August

August Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: August moved from its West Village location to the Upper East Side where it morphed perfectly into the surrounding Bloomingdale’s shopping neighborhood. A bistro with the familiar look of its neighbors, August has open spaces, hard surfaces and closely arranged tables and booths which create a cacophony that will occasionally drown out the sweet and attentive service. (To minimize the noise, ask for a high-top table near the bar.)

Likes: Dishes are fresh and change seasonally, offering a solid if not exciting variety of bistro fare.
Dislikes: The noise can be downright painful with guests seated at tables with little space in between.

Food & Drinks: Dining creations range from the casual seasonal lobster roll, lushly dressed on a toasted brioche roll, to roasted organic chicken and braised short ribs, holdovers from the downtown outpost. Popular side dishes and appetizers have happily been brought uptown as well, notably the Brussels sprouts with sriracha honey and Marcona almonds, and the ideally charred Caesar salad. Cocktails are creative and there is a nice selection of wines by the glass. For dessert, the crème brûlée takes on a pleasing toffee-like cast and fruit dishes can include vanilla-roasted Mission figs topped with mascarpone cheese and hazelnuts.