Bon Anniversaire: La Panetière

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Opened in 1985 by Jacques Loupiac, La Panetière is celebrating its 31^st Anniversary this year. The French restaurant has been serving Rye, New York, from a handsome house built in the 1800’s for thirty-one years, and their reputation for modern French cuisine remains stalwart.

 Entering La Panetière is like arriving at a retreat in Provence, complete with foliage clinging to the face of the 19^th century home, the charming colorful Provençal décor filled with folklore, and a delicious twist on classic French cuisine. The restaurant is intimate and romantic, cozy like a lovely cottage; however, the food is refined and elegant while the team is knowledgeable about the dishes and wine. There is a focus on the highest quality seasonal ingredients and authenticity inspired by the southeastern region of France.

To commemorate the anniversary, Loupiac and his team put together a veritable birthday party including a special six-course prix fixe dinner with a wine pairing option and an accordionist playing tableside. La Panetière regularly offers both a lunch and dinner prix fixe, but this menu was especially created and presented between August 2^nd and 4^th to celebrate its anniversary.

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The first course comprised of a ring of thinly sliced scallops dancing around a bite of briny sturgeon caviar in a pleasant pool of bittersweet grapefruit aspic. Fresh tomatoes and cleansing celery dotted the scallop carpaccio completing the fresh and clean flavors.

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A petit Hudson Valley foie gras flan was the second course of the special anniversary menu. It was both savory and creamy, complex without pretension. The flan was light as air grounded in earthy simmered mushrooms.

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The sizzling casserole of Maine lobster achieved a lovely balance, with raw almonds adding crunch and bite to the buttery succulence of the lobster tail peeled from its shell at the table. The green beans remained fresh and lively, bringing even more brightness to the aromatic third course.

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Veal filet mignon medallions rounded off the savory courses combining fragrances and malleable textures. The meat was tender and buttery, the curry was like a soft hum, and the vegetables were soft but not lost in the hearty quinoa.

The fifth course, a sweet course, piled summer fresh cherries in Greek Yogurt with a tingling mimosa jelly and Kirshwasser cappuccino. The summery dessert was refreshing, light, and not too sweet, but it was also decadent and layered with unexpected flavors.  

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To end, a caranoix cake, a mix of pecan nougat and caramel with nutella mousse, appealed to luxury. The expertly layered chocolaty dessert was decadent but not too heavy or overwhelming despite a variety of textures.

La Panetière offers an escape to the south of France in the middle of Rye using delectable food, superb service, and a warm atmosphere, all reminiscent of Provence. Here’s to more years of excellence! Joyeux Anniversaire!

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8.16.16

passport to PARIS: Verjus

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Indulgence can be overrated, and in fact, moderately pretentious, demolishing modesty and humility. Luxury can be over-drawn, where extravagant elements intertwine disharmoniously.

This, however, is not Verjus. The Parisian restaurant is unassuming with light rushing in like a sunroom off of a kitchen. Technique, ingredients and assembly speak to indulgence minus the bad connotations. The warmth of the orange-pink evening light is reflected in the atmosphere— the staff, the pacing, even the familiar foods refined to elegance.

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RER 7.27.15

Each amuse bouche was constructed to be savored and ephemeral, catering to both texture and flavor. The crispy chicken skin swathed with creamy meaty chicken liver or the crunchy sourdough crostini topped with fera and popping orbs of pickled mustard are prime examples. The four bites melted in the mouth, leaving the residue of freshness and a quiet innovation.

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Some of the courses were confusing in a mysterious and magical way, in that they almost combined the unimaginable. The way different varieties and stages of tomatoes played together with the green purslane and the house-made toasted fresh milk cheese, dusted with a powder of dehydrated tomato, evoked the feelings of salad, unconnected but willing to converge. Two silvery sardines topped with tiny cubes of summery zucchini and new potato effortlessly brought together the briny with the mild, embellished with herbal dill and scientific dehydrated egg yolk.

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RER 7.27.15

Others looked familiar but guaranteed an inexplicable flourish of decadence. Plump yellow cappelletti nestled with nutty chanterelles evoked memories, but middles made of studded ricotta and cervelle created new ones.  A polite pile of sirloin tartare exuded fineness, but the crisp nature and bite of the cucumbers and beans toned down the decadence while elevating the appeal to the tongue.

