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Plouf
By Kari Keys
What really gets you is the atmosphere. I acknowledge that strolling through the financial district on a Saturday night leaves something to be desired in terms of romance, but the contrast is part of the allure when the walk leads you to Plouf, located in an alley nestled between Bush and Pine where, magically, the cold and polished indifference of the financial district gives way to the warmth, vibrancy, and charm of a European night.
Tiny lights hang above a small sea of friends, dates, and families drawn together around intimate tables that spill out from a string of small restaurants literally filling the entire street. Waiters with beautiful accents move between tables with an unassuming grace that makes the sugary-sweet-happy-birthday-singing-waitresses of TGIFriday's seem from another planet.
As we walked in, a waiter brushed past us carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and ten full-sized wine glasses in the other. Any restaurant that has waiters who know how to carry 10 glasses in one hand is worth checking out.
Even on a Saturday night, we were seated almost immediately, which was a pleasant surprise in a city with popular restaurant waits that can run in excess of two hours (Cha Cha Cha's for example -- although I will argue that the wait is part of the fun and well worth it). And, although we were young and not the wealthiest of their clientele, we were treated to the same fantastic service.
The ambience is what makes the place, but the food is no let down either. No matter what you do, order a bowl of the mussels first (unless you hate them and then you probably should wait for a review of a place that specializes in something you actually like to eat). There are at least a dozen variations of mussels: from the garlic, wine, and parsley standard to the Thai-inspired coconut curry that we ordered and promptly devoured out of its pure deliciousness.
For dinner we had the haricot vert salad with figs, walnuts, and roquefort vinegrette and, sticking with the seafood theme, ordered the arctic char (similar to salmon) on Moroccan couscous with braised spinach. Both were delicious, although not necessarily memorable. The prices are what one would expect in the financial district; at about $12-$15 per entree, it is a place to go to celebrate or to treat someone you love.
In the end it was the mussels that shined, and it would be no crime to go and simply order a couple varieties and a bottle of wine. In fact, I have a feeling that is what I'll be doing the next time I get a reason to celebrate.
Plouf is located at 41 Belden Place between Bush and Pine, just past Kearny.
Kari Keys is a second-year medical student.
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