Brian and I went to Le Chateaubriand what seems like 5 billion weeks ago. I can honestly sit here and say it was the best meal I have ever eaten in my life. Ever, people. Thank you, Brian.
I didn't have a camera so there are no pictures but I promise to describe to you in detail every course.
For those of you who don't know, Chateaubriand is owned by Chef Inaki Aizipitarte and was named #9 on the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2011. I'll let them paint the picture for you...
"It's hard not to be excited by Le Chateaubriand. It is effortlessly cool, understated yet accomplished, democratic, affordable and, perhaps most importantly, fun. Its lack of airs and graces – hard chairs and bare tables, the take-it-or-leave-it five-course fixed-price menu and the championing of natural wines – is not to everyone's tastes, but Le Chateaubriand doesn't really care."
How could you not love it? You have to make reservations in advance for the first seating or show up at 9:30pm and wait in line to get into the second seating. Brian and I started out next door at their Tapas restaurant, Le Dauphin for a drink. We had a glass of Vin Blanc BB1 from Jura. Then we waited in line at Chateaubriand got in pretty quickly. We had a glass of Rose Brut at the bar. It was a bubbly pink champagne like drink that I consider dangerous because I wanted to drink it like juice, it was so good. The restaurant seats about 50 people with 15 tables. The waiters wear white aprons with whatever shoes and pants they want. They were all men with dark hair and beards. When we sat down our waiter brought us a paper menu with the 9 courses typed out in black ink and in French. He also dropped off four little Gourges topped with poppy seeds. Gourges are Pate a Chou with cheese and bechamel inside, yum. We ordered a bottle of Vin Rouge from the Loire Valley. Then, the magic began...
Amuses bouche
un: yuzu lime cerviche with avocado & cilantro flowers
This tasted just like guacamole in your mouth. The liquid was pink and clear. There were small dices of avocado floating in it with cilantro flowers. It was served in a small bowl so you could drink it like a shooter. It made my mouth salivate like crazy.
deux: duck heart topped with coco nubs, cardamon seeds, sesame seeds and salt
I've never had heart of any animal before but it was delicious. To me it tasted just like any other part of the duck and the texture was creamy, a little chewy and crunchy from the seeds. After I ate it I felt adventurous.
trois: mini baked potato with burnt eggplant and pig fat
This mini bite was such a surprise. The burnt eggplant paste was dark black and when it was all in my mouth it was bitter, starchy, creamy, and salty all at once.
quatre: mushroom broth & cured mackerel
This mushroom soup was unlike any I have had before. It was a littler bitter so the sides of my mouth were salivating like crazy. There were tiny squares of salty cured mackerel in the bottom and garlic flowers that were beautifully floating on top. We started to eat it with a spoon but then just picked it up and slurped it down.
First Course
concombre, coques, algues
(seaweed salad with cockles, apples, cucumber, baby onion, raw peas, & dehydrated seaweed)
Such a beautiful, bright green dish. It was served very simply, mine in a white bowl, Brian's in a black. The seaweed was spongy and crunch at the same time. The raw peas were so fresh. The baby onions;sweet, cucumber; bright, and green apple; tart. The dehydrated seaweed gave a Umami flavor & the cockles tasted like they were delicately cooked in milk they were so creamy. What a great dish.
Second Course
bonite, arroche, jus ibérique
(bonito with basil, lettuce, raspberries & ibérico ham jus)
This was my favorite dish. As i was eating the lettuce leaves and basil I asked Brian why they tasted so savory like I was eating meat. He told me they were laying in a bed of bacon jus. Um... Yum. The Bonito Tuna was of the highest quality and lightly seared, raw in the middle. There was also a small flower on the plate that we decided was a dehydrated raspberry. When you bit into it, it burst with juice. It was all just incredible.
Third Course
volaille jaune des landes, asperges blanches, lait fumé
(poulard aka chicken, with asparagus, shallots, finger limes, & smoked mozzarella jus)
The poulard or chicken in this dish was cooked sous-vide until RARE and then seared so the skin was deliciously crisp. Have you ever had rare chicken? Would you ever even think about eating rare chicken? Me either. But I did and I never want to eat it any other way ever again. It was so moist and flavorful I can't even explain it. I actually wish I had some right next to me this second. The smoked mozzarella jus was so creamy and everything together made for a great dish.
Dessert
un: fraise, petits pois
(strawberries, peas, pea pureé, mint & powdered sugar)
The idea of pairing peas with strawberries to form a dessert has never crossed my mind.. and it should have. Because it was fabulous.
deux: cerise, sabayon
(cherry sabayon with cherries and kalamata olives)
Yes, I said cherries and kalamata olives in the same sentence. Brian and I took the first bite together and he looked at me with these wide eyes and I was so confused. It just tasted like cherry in cherry foam to me. Then I took another bite and my mouth freaked out. The saltiness of the olive with the cherry was an unbelievable combination and I'm mad I didn't think of it first.
And that's all folks. If any of you decide to come visit me in France and are willing to shell out 50 euro for literally the best meal of your life, please let me know. I will be more than happy to join you. Inaki Aizipitarte not only gave me the best meal of my life, he showed me how to think outside the box with my cooking and challenge my palate to eat things I don't normally think go together. I love the element of surprise in every dish and cannot wait to go back. Dad... can't wait for you to visit. You're taking me here.
xoxo, al
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