Le Petit Marcel
4.5/5
Stumbled upon this French restaurant on Broadway and Oakdale. Apparently you can't get a reservation for weeks, but a Monday night at 7 pm you can find plenty of bar seating. Good wine list (went with the Bordeaux which ended up being absolutely the right choice), small but varied menu. Delicious food. On to what you came to this post for:
Steak Frites in shallot sauce with tarragon aioli: 4.5/5 - Tender, juicy, the shallot sauce was bright, zingy, and a great contrast to the steak. The tarragon aioli was tasty, this doesn't get a 5/5 only because I'm a sucker for bearnaise and the aioli just wasn't living up to that.
Salmon Wellington: 5/5 - Perfectly cooked, the puff pastry was flaky and buttery, the duxelle was a great, earthy contrast to the salmon both in texture and flavor. No notes.
Mussels in Normandie Cider: 4.5/5 - I'm partial to sauce Marienere, HOWEVER, this take with the cider and vermouth was very tasty! These were perfectly steamed, served with a giant slice of toasted bread and plenty of sauce for dipping.
Creme Brulee: 3.5/5 - The flavor was pistachio which was fantastic. I'm dropping this down to 3.5 because it was on the looser side texture wise which is not for me. The sugar crust was fantastic though, and provided really good contrast. If you like your creme brulee on the softer, melted side then this is for you.
Rice Pudding: 5/5 - So my abuela used to make fantastic rice pudding, like no notes. However, at the risk of angering her spirit, this one is by far the BEST rice pudding I have ever had. From the moment it gets placed in front of you can smell the vanilla bean, the caramel sauce is surprisingly light in texture, there for flavor enhancement, and the crumbled Biscoff cookies on top bring it all together. I will happily face off with the spirit of my grandmother over this one.
Espresso Martini: 5/5 - Friends... I think I've found one that finally comes side by side to my current number 1 (Quartino's). Espresso forward in flavor, it's very well balanced between the bitterness of the espresso and the sweetness of the liqueur. The bartender shook it plenty and then double strained it for the perfect ratio of drink to foam, which layered up beautifully. Will go back, I believe their espresso martini is part of their happy hour menu so you don't have to tell me twice!
