jidori chicken, roasted breast, stuffed thigh, sauce perigourdine
is it rude to put your feet on the table? #askingforafriend
the rich, black, truffle-y perigourdine sauce was a highlight
chocolate illanka souffle, green chartreuse, genepy
excellent textbook souffle that rose so high it made snoop dogg look sober. loved the sugar crusted exterior and the herb-y minty ice cream was a perfect complement to the rich chocolate. highlight.
Can I ask how the chicken liver is incorporated in the gougere? Is it like a mousse piped in as a filling or is that sauce the liver (kind of like Trois Mec’s foie gras bordelaise)…? Either way, it all looks amazing
All my starters were pretty good and the souffle is a must order, but I was a bit disappointed with the $70 chicken. For that price I expect to be blown away and wasn’t, I would skip it and get chi spacca’s chicken instead.
We went a few weeks back and enjoyed Bon Temps much more than I thought we would. I was afraid the space was going to be too industrial for a french restaurant, but it had a nice balance of industrial and warmth. Maybe because we sat near the pastry kitchen. Anyway, the canapes were all fantastic: ham
& eggs, chicken liver, sturgeon. Treviso salad was amazing. Sweetbreads and asparagus a surprise crowd pleaser. Octopus good. The entrees were somewhat of a letdown, though, after being wowed by the starters. Lamb two ways, meh. Too high concept, but not satisfying at all. The fish was salmon, which was ok, but nothing special. The scallops were actually quite good, though. All the deserts were a hit, as well. Oh, and as expected, the wine list was perfect and they served a wonderful cava to start things off. Would definitely go again.
The lamb was delicious as was much of what was described by all.
Service was earnest, but maybe overtaxed. Out of the souffle. They should have asked if we wanted when we ordered given there is a 20 min lead time. Our dishes took a bit long and the table next to us (who ordered a lot less than us) and sat at least an hour into our meal did get a souffle.
Expectations maybe, but thought the desserts (pavlova and smores) would be stronger. Nightshade’s desserts are at a higher level than these two.
We were there for a birthday in a group of 6, so I didn’t take any pictures of the food or have much time to be super critical of any given dish. Instead, I’ll give a 10k foot view: Overall we had a wonderful time and I would return, especially to try the breakfast foods. It’s clear that anything involving pastry is where this restaurant really shines.
Particularly strong were the canapes (ham and eggs, tomato tartare [my favorite], sturgeon dauphine), carbs (pea ravioli, butterball potatoes, and risotto), and desserts (St. Honore and choco souffle). I enjoyed the lamb ribeye and 45-ounce ribeye (with all the varied sauces) that were cooked perfectly, but these are not the reasons to come here, but more like items to round out a nice meal. Dry-aged beef ain’t going to be bad. Items that I also remember having were the raw main lobster, bibb lettuce, broccolini, and fougasse bread, but those didn’t really stand out much in my mind.
Wine service of our three bottles was perfect between selecting and changing glassware, discussing with me the ideal preparation, serving the wines in a timely manner, and even geeking out a bit regarding our wines and those on the list. General service also was quite good, not overly formal, but very friendly and timely. I like how this restaurant marries a more composed “NorCal” type menu with an Arts district laid-back style.
The two cocktails I tried from the “avant” part of the menu (strawberry spritz and normandy tonique) while waiting for our party to arrive were refreshing and not too strong, exactly as I like before a wine-centric dinner.
Which is a good segway to note my personal bias. Any kind of French leaning food that goes well with French wine is going to be super pleasing to me. I’m the type of person that will eat half a block of truffle gouda or goat cheese with my aperitif wine while cooking dinner at home. Yes, I very much like drinking wine at places like Majordomo too, but somehow the strong flavors there seem to make it less of an equal partnership.
More praise for Bon Temps. I hope it becomes a thing to just order a variety of the dessert menu. Places ambitious enough to have their own dedicated pastry chefs deserve the support.
I didn’t love it. Dungeness crab was a highlight. Many of the other dishes were lacking in execution (chewy/tough duck, for instance). The best thing we had was a complimentary loaf of bread with leeks and preserved lemons. Also, the space was very weird. Ultimately ended up paying a hundred a person for some very middling, overly fussy french food that lacked the execution and soul that makes french food worthwhile.
Yes, I very much like drinking wine at places like Majordomo too, but somehow the strong flavors there seem to make it less of an equal partnership.