I am a fan of Theirry Rauturea.  I am also a fan of french food on all its fancy airs or casual in its comfort.  And given that Rover’s is no longer an option, Theirry’s Loulay is the next place for all the precision and complication of french cuisine without the fuss of formal four hour dinner.

Salumi and I went to Loulay about 2 weeks after it opened, so they were still getting their barings, but the place was bustling and packed. Theirry was personally greating all the guests at their tables as he always did at Rovers – it’s nice to be able to meet the chef behind the magic.

We ordered:

Crab beignets- think balls of crab cake, perfectly crispy on the outside with flakes of crab meat on the inside

seared foie gras – i never pass up a chance for seared foie, and this one held up quite well with the apples and the accompanying bread, but I would say it was a touch on the tough side – a tad over cooked to give it a firmness that prevented it from melting in your mouth.  The flavor combination was still great – nothing revolutionary, but solid.

duck trio – leg, breast, bacon; delicious!  They know how to do duck right in french cooking – always tender and moist, complimented by demi-glace sauce

wild salmon – the french are not known for their salmon (more their trout), but this a very well cooked salmon. fatty and lovingly paired with a farro salad that provided a nice vingeary contrast

beignets – le cirque beignets these are not, but it’s hard to go wrong with a beignet drizzled in caramel, even if it is a bit dense.

hot chocolate – this dessert with brioche and butter is supposed to be Theirry’s favorite dish growing up; dipping buttered bread in hot chocolate – I’ve never tried that before, but now I have and I prefer the two seperate.  This is hot chocolate – not chocolat chaud, so do not expect sipping chocolate.  Props to the heavenly butter that came with the brioche though.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Loulay, a larger and slightly more gourmet version of Luc. While the appetizers didn’t wow, the main entrees are well worth the visit.  And they’re open until 11pm with their bistro menu, which still features a burger.  It was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season – good food, good friends.  🙂

SUMMARY
Overall: happily ever after
Highlights: duck, salmon
Footnotes: they have some inventive mocktails that I would recommend, sit up at the chef’s counter for an unobstructed view of the kitchen action