Last night I had dinner at The Breslin, the new restaurant in the Ace Hotel, that comes to us from the team behind The Spotted Pig: Ken Friedman and Chef April Bloomfield.

The Spotted Pig is a great "gastropub" in NYC, where I go to grab a drink and a bite often, including April's famous burger with Roquefort cheese and shoestring fries. I had heard they were serving up a great lamb burger at The Breslin, and I knew I had to try it.

The space is cool and hip, with much more room than the "Pig." There is a nice bar up front, with seats along the windows, as well as two small islands that seat around six to eight people each. The dining room is a nice space with an open kitchen in the back. I heard they are opening up a second floor in the weeks to come, as well.

I took my seat at one of the islands and started with a bar snack of pork scratchings ($5). They came in a plastic bag with the date they were made (the same date I was there); cute and tasty-- the perfect bar snack.

Then came the lamb burger ($17) with a French goat feta cheese and onions on a sourdough bun from Balthazar Bakery. The burger was great. It was extremely juicy and perfectly cooked. Part of me craved condiments, but the other part realized the burger was perfect as it was, with the lamb flavor and the French feta perfect complements with one another. Also with the burger came some fabulous thrice cooked chips (french fries) and a cumin mayo, that were delicious!

Of course, since I am on a diet, I talked myself into getting the sticky toffee bread pudding ($9) with Turkish coffee, pear, caramel popcorn, and vanilla bean ice cream. I thought the addition of the Turkish coffee was an ingenious idea that made this a splendid dessert!

The Breslin is definitely a cool place to have a drink and a great bite of some British inspired fare. I think it will definitely be a hot spot for a while. With Stumptown Coffee next door, and of course, the Ace Hotel, this corner of 29th and Broadway is truly bringing "hip" up to the Midtown area!

The Breslin
20 W. 29th St. (bet. 5th and Broadway)
New York, NY 10001
212-679-1939