The first time I came to Loulay, I forgot my camera. Well, in an effort to make up for it, I brought my camera to my birthday celebration with the black knight. Sadly, I did a less than steller job with the pictures, but they are still drool-worthy!
The black knight as I mentioned before, always tries the tasting menu when it’s available, and of course tonight was no exception. I had my eye on a few dishes that I didn’t get to try last time and ordered a smattering of appetizers, which I believe, are the most fun part of the meal.
beet salad – sweet and varied in texture, quite the site to behold with all the jewel tones
cardamon panna cotta – with pomogranate foam; the thought of the combination is not something I could pass up, though it’s rather autumn-ish in theme than spring; panne cotta tasted like it was made of goat milk and a little dallop of the pomagrante foam went a long way due to the tartness. It helped take the edge off the the panna with an even bolder edge. 🙂 Vavavoom!
pear tarte – with spun sugar and buttermilk ice cream on top, quite the presentation and a nice way to finish off the meal. 🙂
charcuterie plate – my entree, rabbit rillettes, pork pate, and foie gras torchon; that’s two foie in one night and quite delicious! the mustard had a lovely zing that cut some of the richness of the pate and the rabbit rillettes were a lot lighter than your traditional duck or pork.
braised beef, served with a bone marrow demi glace, this was so tender it fell apart the moment it touched the fork. Loved it!
scallops – extremely tender, with the pairing brining out the natural flavor of the scallops against the nice crunch of cauliflower and carrots
foie gras – so I had this the last time I was here, but I can’t pass up a foie gras. Plus it was a different preparation this time, heavily savory on a raisin bread pudding, still melted in your mouth, but couldn’t taste the blood orange gastrique that would have complimented this quite well
french onion soup – I love french onion soup; this had an especially rich broth that tasted hearty, but lacked some of the sweetness that I like
Overall, I was thrilled to go back to a restaurant – I so rarely do that as I always try to go to new places. I was even happier to be able to celebrate my birthday in the company of the black knight and share a great restaurant wit him. Afterall, dining is about gathering company around the table and sharing an experience, and there is no better experience than hours of conversation over great french food.
SUMMARY
Overall: happily ever after
Highlights: foie gras torchon, braised beef, pear tarte tartin
Footnightes: very attentive service, knowledgable staff
