Klee Brasserie is a bit of a misnomer - there is no brass anywhere in the restaurant and certainly no Klee in the kitchen. The chef is Austrian, as we were told by the over-attentive waiter, who in the same breath tried to talk us into an appetizer of lobster rolls before we had even decided on a drink. But if he is Austrian he knows how to hide it. The menu tries to please too many and therefore lacks focus. I settled for the ""chef's own sausage"", a German bratwurst on a bed of sauerkraut. I liked it. But I also used to like the same kind of sausage at ""Hallo Berlin"", for half the price. The food tastes good at Klee, as far as I can tell from one visit. But there are a lot of places in NYC where you can get good food plus an atmosphere that is beyond Design Within Reach. The complete lack of genuine atmosphere made me skip my beloved dessert wine. Speaking of which, the wine list in general features mostly over-priced mediocre wines plus the occasional high-end Bordeaux for show. Again, no focus. No brass, No Klee.
Pros: Cauliflower
Cons: Basically everything else
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