crispy finish. Braised veal cheeks were served in a rich veal reduction with potatoes and definitely were worth experiencing.
For those wishing for dessert, there were several temptations from which to choose, including crème brule and chocolate mousse, in keeping with the French tradition.
So, that’s the good news. The bad news, which is one of the cardinal sins of French dining, is the pathetic bread. Instead of the much anticipated baguette with a proper amount of unsalted butter, we get some spongy “Wonder Bread” that could just as easily been used in an Ethiopian restaurant to soak up the curry. For those who understand the love of arriving at your bistro of choice knowing that a delightful glass of authentic chablis and warm bread are just moments away, it’s a big bummer. With local bakeries, such as Against the Grain, there is no excuse. We hope they change their wicked ways on the bread front.
The other challenge is service. We lacked some basic elements of this when we were there, but, as many of Talbot County’s fine diners know, the service crisis is quite real in small towns and was evident at Brightwell. We had a lovely but terribly shy server who sadly could have been equally as helpful at a nearby Denny’s. In typical Easton fashion, we saw the table next to us get excellent care. So it goes.
Brasserie Brightwell is located at 206 N. Harrison Street, Easton, Md. (410-819-3838) and features live music on Saturday nights and occasionally on Friday evenings. A valiant effort has been made in creating a true French brasserie. We’ll be back.
Rating – 3.5 out of 5*
* 4.0 out of 5 if the bread thing gets worked out.
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