With less than one week to go until her daughter's wedding, my friend Kate's mom hosted a very elegant dinner party last night at La Grenouille to send her off into matrimony in style. And I was lucky enough to have been invited.
I had never previously been to La Grenouille, which first opened its doors over 4o years ago in the same East Side townhouse, but had read many wonderful reviews, with particular praise being heaped upon the beautiful flowers that decorate the restaurant. It offers very traditional french fare with two separate prix-fixe menus from which diners can mix and match: one that is seasonally inspired (e.g., heirloom tomato salad with roquefort cheese, braised duck with cherries), and one with classic french dishes (e.g., sauteed frogs legs, dover sole with mustard sauce).
We began this celebratory dinner with french champagne and some delicious homemade breads: small loaves flavored with picholine olives, and mini baguettes. I was particularly excited about the elegant silver bowl full of cheese straws and light and nutmegy gougeres which also arrived at our table.
For my first course, I had warm asparagus with a perfectly poached egg, wild mushrooms, and micro greens. It was fantastic. Kate shared some of her lobster and tarragon ravioli which were stuffed with tender and succulent lobster meat imparted with a delicate tarragon flavor.
Our waiter's french accent left me a little uncertain about what exactly I was ordering for my entree - I believe he said it was filet of beef in an armagnac sauce with sauteed swiss chard and a potato dauphinois (which is essentially a potato gratin). But it was incredibly tasty and looked just as beautiful: sliced red rare beef with a burgundy colored sauce, creamy white scalloped potatoes, and deep green wilted chard.
The warm apple tart I had for dessert was not only beautiful -- the apple slices were arranged in such a way that it looked like a blossoming rose -- but so delicious that it made me sing. Literally.
La Grenouille is a classic -- impeccable service, old school french waiters and captains with commensurate old school accents, huge arrangements of colorful fresh flowers, and a beautiful townhouse setting. And our meal there made a special occasion even more special.
***
Thanks, Seib Family, for including me. And congratulations, Kate!
La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street
New York, New York
(212) 752-1495
Dinner for 6: I don't even want to guess, but instead thank Mrs. Seib again for her generosity.
No comments:
Post a Comment