We had everything on the menu except for the salad. Starters were better than the mains. The Tuna Tar Tarduck liver pate was excellent particularly on the house brioche – dense yet light. The house bread basket was also a hit with the ultra soft and fragrant honey bread and the savory foccacia. Also enjoyed the smoked trout latke – good balance of flavors and textures. Difficult to go wrong with the maple glazed pork belly and perfectly poached egg, though I think the proportion of belly to egg was a bit off — needed more pork belly.
The only appetizer that didn’t strike my fancy, was the white bean with asparagus soup. It was just little too heavy creamy muting any asparagus flavor.
Out of the entrees, I liked the halibut the best, well cooked flavorful, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, nicely seasoned sauce that paired well with the fish. I also enjoyed the black soy glazed sea bass w/ foie gras, full of umami flavor but the delicious glaze somewhat of overpowered the foie gras and the fish — though I’d still get this one again. Two dishes that were less impressive were the duck, which had a very strong punch of orange zest that overpowered the other flavors. The farro risotto was fine, nutty and had good texture, but I didn’t like the sweetness of the sauce.
XXX Chocolate Cake was excellent.
Apple crisp with cheese ice cream – o.k though the texture of the crumble on top was a bit dry and not actually crispy.
Overall its a nice neighborhood restaurant. There were some good appetizers, and all the baked goods and pastries were very good. I’d be interested in returning to check out the bakery.
