Pascal & Sabine

Just a block off tony Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park is Pascal & Sabine, a European brasserie perfect for a classy brunch or (expense account) dinner. We recently popped in for our fifth visit, oddly always for brunch. Or perhaps not oddly, considering it’s a costly meal. Though somehow by the end, it always seems worth it.

The interior is painted matte black, with the artwork of Paolo Ventura adorning the walls. There are tall, cave-like banquettes that scream upscale luxury, plus tables in the back. There’s a tall, mirrored bar with a hammered aluminum top that is trés continental.

The front of the restaurant is a glass atrium with a tiny round corner bar, which is great if you’re sitting up front and want your Bloody Mary or Salty Meg (vodka and grapefruit juice) topped up. We once sat in the atrium during a holiday brunch and there was a three-piece band, which made it very jazz enjoyable. Also making mornings enjoyable is their $75 Sunday Brunch Cocktail Fountain for parties of 4-6; choose from unlimited Aperol Spritz, Espresso Martini, French Blonde, or Blood Orange Paloma. It’s your passport to day drinking.

This upscale French restaurant makes every meal seem like a continual excursion, with French pop streaming through the speakers. Today we were ushered to one of the comfy round high-walled banquettes facing the bar. Our waitress McKenzie brought our two Americano coffees with a tiny pitcher of cream and a container of raw sugar. 

We ordered from the brunch menu. The wife got her trusty brioche French toast (not really from France at all! Sacre bleu!) and I got the Madame Smith Burger, ground brisket with bacon-onion jam and Monterey Jack Cheese on a brioche bun with hand-cut fries. I added an egg for a $3 upcharge—because brunch. 

Other brunch options include waffles, omelet, quiche, baked ratatouille, duck confit benedict, Croque Monsieur, Tuna Niçoise Tartine, and a Petit Dejeuner Complet, basically eggs and bacon, sausage, or ham.

Their dinner menu features many of the same soup and salad items as brunch, including the French Onion Soup, oysters, escargots, mixed chicory, and chopped romaine salads. There’s a Small Plates section with tiger shrimp, steak tartare, duck liver mousse, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Brandade Croquettes, and a crab cake with Meyer lemon.

Dinner entrees include fish & chips, the burger two ways, tilefish, Moules Frites, or chestnut agnolotti for about $30. There’s pork chops, duck cassoulet, or Dover sole in the $50-60 range. And there’s a Dove Sole Meunière for a whopping $85. That’s a lot of clams for a piece of fish. For about the same amount, you can tuck into a New York Strip, boneless ribeye, or Wagyu Bavette. Or splurge on the $135 Porterhouse for two. Did I mention the sides are… on the side? As in not included. Things like that make the dinner menu a little daunting for everyday use, which is probably why we usually end up here at brunch.

We relaxed and people-watched while our brunch items were being prepared. The food arrived 15 minutes later, which in my view is the ideal amount of time that should pass before your meal comes to you. J’s French toast was two huge inch-thick slices of brioche dipped in custardy egg and served with maple syrup and a cinnamon-apple fruit compote.

My burger was perfectly cooked with cheese and shredded lettuce all blooming into the pillowy brioche bun. Their special sauce was a house made Dijon aioli, pairing perfectly with the thick-cut, golden-brown fries. The egg on top didn’t have the gooey yolk I wanted running down the sides, but that’s probably my fault for ordering it over hard instead of over medium. I wanted it somewhere between no goo at all and running down my hand onto my French cuffs, but I don’t think I communicated that wish fully. So, it was too hard.

Still, brunch was delicious, and over all too soon. We finished our coffees, paid our hefty bill, and hit the road. Unless you have a trust fund bankrolling your $26 bacon and egg breakfasts, pascal Sabin is probably too pricey to be your regular joint. But it’s a nice place for the occasional splurge, and a damn good ‘throw money at the problem’ fix if you can’t handle the daunting wait at the stellar Cardinal Provisions right down the street. A $60 brunch for two is sometimes okay. 

Not to be a snob, but it’s also nice after living in NYC for long to go to a restaurant that values service and quality. Sure, it costs, but the food and drinks are always perfection, and the waitstaff takes very good care of their customers. We’ve never been served subpar items, or left waiting for drinks or the check. Everything is 100% on point. Service matters.

After almost a half dozen flawless, successful brunches at Pascal Sabin, including a large party that was well accommodated during last year’s AP Porchfest, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. We’ll even come for dinner. 

Pascal & Sabine
601 Bangs Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
732-774-3395
https://www.pascalandsabine.com/

Monday-Thursday 5-10 p.m.
Friday- Saturday 3 p.m.-12a.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Save a Few Clams

In addition to a weeknight Happy Hour with slightly discounted beverages and $3 oysters, you can snag a Burger and frites with Smith Sauce for $25 on Monday night. Join Herbie on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. for three petite cocktail pours with snacks for $45. Enjoy their Midweek Cellar Sessions, three wine tastings at the Round Bar on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Or forego dinner and show up between 3-6 pm on Saturdays for their Apero Hour, where you can enjoy bites and bubble specials while a DJ spins tunes.