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2012-07-16
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We went to La Maison with another couple to celebrate our anniversary, and while our visit was not overall negative, we found the place highly overrated and not very special.First of all, the reservation: I made a reservation with TableMap (which in itself is very convenient) and received a confirmation code, but when we arrived at La Maison, they could not find our reservation. They luckily had a table for us, and so I didn't think about the issue anymore, until I got an e-mail (which I only sa
First of all, the reservation: I made a reservation with TableMap (which in itself is very convenient) and received a confirmation code, but when we arrived at La Maison, they could not find our reservation. They luckily had a table for us, and so I didn't think about the issue anymore, until I got an e-mail (which I only saw the next day at home) from TableMap, thanking me for honoring the reservation. Which means that the restaurant must have communicated TableMap that we showed up. I find this very unprofessional.
So we sat down, got menus, and unpacked our wine bottles (they don't charge corkage fee. At all. Awesome). Their menu is quite large for a private kitchen, so it took us a while to figure out what we wanted to eat. For appetizers, we had the mushroom duo (with cream sauce, parma ham, and caviar), the tomato bavarois (tomato mousse), and two orders of the tuna tartar. Before the appetizers arrived (and it took a while, although there were not that many people at the place), we got the bread basket, which was nice but not very special; and a tiny serving of orange mousse with two cubes of yellow jelly and some pieces of strawberry - it was odd that such an amuse bouche would be sweet, and sweet it was very much. The strawberries were tasty, though. The appetizers arrived, and the tuna turned out to be extremely fishy; it did not taste good or fresh at all. The server took it back without much comment, and we ordered the beef carpaccio instead. It took quite long until it arrived, but it was very nice; it was served with some capers and plenty of onions (which would have completely overpowered the taste of the meat had we eaten them) but without olive oil. The mushrooms were very disappointing: bland, and the filling nothing special at all; the caviar was actually lumpfish roe. Not even the presentation of this dish was nice. The tomato mousse was the best of all appetizers; nicely arranged and extremely aromatic.
While waiting for the carpaccio, we had ordered a second bread basket, but this, too, took a long time to arrive. The accompanying butter, goose liver pate, and smoked salmon pate took even longer. In between the appetizers and the main course, we were served a very nice lychee sorbet; a bit sweet but nicely refreshing.
We had better luck with the main courses, which were all very nice. Both the lamb loin and the rack of lamb were very tasty and tender. My husband and I shared the beef cheek and the confit de canard. The beef cheek was a classic French stew, with a very flavorful dark sauce and plenty of vegetables inside; the meat was extremely soft. The duck was quite salty, but so soft that it virtually fell off the bone when I touched it with my fork; the skin was crisp, and the whole leg incredibly tasty. The accompanying red cabbage salad was very nice, too.
For dessert we had the Champagne berry terrine, which was quite nice but did not taste very much like champagne, nor were the berries very flavorful. The "French fudge chocolate cake" reminded more of an American chocolate indulgence than of a French dessert - since when is fudge French?? It was yummy and chocolat-y, though. The Clafoutis was more of a souffle (and lacking cherries), but the apple pie was more like a Clafoutis with apples; maybe it was intended to make up for it. None of the desserts were convincing. Actually, I make better Clafoutis at home (maybe I should open a private kitchen?...). I should add that we received the desserts for free; I assume because the owner had met our friends before and was happy to see them at La Maison.
The atmosphere at La Maison was much more like that of a restaurant than a private kitchen; plenty of staff running around, and while we did meet the owner (who I believe is not the chef), it was not a very personal or intimate experience at all.
With the food being so-so - very nice main dishes, but unconvincing appetizers and desserts - and the service alright, the place has not very many things to offer that could entice us to go back. Free corkage is a plus, but doesn't make up for the food.
张贴
