I wish I had photos to share, but by the time I realized I needed photos, I had eaten everything on my plate. Gaslight Brasserie is exactly that awesome.
In the South End, Gaslight is the Aquitaine Group’s “neighborhood Parisian brasserie” aka upscale French dining. It’s moderately priced and has a great old-meets-new vibe. A girlfriend came to Boston for a visit and suggested having brunch, and if I have never mentioned this before, brunch is my favorite meal - leaning more towards the breakfast side. One of my friends has always raved about Gaslight’s brunch offerings, but I have always been hesitant to go because of its popularity, which naturally means long lines.
I finally decided to suck it up and met my friend there. The wait wasn’t too long because we were still early (the restaurant opens at 10AM), and I was happy to find that they have a first-come-first-serve bar that has full menu service.
Some people have claimed that Gaslight serves the best coffee in Boston, and though I cannot confirm that, I definitely agree that the mocha I ordered was perfect - foamy milk, chocolaty smoothness, and the right amount of espresso. Service was also great - I originally ordered a coffee, but changed my mind, and before I could say something, the waitress brought over a coffee, then nicely changed it to a mocha for me.
The food was phenomenal. My girlfriend and I split a croque madame and a vanilla french toast stuffed with sweet fromage blanc and maple syrup. Gaslight can make a mean (and fancy) ham and cheese sandwich! The ham was sliced deli thin, and the bechamel sauce added great flavor. Although I didn’t eat the part with the egg on the croque madame, I bet it really tied the sandwich together. As for the french toast, I will never make french toast the same again! The fromage blanc (also known as fromage frais) was injected into the middle of the toast, and it was such a pleasant surprise! The toast was also topped with a vanilla bean sauce, which made the toast even sweeter and richer. Topped with maple syrup? It was the best…
The estimated wait time for brunch was 45 minutes, so I can’t imagine dinner without a reservation, but I will definitely make my way back. Gaslight has now won a special place in my heart, and may be competing with Lineage for favorite Boston restaurant.