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Dessert, too, only looked disjointed and unprepared: common oat moments and fresh peaches and pretty wild blueberries, spun into dreams with a sweet and creamy white chocolate mousse.

The insightful courses compounded expectations and anticipation with surprise and whimsy, manifestations of profound flavor profiles, thoughtful layered texture and attentive aesthetics. Verjus presented a deep knowledge of the complexities and simplicities of food and experience, resulting in more than just a meal.

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7.27.15

RER 7.27.15

RISKY business: Almond

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Dining out is always a risk. You never know what is going to happen or what you’re going to get…Or how long you’re going to have to wait.

Almond is beautiful. There is no way of telling from the front that the restaurant is that expansive and varied in feelings and décor.  We walked all the way from the cozy front, lined with windows, to the very back, next to a billiards room and an area that evoked a library. We passed a skinny bar, a mish of subway tiles and a variety of textures. It was lovely, as lovely as I wished it to be.

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Part of it was our fault, perhaps. The four of us sat at the table and studied the wine menu. We could not decide on wine. Picking appetizers and entrees was a breeze, but choosing a bottle of wine was proving impossible. As logical dining guests we asked the server for a little assistance. He was less than helpful; in fact, he practically walked away in the middle of our inquiries. Like, poof.

Finally, after much deliberation and a little eenie-meany-miney-mo, we chose our wine. We received our wine, were given a taste, and were poured glasses before our server was prepared to take our orders. He forgot a pen. He seemed to be very distracted and spread thin. Every time he walked away, we feared he wouldn’t come back, so when we ordered with a rush, hoping not to lose him.

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The appetizers came to the table— pretty and just large enough to share. The smoked bluefish served with a giant potato pancake and creamy yogurt sauce, was salty with a barrage of textures from the chewy smoked fish to the crunchy pancake and silky sauce. Cheese Fries Quebecoise was a messy slew of French fries, topped with globby cheese curd, brown gravy, and thick fat bacon. It was addicting and briny, but not amazing.

And then we waited. We waited a long time. Our bottle’s contents vanished and eventually our glasses emptied, and the dishes from our starters were swept away ages ago. The volume fluctuated as other tables quieted while chewing on their entrees or roared as drinks appeared, but we maintained skeptical chatter, waiting.

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Finally, after a solid 40 minutes had passed, our gorgeous entrees arrived. Each looked like spring danced on the plant, bringing pastel hues, fresh scents and floral accents.

The almost tender wine-soaked short rib was dark, but lightened by more pink bacon, a scant number of chewy soft gnocchi and a bed of greens, wilted with the heat of the meat. Eight ravioli plump with grainy fava beans and mealy cheese circled each other in the shallow bowl, playing keep away with the discordant mint sauce.

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Thursday’s shrimp scampi special was a riot of colors—peachy pink meaty shrimp, green and eggplant floral garnish, bright read grape tomatoes and the warm yellow of yolky pasta—with a lightness that was refreshing and mildly satiating. The delicate crab and uni butter pasta emitted a hum of nonchalant flavors except the occasional prick of chili flakes and the crunch of pretty white flowers, but little else.

Despite the stunning presentation of each dish, the luxury of the ingredients and the ove zealous use of edible flowers, the food was a let down. Flavors did not always add up and the portions weren’t worth for the price.

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And the wait for our food and service even was unacceptable. Unfortunately, I do not remember much other than waiting and being disappointed. I wanted to love Almond with its sexy menu, beautiful venue and my high expectations… but like I said, dining out is always a risk.

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4.15.15

DEJEUNER: L'Express

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The winter sun was shining and it was time for a lovely late lunch for a desperately needed catch-up and escape. We traveled across Park Avenue South and found ourselves in L’Express, a sweet little bistro that felt as if it was on an anonymous Parisian side street. The tables and chairs, the mirrors the colors, the tile, the menu, the everything… so French, so perfect for the midday rendez-vous.

