May 2005 Archive
It's not my birthday but it sure feels like it!May 30, 2005
It's not my birthday but it sure feels like it!
An amazing thing happened on Friday. A called French Laundry at 2:00 pm and secured a table for two for lunch on Sunday. Not only did he accomplish this incredible feat, but he did it in a record time of FIVE minutes!!! When he broke the news to me over email, I jumped out of my chair and danced gleefully around the lab. It elicited some strange looks from my coworkers but I didn't care because I was going to The French Laundry!
The French Laundry has all the physical trimming of a quaint, picturesque country cottage with a beautiful, relaxing garden. Arriving early for our reservation paid off and garnered us a table for two upstairs by a window overlooking this beautiful garden. Our extremely competent and knowledgeable head waitress, Marta, came by not long after we were seated to talk about the 4 menu selections available and to give some recommendations for wine selections. A and I pored over the menus and agreed to have the Celebration of Spring for me and the Chef's Menu for him giving us a total of 18 dishes to sample between the two of us.
The kitchen surprised us with two items not on the menu, to help whet our appetite. The first to appear were two "cheese puffs" served in a curved silver bowl. In our eagerness to consume these cute little treats, we forgot to take their picture! :P The "cheese puffs" were a cousin of the sweet cream puffs both made of pâte à choux. But instead of sweet dough, these cheese puffs were a perfectly flavored savory dough with salty Gruyère and roughly ground black pepper. We were particularly pleased to find the recipe for these little creations, which actually goes by the more dignified sounding name of Gruyère Cheese Gougères, on page 48 of the French Laundry cookbook.
The second canapé to arrive were the salmon cornets — salmon tartare with sweet red onion crème fraîche. The different components of this dish were so well melded together that no single ingredient stood out as the main player. No strong fishy smoked salmon flavor. No stinky onion, shallot, or chive breathe. A lovely dish to behold and even better to eat.
And now begins the Celebration of Spring.
Torchon de Foie de Lotte au Japon avec Les Oeufs de Saumon Marinèe et un Boullon de Radis Blanc
At this point, I wished I had taken French instead of German in high school. This dish is composed of monkfish liver served with salmon roe, marinated in something which I could not quite determine, and topped with shreds of radish.
Chilled Sacramento Delta Green Asparagus Soup, Grilled Holland White Asparagus and Pèrigord Truffle "Blinis"
The asparagus soup was wonderfully smooth and refreshing — a delightful showcase of the delicate flavor of asparagus. Though still delicious, I was a little disappointed to find the white asparagus tasted exactly like the green asparagus. I had previously relegated white asparagus to one of those exotic vegetables that we read or hear about but rarely see.
Brown Butter Roasted Fillet of Dover Sole "Sur l'Arête," Sautèed New Crop Potato "Mille-Feuille," Glazed Spring Onions and Spring Onion "Vinaigrette"
The dover was moist and flaky with a crisp nutty outer layer. By baking the potato, thinly sliced and reassembled in a tightly layered fashion, it resulted in a nice texture, much like that of a mille-feuille. :)
"Fricassée" of Maine Lobster Tail and "Mitt," Young English Peas, King Trumpet Mushrooms, English Pea "Purée," Garden Tarragon, Lobster "Glaçe" and Clear Butter
This delicious course in particular pointed out the difference made by using fresh ingredients. Of course the lobster was sweet and delightful but what made this dish so memorable were the fresh young english peas with the keyword being FRESH. Accustomed to the bland frozen peas from my local grocery store or even dehydrated wrinkly ones in Cup O' Noodles, I was very pleasantly surprised to find the peas so sweet and flavorful. I am inspired to track down some fresh peas from my local farmers' market and try my hand at cooking with fresh peas.
"Canard Parmentier" — "Confit" of Liberty Valley Duck Hash with Poached "Jidori" Hen Eggs and Maple Syrup "Gastrigue"
The first thing that caught my eye in this dish was the fist-sized poached egg. Being unfond of molten yolks, as is characteristic of poached eggs, I tasted only the duck and accompanying vegetables. The duck was cooked to just the right doneness, neither too chewy nor too dry. A, who enjoys soft-boiled eggs, said that the egg was just the right texture, and that the generously-sized creamy yolk went well with the duck.
"Dègustation" of Bellwether Farm Baby Spring Lamb, Jacobsen's Farm Green Garlic Hearts, Fava Beans, Pinenuts and Young Garden Mint
The amazing part of this course was the fact that there were five different preparations of lamb, highlighting the rich flavor of each cut. I do not quite remember which was what, but A assures me that it was some arrangment of neck, rib, shoulder, sausage, and saddle. Knowing that he was a fan of lamb, I traded him this dish for his main course. Judging by his speechlessness and abundance of drool, I inferred that every piece was delicious.
"St. Marcellin" — Sour Strawberry Relish, Young Cilantro Sprouts and Coriander "Syrup"
The tiny baby strawberries in a pool of pink sauce served in a small white bowl had me smitten at first sight. :) Not only were they cute and adorable, it went well with the soft, slightly nutty St. Marcellin.
"Honey Comb" — Wildflower Honey "Génoise," Mascarpone Sorbet, Honey "Gelée" and Napa Valley "Aigre-Doux"
My first dessert was definitely worthy of the name "Honey Comb". Even though everything was made from honey, there were still distinctly unique flavors and the combination of textures made the dish more interesting than I thought initially.
Tart of Spring Field Rhubarb, "Crème Fraîche" Ice Cream, Toasted Almond Streusel and Slow Poached Rhubarb
The only time I've seen rhubarb in a dessert, or in any dish for that matter, is with the classic strawberry-rhubarb pie, which tends to mask the flavor of rhubarb with the overwhelming flavor of strawberries. This tart of spring field rhubarb had me stunned. It was delicious! The tart came to the table still slightly warm, which paired well with the crème fraîche ice cream.
As if two desserts were not enough, we also had a plate of mignardises, which consisted of shortbread, passionfruit pâté, financier, dark chocolate tart, and lemon poppyseed tart.
A and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at The French Laundry. Every dish was well executed, with excellent pairings and fresh flavors. Although the flavors were graceful and soothing, I do wish they had more energy and enthusiasm. The service was impeccable. The wait-staff were polite, professional, and extremely knowledgable. Overall, we had a great meal.
To drool some more, read A's review of the Chef's Tasting Menu at The French Laundry.