Amuse-bouche
Wow. Just…wow. Bianca could explain better than I can about how our evening went but I think none of us could fully capture the awesomeness of the event in words. I did not take pictures of the food because the restaurant was dimly lit. I will just describe our 5 courses (actually more like 8 courses) to you.
Just three very attractive ladies getting ready for a night out.
Attractive sisters on the balcony.
Waiting for Victoria to bring the car around with Bianca.
Mademoiselle Bianca Bear.
Our fly ride. All shiny and spacious.
Bianca getting out of the car, looking ever so glamorous.
Me. Not so glamorous. My mouth is funny because I just was eating a milkyway that Bianca found in Victoria's car.
“Le Rêve prides itself on preparing the best food, anywhere. Our approach is simple yet elegant, grounded in the classic techniques. When you dine at Le Rêve, you will come to know that this is a serious place for food.” - Le Reve website
When we got to the restaurant, we circled around the area twice. It was so tiny! We tried to get valet parking but the valet was not there. Victoria, who was driving, found her own parking after dropping Bianca and me off. She’s pretty great. The restaurant was small (it seats like 30 people). The tables were kind of crowded. But, as the New York times article said, “not a dollar has been spent on ostentation, as anyone can see — no velvet, no silver cloches, no Sèvres, no Christofle.” It was elegantly simple. We got seated at a small table in the middle of the restaurant. The waiters came by and asked if we had eaten here before. They talked to us about the items on the menu. The sommelier (who was French) asked us about the wines we wanted (we politely declined of course). Another waitress brought two stools for us to put our purses and scarves, etc.
To begin the evening, the chef gave us an amuse- bouche (something to amuse our mouths). It was cucumber spaghetti with a poached oyster garnished with a wasabi beurre blanc. I can’t even tell you all the flavors that went in there but those were the distinctive ones. It was my favorite part of the menu actually. The flavors were so wonderful! The dish was served warm. I never knew warm cucumber could taste so good! As soon as we finished, they removed our plates and silverware (even the ones we did not use) and filled up our water.
Next up, the butter. We were given two 2-inch rounds of butter. One was sea salt and the other was poppy seed. The rounds sat there, teasing us. After 10 minutes, a waitress came by with a plate full of hot bread straight from the oven. We got a choice of the house roll (cinnamon and rosemary, kind of sweet), a pepper roll (Bianca and I picked this first, my personal favorite), a baguette, and focaccia. The bread was warm on the outside and steaming on the inside. The butter was so smooth (it literally slid off our knives and onto the bread). I could have filled myself up on the bread and that amuse-bouche. We wanted more bread but I am glad they did not put a whole basket in front of us..otherwise we would have filled up on it right away.
After that, a lovely hors d’ouvres. I ordered the simply seared foie gras with poached pear. Bianca and Victoria ordered a most beautiful caramelized onion tart with French goat cheese and balsamic drizzle. My foie gras was simply magnificent! I nearly died. So much umami (the fifth sense of taste, next to sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, otherwise known as the “yum factor”)!!!!
After the hors d’ouvres, we were already stuffed. I had to go to the bathroom to loosen up my belt. I know it sounds terrible but I was so full. The bathroom was very oddly situated. If the ladies and men’s sides opened up at the same time, there would be an awful accident. Nonetheless, the interior was quite nice. There were plants and soft tissue paper. To dry our hands, warm towels! Because the restaurant only caters to 30 people a night, there was one for each person. Very thoughtful.
When I got back to the table, two waiters were standing by my chair, one took my coat to hang and the other helped me push in my chair and explained my salad to me. My salad had warm duck breast with watercress and dried apricots, sultanas and pomegranates and balsamic vinegar dressing. Victoria ordered the Mediterranean octopus salad with lime, mint, endives and chickpeas. Bianca had the roasted lobster salad with crème fraiche, basil, mint and olive oil. Bianca’s lobster was so fresh! My duck breast was warm and tender. And that octopus salad that Victoria had was so beautiful! We were so full by then, we could barely finish our salads. But, we still had 3 more courses to go!
