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2013-04-26
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Dining at Chez Patrick was a bit like being invited to a well-to-do friend's home for lunch. It felt intimate and cozy (part of the dining room was closed off for lunch), but at the same time remained elegant and sophisticated. The high ceilings, simple decor, and wide windows make it a welcoming place for a business lunch (formal enough), a date (romantic enough), or catch-up with friend (friendly enough). Chef Patrick was certainly quite the host. He greeted each table and checked up a few tim
Chef Patrick was certainly quite the host. He greeted each table and checked up a few times during the meal. While I was waiting for my dining companion, he gave me an amuse bouche of caramlized pineapple wrapped in bayonne ham. It wasn't anything special but a hospitable gesture.
We went with the executive set lunch, which was $250 for a two-course meal. You could also get the semi-buffet lunch, $268, if you want to try the selection of appetizers and desserts, but the main course choices seemed less appealing.
For my appetizer, I ordered the tuna tartare with beetroot goat cheese ice-cream and my friend ordered the foie gras trio plate. The presentation was lovely and I was pleasantly surprised by the ice-cream. It tasted strongly of beetroot, less so of the cheese, and was sweet like a sorbet. As with anything made with beetroot, it was fluorescent pink! I didn't find the tartare very tasty as the fish was marinated in a cherry liquor and anything cherry-flavored tastes like medicine to me.
I had a small taste offoie gras, served with a chocolate sauce, which I thought went really well together! What a genius combination. Both ingredients have so much depth yet complement each other. The slight bitterness of the cocoa helped to cut the richness of the liver. The foie gras trio also had profiteroles with what I took to be foie gras ice cream? I'm not sure....
The main course was nothing to write home about. I had a pork dish stuffed with peppers that came with a side of potato cake. The pork was a bit on the dry side but the potatoes were quite tasty albeit a bit heavy on the cream. The portion was quite generous. We had a cappuccino to wrap up the meal, which was really quite subpar with lumpy foam and watery coffee. That's something that always perplexes me -- why do so many fine dining restaurants serve such sloppy coffees?
Overall, a nice place and good value for lunch. Dishes are decently executed and Chef Patrick has some creative dishes. For dinner though, I would expect to be a lot more expensive, although there is a six-course burgundy tasting menu on May 8 that is priced at $650 +10%. Not unreasonable considering wine is included.
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