INVESTIGATION

We were apartment hunting in the Cobble/Boerum Hill area last night and after we'd seen a spot, we linked up with Dan and Steve for some casual French fare on Smith Street. Robin Des Bois seemed like a casual, laid back spot, so we gave it a shot.

We started out at the bar with a nice bottle of organic sangiovese. It was pretty delicious and crazy cheap.

Once Dan and Steve got there, we settled into the table and got things going with a variety of appetizers (I'm only showing photos of this course ... they dimmed the lights and the entree shots were even worse than these).

Dan and Steve shared:
- maine crab cake (with chipotle remoulade)

Meena had:
- tuna tartare (with soy vinaigrette)

And Alec had:
- duck rillette (with spiced prunes and toasts)

The opening round was fairly solid. I really enjoyed my rillette (but come on, duck cooked in fat and turned into a spread with toasts? What's not to like about that?). Meena was feeling so so about her tartare. I think the boys enjoyed their crab cake.

The main courses were a little less successful. I mean, I should have known. The place is locally famous for having a great garden and nice beer. Fine dining isn't their thing. The food wasn't bad. It just wasn't amazing or anything.

Dan had:
- seared tuna with bok choy

Steve had:
- risotto of the day (asparagus)

Meena had:
- couscous royal (with chickpeas, raisins, root vegetables, chicken and merguez)

Alec kept it strictly TGIFridays with:
- steak sandwich (on a baguette with onions & chipotle mayo)

I also stole a little of this super hot paprika paste that Meena had for hers. It gave my sandwich a very nice kick.

I think everyone enjoyed the food, but like I said, not the best ever. The company and the atmosphere more than made up for the food's deficiencies, however.