Batard it’s not just dining…it’s a dining experience.

Here’s the scoop. Birthday’s are monumental in my family.

After celebrating my daughter’s birthday for nearly one week, her actual birthday arrived last Tuesday. I marked it by reserving at Batard,  the hottest restaurant in New York City.

Batard is located in Tribeca in the former site of the 80’s groundbreaking Montrachet and most recently, Cortone.

The room has been tranformed from a sterile white dining area to warm and vibrant surroundings. Only the detail of the twirling vines in bas-relief on the walls remain and have been painted an embracing beige.

Our greeting was lovely and we arrived early as the birthday girl had 2 separate drink dates before celebrating her birthday with her parental units.

We hung at the bar with Candice, the charming, all knowing bartender and originator of the cocktail menu.

It turns out that the hositality world in Manhattan is very small. Candice had worked with our friend, Olivia, at Daniel Boulud for years. Olivia is now a manager at Dirty French.

I ordered a Doupia rose ($13) and my husband enjoyed a Sazerac cocktail ($13). Courtny ordered a Vieux-Carre ($16).

On second thought, I should have ordered one of Candice’s delightful and tasty cocktails which were both made with Rye Whisky and Peychaud’s bitters.

We were seated on time and our server Allissa, cordially greeted us and was a huge help in aidinng and abetting our monumental culinary decisions. She was poised yet relaxed.

I usually Just Say No to bread, but the Batard was warm, crispy and delectable and the butter sweet and truly melted in your mouth…it was irresistible.

Batard offers a fixed price menu consisting of 2 courses for $55, 3 for $65 and 4 for $75.

Our first course choices were a Chilled Corn Soup with scallops and lemon balm, Roasted Beets Linzer with caramelized hazelnuts, red currants and romaine hearts, Yellowfin Tuna with marinated radish, quinoa and bok choi, Tete De Cochon with aubergine, lemon and crispy shallots, Short Rib & Tafelspitz Terrine with smoked egg, german sesame and granny smith apple, Ocean Trout with cured cucumber, sour cream and clams, Canadian Lobster ($5 supplement) with carrot fondue and tarragon and the highly recommended Octopus Pastrami with braised ham hock, pommery mustard and new potatoes.

My husband I both selected the octopus pastrami. The texture was wonderful and it tasted just like pastrami. He ordered his meat free.

Courtny ordered the short ribs and the vegetables and combination of flavors  were amazing.

Our main courses were superb. I have never tasted veal prepared that way, wrapping the veal tenderloin in bread, tramezzini style, with a cube of sweetbread on the side. It was accompanied by trumpet mushrooms and sauce diable ($7 supplement). Chef Glocker knows how to make flavors sing.

The roasted monkfish was thick, firm, juicy. It was prepared with fennel seed pasta, meyer lemon and maitake jus…incredible.

Other selections were Duck Breast with persimmon, mushroom crepe and duck liver mousse, Roasted Rack of Lamb for two ($10 supplement) with crispy lamb bacon turnips and lemon, Pork Belly, paprika spiced onion ring, haricots verts and romeso, Atlantic Halibut with butternut squash, grilled lettuce, pumpkin seed vinaigrette, Pumpkin Agnotti, parmesan mousseline, pecan and peppercress and Black Olive Tortellini.

We ordered 1 cheese course from the trolley. All the cheeses were superb. 3 were domestic and 1 from France. 3 for $15, 4 for $18 and 5 for $21.

The dessert was brilliant. Cara Cara Orange, milk chocolate mousse with bourbon and thyme. Other choices were carmelized milk bread, black forest and warm fromage blanc.

Batard is part of the prestigious Myriad Restaurant Group which is helmed by Drew Nieporent.

Nieporent, one of America’s most respected and celebrated restaurateurs, is the founder and inspiration behind the Myriad Restaurant Group, which operates Tribeca Grill, Nobu NYC, Nobu Fifty Seven, Nobu London Nobu Next Door and Crush Wine & Spirits.

Chef Marcus Glocker has excelled in kitchens all over the world. From working at his uncle’s hotel in Austria, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, to becoming chef de cuisine at New York’s Gordon Ramsay at The London. Glocker’s skills have brought him to the forefront of the kitchen at Bâtard as head chef and partner.

Patrolling the dining room is managing partner, John Winterman. For the past 17 years, Winterman has worked in front-of-the-house positions for such notables as Charlie Trotter, Gary Danko and Daniel Boulud. Most recently he served as maître d’hôtel of restaurant Daniel. Along the way, he became a certified sommelier and an expert in artisanal cheeses.

Batard is a culinary gem, a foodies treasure trove. The food is elegant and divine. The atmosphere unpretentious and accommodating. The presentation perfection.

Next time you want to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, promotion, even good sex, book at Batard. It makes for a highly memorable experience.

 Batard 239 West Broadway, New York City. Open Monday-Saturday 5:3–10:30pm. Reservations on OpenTable. myriadrestaurantgroup.com/batard.php