John L.
Yelp
Love their hospitality! I brought my wife here for our anniversary. The maître d' congratulated us, and they presented a beautiful surprise dessert with a candle near the end of our meal. We ordered a 4-course prix-fixe meal.
We ordered 2 cocktails.
1) Passion Fruit Crémant Cocktail
Crémant d'Alsace, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, and passion fruit pureé. It was a fruity tasting sparkling white wine with hints of honeysuckle, pear, and citrus.
2) Hibiscus Flower Margarita
Hornitos Reposado Tequila, Triple Sec, Essence of Hibiscus Flowers, and fresh lime juice. This was a tart, citrusy, and slightly sweet margarita with a floral aroma and a pink color. It had a good, strong tequila flavor.
The four course meal started with complimentary plates of garlic bread, seed coated bread, french bread, butter, and cottage cheese with chives, tabasco, onions, salt, pepper, and garlic. All of the fresh-made bread had a hard crust with soft and moist crumb. This impressive variety of flavors was an auspicious beginning!
We were served amuse bouche in glass demitasse cups. It was lentil soup with chopped chives. It tasted of sherry wine and chives with a light earthy nutty flavor from the lentils. This is a present from the chef. Amuse bouche is French for mouth amuser. It is meant to awaken the palate for the courses to follow.
1(a) La Cassolette de Joues de Boeuf
Braised Wagyu beef cheeks, potatoes, mushrooms, and parsley with sherry wine sauce. The beef was very tender and moist. The beef and sauce made this dish incredibly savory! Think of it as a French beef stew.
1(b) Toulouse sausage with bacon wrapped scallop in a white bean sauce. The sausage was coarse ground pork with a mild garlic, salt, and pepper flavor. The scallops were huge, like U10 size. They were tender, sweet, and succulent. Paired with the savory bacon, they were to die for. The sausage and scallops were immersed in a white bean and white wine sauce. The sauce was mild in flavor and didn't match the savoriness of the proteins. A flavorful dish nonetheless!
2) La Salade de L'auberge
Organic mesclun salad, garden crudités, and vinaigrette maison. It had mixed greens and vegetables with shaved cheese. The dressing was peppery with good flavors from the seasonings and herbs. A very fresh tasting salad!
3(a) Classic Beef Bourguignon
It had carrots, yellow beets, celery, french green beans, spaezteles, white onion, and tender beef in red wine sauce. The vegetables were organic. I thought the La Cassolette de Joues de Boeuf was savory. This took it to another level! All of the ingredients were fresh, and the marinated beef was tender and rich.
3(b) Rockfish filet with french green beans, carrots, and boiled potato. This was on their specials list. The rockfish was moist and tender. It was plated with a mild lemon sauce underneath. The sauce was plain with no depth in flavor. The vegetables had no seasoning. The fish was very good, everything else was too bland.
4(a) Grand Marnier souffle
It had candied orange peel on top. The Grand Marnier sauce had an excellent orange and liqueur flavor. The souffle was light and fluffy with a delicate sweetness. Absolutely exquisite and well-made.
4(b) La crème brulée à la vanille
Tahitian vanilla in a creamy custard. It was rich and creamy with perfect caramelized glaze on top. We would have preferred more vanilla flavor. This was beautifully made.
We got coffee with dessert. They serve Julius Meinl Coffee. It was a dark roast that is full bodied with a touch of burnt flavor. A little cream took care of that burnt flavor.
The service was professional, courteous, helpful, attentive, responsive, and friendly! Absolute perfection! The dining room and restrooms were immaculate! Opened in 1976, this family-owned restaurant is run by Chef Jacques Haeringer. He took over from his father, Chef François Haeringer. I remember the first time I visited back in 1988. It made a lasting impression! Over the years, the exquisite French cuisine continued, and we should all appreciate it. FYI, Jacques Brasserie is located in the basement of this building. The entrance is at the back.