Butter + Brie, a French-American restaurant in Pleasantville NY
Look inside Butter and Brie, a new French-American restaurant in Pleasantville, with lohud food reporter Jeanne Muchnick. Tania Savayan/lohud
Pleasantville’s Restaurant Row has a new addition opening Nov. 12.
Butter + Brie, a French-American restaurant owned by Danielle and Henri Nasto, owners of Le Provencal in Mamaroneck, are the visionaries behind the new space, which took over where Crawdaddy’s Creole Kitchen had been.
And boy, does it look different.
A bright new décor
The main change, which past customers of both Crawdaddy’s and its previous incarnations Wheeler Prime and Bollywood Grill will notice, is the eight-seat bar. What had been a very small space up a step and hidden to the left corner of the restaurant, is now front and center — with a very light, bright décor featuring white cushioned stools and a white quartz bar.
The goal with the newly constructed area, along with a blue pattern on the floor and blue wainscotting under the bar, is to give visitors a “daycation” feeling, said Danielle, thanks to the Riviera blue accents.
Down the road she hopes to add two high-tops to a small space along the back right.
Also noticeable is the loss of the wall that previously separated the front hallway to the dining room. The restaurant now features an open floor plan complete with white walls, brass chandeliers, Belle Époque posters, lots of mirrors and new wood floors, tables, and white cushioned seats.
Creating a lighter ambiance inspired by the French Riviera was important to the veteran hospitality veterans because they want to make French American food more accessible. “I think people can be scared of French food sometimes,” said Danielle. “They have preconceived notions of what it means so we wanted to break it down, deconstruct it and make it simpler.”
What’s on the menu at Butter + Brie
With the moniker butter and brie, diners can expect brie on the menu — think a brie flatbread, a baked brie option and a dessert cheese platter with brie.
Other stand-outs include duck confit pappardelle, organic coq au vin, mussels “poulette,” with white wine, Provencal herbs, cream and lamb brochette. There’s also a “seared” side of the menu with hanger steak, prime New York strip, fish of the day and a burger. All come with a choice of sauces — French sauces are a mainstay — and include port wine, au poivre, garlic thyme, buerre blanc, and white wine lemon.
Soup, salads, and starters such as escargot bourguignonne, jumbo lump crab cake, salmon tartare, charcuterie and an onion tart are also highlighted as are sides like Belgian French fries, ratatouille, and garlic mashed potatoes.
Danielle hopes the approachable menu, coupled with a daily happy hour, will entice customers to visit. Already, with the brown paper off the restaurant’s exterior, they’ve been inundated with passers by peeking in. “We’re glad they’re so curious,” she said.
“We want to be their neighborhood place.”
If you go
Address: 68 Wheeler Ave., Pleasantville, 914-449-6240, butternbrie.com.
Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday as well as Sunday; to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch and brunch to come.
Good to know: There’s a daily happy hour, from from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Diners should also expect a ramped up non-alcoholic selection.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter
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