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but I like the balance. It was not a bargain at $7.50 the 3-oz taster,
but the only other foie gras wine on the menu was Yquem '88 at $150 -
not a bad price at all, but I can't afford it; further, that is too
young for Yquem.
Mallard breast (a whole one, sliced) in ginger-fruit sauce, garnished
with poached pear was a sizable serving of medium-rare fatless bird
whose slightly gamy flavor blended well with its fruit sauce, which
was a little spicy and not too sweet.
Sturgeon in pea broth, pancetta risotto. This was served in a deep
soup plate, the bottom of which contained a fair amount of sugar
snap puree, perhaps the same stuff that was served as pea soup
earlier in the menu. Arranged over the top were four sturgeon cutlets
of at least 3 oz and perhaps 4 oz each. The sturgeon, pan cooked without
fat (I think), was firm but tender and juicy, the natural grassiness of
the fish going well with the pea puree. Eating close to a pound of fish
becomes a chore, and the chore was made worse by the tennis-ball-sized
lump beside the fish - I thought it was garlic mashed potatoes, which
would have been fine, but what it turned out to be was a lump of smooth
and near-perfect risotto made with saffron and a shellfish broth and
studded with little bits of pancetta (not as astonishingly tasty as
the smoked bacon at Ray's, but certainly flavorful, some of the pieces
retaining a welcome little stripe of fat); the mashed potato had only
been the cover or disguise for the risotto. It was a lot of food, and
I ended up giving away one cutlet and leaving half of one.
With this I chose the Woodward Canyon Merlot 1993 (about $48), a
rather grassy wine itself - you may recall that I don't particularly
rave about the red wines of the area, but Woodward is supposed to be
the best vintner in Washington, and this wine showed well. Opening it
was infanticide, though - I'd say that it'll be at peak in 5 years or
so. As it was, a bit of rough tannin and raw fruit came out at the
top, which made it remind me of some of the better Italian wines when
uncorked years too soon, but it mellowed out nicely. It's fairly big
wine with potential for softening out and becoming a very enjoyable
bottle. As it was, it was very fine with the duck and pretty fine as
well, I thought, with the sturgeon (which is really more meatlike
than fishlike anyway, not having any of those strong oils that kill
red wines).
Cherry clafouti in apricot sauce, diced peach garnish was eggy
and fresh, a good weight of dessert, with excellent peach. My
Bittersweet chocolate tartlet with apricot sauce and a raspberry
sauce drizzle was rich rich, the sweetness cut nicely by the
unsweetened orange caramel ice cream that came with; an espresso-
mint sauce that garnished the ice cream added nothing but a
confusion to the flavor (I scraped it off).
Espresso, the only that I had in Seattle, was wonderful. The vaunted
Seattle expertise about coffee (which is bull anyhow, Starbucks making
a bitter, charcoaly sludge that passes for coffee) showed here - the
waiter discreetly left a bowl of sugar at the edge of the table.
The tab was a fairly hefty $90 a head, but even before chef Rautureau
came around to spend ten minutes gossiping about French chefs and
restaurants (including his friend Jean-Louis Palladin, and why
Jean-Louis uses Asian spices so much (he's very close with an Indian
lady)) we thought of closing our stay here with another visit, perhaps
springing for that bottle of Yquem. Unfortunately (or fortunately, since
it would have been my turn to pay), the place is closed on Sunday.
- - -
Gerard's Relais de Lyon is one of the most highly praised places in the
state. It's yet another house-restaurant, this one up a little hill
overlooking (the trees not screening, i.e.) beautiful Rte 522 and a
strip mall that houses a sub shop and a carpet store. This is the
menu that Gerard Parrat composed for us:
Gloria Ferrer brut nv (Sonoma). I had said that I was interested in
PacNW wines, but this California was what they poured. It's a good
neutral Methode Champenoise wine, very like Freixenet Cordon Negro
but a bit richer and oakier, perhaps like a reserve Freixenet, I might
guess - I haven't tasted any such (the quality is not a surprise -
the vineyard is owned by Freixenet). Better than the Wednesday Ste.
Michelle, but not by much. Good little bubbles. Good acid. Good
everything, but on the whole unmemorable - perhaps what an aperitif
should be anyhow.
Mousse of salmon, raspberry vinaigrette. This little amuse-gueule
was to me an annoyance. The mousse was fragile and perfectly
flavored, but the raspberry vinaigrette tasted like Hellman's
with an attitude. Lesson one. Don't make raspberry vinaigrette.
Lesson two. If you do make it, don't use egg yolks in it.
Lobster bisque. Rich and powerfully flavored of broiled lobster
shell, this is in fact the most-cited dish in the magazine
articles. It is superb but is served somewhere between warm and
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* KingQWK 1.05 # 187 *Seattle, WA