With our nephew (and great photographer) and his wife, and in celebration of Cheryl’s
upcoming big birthday, we ate at Verjus on a very warm Monday nite in July. The
restaurant, tucked behind the Palais Royal, was about 2/3 full, and heavily American – which was not the norm of
most places we ate this trip – but that’s also what happens when Paris
restaurants get written up in the NY Times.
I’ve previously written about Braden and Laura, the talented
couple from Seattle behind, first, Hidden Kitchen, and now Verjus, its
adjoining wine bar, and a newly launched lunchtime sandwich shop. It’s been fun to watch Braden develop as a chef – each time
we eat his food we’re more impressed than the last. And this was no exception.
What I found most interesting is that not only hasn't he lost his Pacific Northwest
roots – but is celebrating it. Verjus' web site unabashedly bills it as "New American" cuisine, though based on using well-sourced and pristine French ingredients.
The restaurant offers an eight course fixed price tasting
menu at 60 Euros (with a cheese course extra, and wine pairings (by Laura) at
an additional 40 Euros. We went whole hog with the wine pairings, as they all
looked so interesting – and when you’re doing a splurge, why not? I don’t do
these kinds of meals that much as I’m a lightweight – by the time we get to the
meat courses, I’m usually over the top. Perhaps I need to learn to pace myself
better – and, even with small portions, leave more on my plate. But, the
earlier dishes are usually the most interesting to me, making that strategy
difficult to follow. Ah, how I must sacrifice in the name of gastronomic experiences!
At Verjus, the meal began with a lovely glass of Domaine
Labet, a cremant from the Jura, with an amuse-bouche that combined a touch of
tomatos, onion, feta, and a teensy garlic crouton.
The
second course was a fabulous sashimi of sorts, made with skipjack, radish, lime, cilantro, and corn. This was followed by lovely little
dumplings – somewhere between very light matzo balls and gnocchi, made of
buffalo milk and ricotta, in a lemon sauce accented with wild herbs, peas,
heirloom carrots, and hazelnuts. The second wine, previously unknown to us, was
a 2011Rousette de Savoie from Chateau de Merande.
Fortunately, the meal was well paced, as I was already
starting to feel that dreaded “full” sensation…but I shouldered on and was
rewarded with my favorite dish of the night – one that truly reflected an
American chef in Paris, melding great local ingredients and technique with a
Pacific coast sensibility. It came in the form of a seared trout, with spicy
chiles, chanterelles a bit of guanciale, sitting on an aromatic roasted corn
soup. Yum. And, a 1999 white
burgundy from Domaine Pierre Morey was lovely – perhaps my favorite of the
night.
As you might guess, we’re now heading into the poultry/red
meat portions of the tasting menu.
The fifth course was seared slices of duck, resting along side a petite
bed of celery root, red cabbage, orange, and rye.
It was very good,
particularly the way the rye brought the dish together --- but, as a whole, it
seemed out of place – it belonged on a fall/winter menu, not one in the heat of
the summer. The duck was followed
by a grilled hanger steak.
While not usually my favorite cut of beef in Paris
(it’s often tough), here it was meltingly tender, paired with new potatoes,
baby spinach and other little vegies, horseradish, and an interesting cured egg
yolk. If Verjus had an ala carte
menu, this is a dish I would go for every time.. A nice, if not exciting, Domaine Vacheron Sancerre (2011) was poured with the duck, and a
very good 2012 Corbieres (Domaine les Promosses de la Terre) with the beef.
At this point of a tasting menu, I don’t always trust my
palate – but I do know I really loved the lemon polenta cake with blueberries,
greek yogurt, and honey. Again, this dish evoked both French and American sensibilities and flavors at
the same time.
The second dessert was served at the same time – a practice I’m
not fond of….but I guess it lets diners pick and choose their sweets. Anyway,
it was an espresso panna cotta with cherries, almonds, and a fab little almond
shortbread. Everyone at the table liked the panna cotta but me – I thought it
was short on flavor and a bit too gelatinous ---but that was just me – everyone
else scooped up every bite.
Overall, it was a lovely evening, though I was a bit
disappointed that even though I had told them ahead of time, they’d forgotten
it was Cheryl’s birthday and didn’t add a sparkler or two to her dessert.
Cheryl, on the other hand, was just as glad to have her birthday not be so
publicly announced! We’ll return to Verjus – probably not every trip to Paris,
but on a regular basis to see how it evolves. And we'll definitely be dropping by the wine bar whenever we're in the vicinity.
Verjus
52, rue de Richelieu
Phone: 01.42.97.54.40
Email: verjusparis@gmail.com
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