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The house duck pâté appetizer came with country toast, a spicy mound of mustard, tart and tangy cornichons, briny black olives, fresh tomato swirls, and soggy dressed lettuce. The extremely large triangles of pâté were mildly intimidating, a generous portion of luscious decadence. Each accoutrement gave the silky, fatty pâté a unique flavor, making different elements shine while cutting the heaviness.

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Pretty onion soup garnished with a little green garnish was perfect to warm insides and make smiles. T he crouton dissolved in the small bowl, but the thick hot cheese stretched adding chew to the smooth broth that was studded with slinky onions.

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A gorgeous shallow bowl held more pumpkin ravioli than predicted with a light broth and sage. Each pocket was pleasantly plump and bursting with fresh feelings of fall. The filling was seriously pumpkin, with all those flavors of the season— spicy, sweet things. The herbal sage brought out the earthiness of the pumpkin and added distance between the filling and pumpkin pie.

The steak frites rounded out the bistro experience. Char and grill marks drastically contrasted the warm pink meat longing for salt. A tiny dressed salad brightened the heavy meat and perfectly soggy fries, balance.  

Despite its name and its hours, a lunch at L’Express could be leisurely. It was soulful and buttery, indulgent in a way that is almost effortless and quotidian—déjeuner.

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1.2.15

RER 1.2.15

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HudsonRW: Bistro La Source

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Bistro La Source is a sweet little eatery on a corner in the Paulus Hook neighborhood, that transports its diners to Europe. The bistro is part of a small dining district boasting some of Jersey City’s other favorite dining establishments. The small restaurant has a little front bar lined with mirrors, recalling the French bistros of Paris, and dotted with fairy lights like the glittering of the Tour Eiffel.

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The restaurant participated in Super Week to finish up Hudson Restaurant Week, with a three-course prix fixe at $25 and wine pairings for an additional $16. The atmosphere friendly, the food delicious, and the price amazing—it was the perfect end HudsonRW.

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RER 1.31.14

The small table had a simplicity that emanated an elegance that rests on the tip of the tongue. The little water glasses just big enough to hold three sips and the rustic bread and cool butter felt like laissez-faire. The dishes were just as effortless and delicious.

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RER 1.31.14

The escargot and chicken liver and foie gras mousse were casual but foreign at the same time. The textures and smells entice— buttery, luxurious, exotic and rich. The escargot were garlicky orbs, tender and hot, and chewy. The mousse, paired with a robust Bordeaux, was fluffy and decadent, perfect on the toasty baguette with the sweet tangy pickled onion and the grainy fig mustardo. It was meaty, heavy and light like a guilty pleasure. Even the thin broth laced with white wine, butter, and garlic, from the moules was flavorful and satiating. Appetizer portions were just enough to capture all the layers completely.

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RER 1.31.14

Pretty butternut squash agnolotti, paired with a sweet and wet Moscato, lined the long plate in a single row, each delicately overlapping its neighbor. The pool of beurre noisette was heavy with the warm flavors of sage and earthy grana padano cheese, but missing salt. Inside was a thick creamy light orange filling, close to a creamy sauce, with the faint color of butternut squash. However, the winter squash’s flavor was missing from the dish, but its sweetness swam in and out.

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The Alsatian Choucroute Garnie entrée was a very different kind of dish, demonstrating a German heaviness and lacking the graceful refinement. The plate was laden with smoked bratwurst, pork loin bacon, and knockwurst, with potatoes, carrots and Reisling braised kraut. Each meat was salty and savory, but also merged perfectly with the tangy sweet kraut. This dish was weighty and round, with various textures and subtle flavor profiles.

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Dessert was contained, simple and classic. The crème caramel had a slick texture but the custard tasted too eggy, interrupting the burned sugar caramel flavor. The apples in the Jersey apple crumble were not sweet, but soft and a little tart, and the cinnamon gelato smoothed. The chocolate mousse had rum inflections, but was dense, chocolaty with a few white chocolate disks and a dose of heavy whipped cream.

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RER 1.31.14

The food was absolutely delicious and the atmosphere was inviting.  The menu items are constructed with care and high quality ingredients, while the service is direct and courteous. Bistro La Source is a little treat, a small gem creating comforting food that takes you away without going too far.

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1.31.14

RER 1.31.14