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| - Scratch is an uncanny experience. Tucked away in a strip mall, next to a Subway, there sits a wonderful French pâtisserie. And recently, they've started serving dinner.
It may seem a rather absurd notion that you could find amazing French cooking in a strip mall next to a Subway, but Duc Liao has managed to deliver in spades. The fashion photographer met his fashion-model wife in Paris and they jetted out to be closer to her mother, chasing a dream to start their own bistro.
Charming story aside, the food is absolutely amazing. I started with a wonderful buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad served with mixed greens and a wonderful balsamic vinaigrette served on the side. The cheese was fresh and delicious and the presentation was spot-on.
I moved on to the brilliant stuffed chicken breast, with a wonderful mushroom and rosemary stuffing, with tarragon and other wonders, served in a delicious sauce with rice pilaf. Absolutely incredible.
My partners in crime had the french onion soup and the foie gras salad. The french onion was a monument to great soup, while the foie gras was simply an insane amount of foie gras served for $14. My $12 chicken and the girlfriend's $5.50 house red really kept things reasonable as well.
As we were the last diners in there on a Thursday night, Duc came out from the kitchen and introduced himself, asking how we were enjoying ourselves. We discussed the lamb that girlfriend was eating and he lit up when she mentioned that medium rare is the best way to go. He began discussing his specialty lamb dish, but said that it typically requires 2-3 people at least to enjoy. He then invited us to call him and plan an evening around it, saying he'd run out and grab the special ingredients necessary and set to the four hour cooking process early in the day for us if we gave him due warning.
Our other companion struck up a conversation on his own attempts with pastry and Duc walked him through some of the challenges and tips and tricks of the trade. The entire experience was absolutely incredible, and I can't wait to celebrate there very soon with our own special herb lamb offering, cooked up just for us by Duc, who absolutely insisted two or three times that we just give him a call and ask.
Our server Howard was also friendly and fast and helpful and knowledgeable; all good things for a waiter. The experience as a whole was already spot-on, but interacting with the co-owner/chef was a treat and a privilege and I can't wait to bring my other foodie friends back for more.
(Oh, and the dome chocolate hazelnut craziness that I had was incredible as well.)
Absolutely wonderful, and worth it in every way. Dress casual or dress up a bit, but don't expect any pretentiousness here. It's just amazing, simple, delicious food served by great people who clearly love their craft.
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