Once upon a time, there was a Chef in the Hat, who created the most fanciful menus all of Seattle had seen at his restaurant called Rover’s.  However, after some time, he decided to shutter this restaurant and venture on to new projects.  This would be the last time the Princess would dine here – this was his last stand.  And what a stand it was!

The delicate amuse bouche of smoked duck, potato leek soup, and chevre gougere delighted.

amuse bouche – smoked duck

amuse bouche – gougere with chevre, like a savory cream puff pillow filled with goat cheese

potato leek soup with turmeric

The salmon mousse and duck confit appetizers full of complex favors set the stage for the rest of the meal.

duck confit with quail egg and cassis puree – the quail egg was fantastic, beautifully cooked and contrasted with the texture of the pistachio tulle

salmon mousse with uni vinaigrette – the uni flavor was surprisingly light

As a lover of foie gras, the Princesses added a foie gras profiterole as a course, while her faithful dining companion, Nutkin, had roasted rabbit loin (not on purpose, they only had 8 orders of the pork belly available for the night and he opted for the rabbit substitution, declining the foie substitution (blasphemy!!!)).

rabbit loin with parsnip puree and apple cider demi glace – the rabbit was tender and flavorful

foie gras profiterole – slightly chewy foie gras and overly salty sauce distracted from the delicateness of the foie

The seafood course of sole and cod allowed the fish to shine through.

sole wtih beets and citrus puree – the beets added a crunch texture and the citrus puree was a twist on the traditional lemon. The simplicity of the fish itself made this dish delicious

butter poached cod – extremely buttery, but lost the saffron sauce flavor

For the main entrees, elk and duck made for interesting choices.  Both delicious and memorable.

muscovy duck black lentils and thyme sauce

oregon elk with butternut squash, mushrooms – tender and full of flavor, not gamey at all and paired perfectly with the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Dessert consisted of rum baba and a symphony of sweets.  A fitting ending for the meal.

rum baba with stewed pineapple and mascarpone sorbet – like a very fancy upside down pineapple cake

genoise with sorbet and frozen grapes; chocolate pot du creme; all 3 desserts in the symphony were on the lighter side, not too sweet

sour cream souffle – fluffy

A flight of flavor fancy – from the undoubtable french flavors of the foie gras to the slightly Asian inspired uni vinaigrette with the salmon – and then the bolder excursions into elk and pork belly, it showed the range and imagination of the chef.  The chef stopped by each table to thank his patrons for joining him and noted that there was still plenty of time to return for yet another culinary adventure before their closure.  This tale ends with a happy ending, and a wistful dreaming of another formal french restaurant to continue its legends.

Synopsis
Overall: A happy ending 🙂
Highlights: elk, sole
Footnotes: expect to spend 3 hours over a leisurely dinner, dress business casual, pris fixe menu starts at $65 per person but everything can be ordered a la carte, definitely a special occassion restaurant, they close in April so make reservations now