Next up, they gave us a palate cleanser. It was a tiny scoop of grapefruit sorbet in vermouth. Oh my gosh! It really cleansed my palate. Who thought of this? What a wonderful idea!! It was a perfect way to transition into our main course. They gave us approximately 20 minutes to settle ourselves into the next course though.
The main course (les plats de resistance) was still, of course, way too much to handle at this point. Victoria had the fillet of lemon sole stuffed with lobster and cut chives, and corn. I had pepper crusted beef, chanterelle salad and potato mousseline and Bianca had lamb on cous cous with coconut curry sauce. None of us finished our main courses but we were ever so close. The meats were tender, flavorful, and so rich! My potatoes were so fluffy and buttery. Bianca and I loved how they seared our meats. That was the best part. They cook the meat medium rare to rare to “provide maximum flavor and texture.”
After that…we really needed a break. Thankfully, the experienced wait staff did not bother us for 15 minutes. They took away our plates silently, removed our silverware, replaced them (so quickly after every course) and gave us more water. They showed us their cheese after awhile. There were so many! We were quickly overwhelmed. The cheese lady said she could prepare a sample plate and give us all the cheeses. Thank goodness! We waited for a bit and then she came back with another waitress. This other waitress carried a plate with something golden on it. It was a block of honey comb, dripping with honey! That, accompanied by the selection of cheeses made from goat, sheep, and cow’s milk was divine! All of this was accompanied by a soft bread. After that, they again removed our plates and silverware. We got more silverware and more water.
By this time, I was prepped for the last course. The sharp cheeses helped my stomach settle after the rich main course. Now, dessert. I ordered coffee and Bianca and Victoria had cappuccinos to accompany our desserts. The chefs prepared miniature crème brûlées as well (delicate, beautiful, creamy, full of flavor, and just plain adorable). We broke into those and finished every last bit. Then our desserts came… Bianca ordered the tapioca, rice pudding, chocolate mousse and raspberry parfait. I got the coconut panna cotta, banana ice cream and mango sorbet and Victoria got the lemon curd tart. Everything was so beautiful! Victoria kept calling my coconut panna cotta “Bob.” It was because of the way it moved. It was shaped like a pear and very jiggly, like it was alive. Victoria’s tart was beautiful. The meringue on top was huge and fluffy. Bianca’s parfait was so elegantly sculpted and the chocolate was dark and rich. Victoria was so full she could not finish her dessert. I finished most of it and so did Bianca. The coffee and cappuccino was also well done. They gave us 4 types of sugar (Splenda, raw brown sugar, vanilla bean sugar, and French sugar cubes) all in these small porcelain sugar containers. After we finished our coffee, we were ready to leave. But, there was more to come.
Victoria was horrified when they took away our plates and gave us new silverware. All they gave us was a small silver spoon but it scared us nonetheless. We were so full and anything reminding us of another course was too much. First, they gave us the check. Then they gave us a long, thin tray full of tiny desserts. No complimentary mints but a plate full of the yummiest morsel ended our fine experience. There was a small macaroon, a chocolate truffle, some orange peel chocolate, some gelatin square, and a miniature tiramisu. They were all approximately 1inch cubed but jam packed with flavor! After nibbling on these, we were done. So, we paid our check…the grand total…$362.22. They thanked us for coming and a waiter opened the door for us. It was really late, almost 11:00pm. We were inside this “little dream” for three hours! Everything from the wait staff( so knowledgeable), to the table setting was perfect. I was particularly impressed by the tableware (all Wedgewood), simple white but the pinnacle of elegance. Chef Weismann did not want anything to stand out beyond the food, not even the space. Who knew that in such a small place, juxtaposed between a Bill Miller and a Greyhound bus station, there was this secret garden.
