The idea was to make this a less ambitious and less expensive restaurant than Chef Spicer's five-star flagship, Bayona. In fact, it's only slightly less expensive, with entrees generally in the high teens at dinner. Those with long memories might get the idea, as I do, that in Herbsaint Susan may be trying to give rebirth to the first restaurant of her cheffing career. In the early 1980s, she was the chef of Savoir-Faire, a French bistro so far ahead of its time that its food and style would seem hip even now. The restaurant is named, of course, for the locally-produced absinthe substitute.
Herbsaint liqueur turns up in at least one dish in every course on the menu here.
The first is a bisque of tomatoes and shrimp. A good combination, shrimp and anise. The white beans are apparently filler. So few restaurants serve frog's legs these days that it's always nice to find them, especially in a version this good. They have quite a lot of that here, but it seems to be more about making a statement than satisfying a hunger.