| rev:text
| - This would be my first stop on this week's Restaurant Week. I ordered from the three-course prixe fixe menu for $29. Immediately after being seated, a non gratis champagne/vanilla cognac cocktail appeared in front of me within the blink of an eye. That, my friends, is how alcohol should be delivered. A minute or two later, water orders were taken (San Pellegrino: $7) and the amuse-bouche of chicken liver pâté and lightly toasted crusty bread arrived. The pâté was decently prepared, although not the best I've ever eaten. It was rather salty and lacked the liver taste I prefer. But I did taste an interesting wine flavor to it that was enjoyed.
Then came the famed popovers that some apparently would murder their own mother for. They were, again, good. Not great. And, once again, rather salty. The European-style butter that they served with it, however, was quite tasty. I made some gougères the other day that I preferred, though. Not to toot my own horns, so the saying goes, but I can make a gougère my bitch.
First course: kabocha squash soup with "crab relish, canella crouton, and chive creme fraiche". Unfortunately, a heavy-handed pour of the truffle oil masked the flavors of the crab relish for me. I tried a companion's soup, which had less truffle oil, and I can confirm that this is a great soup. Be careful, it's filling.
Second course: hanger steak (cooked rare) with "roasted fall mushrooms and truffled steak" and I chose the side of the fingerling potato boulangère. The steak was cooked perfectly with a seared outer crust. Unfortunately, the predominant flavor was of salt. While the hanger (or onglet) cut is a tough one, there are wonderful flavors to be had. Less salt and it would have been better. The mushrooms were forgettable, and while the potato boulangère was a solid choice, it didn't leave a lasting impression. The red-wine reduction steak sauce, however, was fantastic.
For dessert, I ordered the peanut butter mousse. I found it to be far too rich for my tastes, but it was still a decent finish to the meal.
Also, there was a French waiter who I adored. He had the curt, no-nonsense proficiency that I miss from Europe. Eye-contact? Superfluous pleasantries? Not necessary! Perfect timing between courses and aptitude.. yes. But for the fact of the salt issues (I've heard this can vary between nights), the fact that I was once without my noticing refilled with regular ice water (instead of my $7 San Pellegrino, I declare) and the fact that nothing "wowed" me, I'm going to have to give a reluctant 3.5 stars, rounded down. I will definitely go back again, but I'm in no hurry.
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