Wednesday, July 29, 2015

No Menu Tuesdays

Quite a few Tuesdays back at this point, Sara and I dined at Coquette on Magazine Street for their "no menu Tuesdays". We knew we would have a five course meal, but were not told before the dishes were presented to us what they would be. This is not for picky eaters or people who like to be in control of every aspect of their lives. There has to be trust and faith that the folks in the kitchen know what they're doing! Being Bastille Day (French Revolution), our dinner was French themed! We did not opt to do the wine pairing that was offered.

I kicked off the meal with a flight of Four Roses Bourbon that came with a handy card describing the nuances of each batch. Yum! 

A two bite, moist, financier cake with brown butter, paired with pork rillette and olive praline.
I like rillette a lot. Hell, I like most meat in any form a lot. Delicious!

Next up was a slice of chicken galantine with Rainier cherry vinaigrette, arugula and balsamic.
A nice chilled poultry dish with both white and dark meat. Tasty!

An absolutely gorgeous ratatouille with garlic aioli and charred scallion dust was presented next.
This was awesome! Lots of squash and eggplant going on. Light but super flavorful. My first spin with ratatouille was great!

Blanquette de Veau (veal) with pearl onions, chanterelles and cream sauce came after the veggie course. 
Oh man. So tender. I am not sure that I have ever had veal before so this was a great first experience.

Soupe de Poisson (fish soup) consisting of amberjack and mussels with olive oil and garlic served and a side of crostini and Gruyere cheese.
Another first for me: mussels! Not bad. Not much to them. The fish was delicious, as was the broth they were served in. Gruyere is not my favorite.

Finally dessert...baba au rhum: a rum soaked bite of cake with a dollop of whipped cream. 
A lovely, sweet finish to our French meal!

And after the check, as a final finale, a bite sized Paris-brest filled with a Chantilly cream for each of us!

Man, that was a good meal. Everything was sooo flavorful. There were various styles: cool, creamy, tender, warm, etc. Everything came out with perfect timing, the staff was very knowledgeable of each plate and did a great job of explaining all of the components. My understanding is that Coquette will continue the "no menu Tuesday" concept for the foreseeable future. I would absolutely go back again!

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