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Lucky Me

Sunday, May 27, 2007 at 10:09PM
Posted by Registered CommenterTselani in

Tonight I was treated to a plethora of delights in three perfect dishes. Fabrice really outdid himself, and now I realize why he should be a chef in a three star restaurant. His dishes alone were already worthy of a solid one Michelin here in Paris. I can only imaging what a few more years of experience will bring to his expertise.

We began with simple pan sauteed scallops (in lots of butter of course), accompanied by melted leeks, balsamic reduction, and lemon infused olive oil. Yes I do have photos, but I'll have to post them at a later date. The dish arrived in front of me in perfect harmony. Three crispy seared scallops were placed in a row at an angle and lightly drizzled with the lemon olive oil (found at O&Co - they ship to the US) and a little balsamic reduction. In the middle of the plate was a perfectly formed quenelle of melted leeks. To the far left of the plate was a simple line of balsamic reduction with a few drops of the lemon-scented oil.

If you've never melted leeks before, let me tell you, it's wonderful! Julienne the leeks and cook them in butter over very low heat. You don't want to color the leeks, just soften them slowly in the butter. If the liquid evaporates, add water in teaspoons as needed. Once the leeks are soft but not mushy, you're done.

For the second course, we had foie gras. Let me start by saying that I have never liked foie gras before. It's texture and the idea of eating liver never really appealed to me. Until now. Fabrice lightly seared each piece of foie gras, barely letting it cook through. The slices were drizzled with more lemon oil giving just a hint of fruitiness to the nutty flavor of the foie gras. Another quenelle graced the plate, but this time made of caramelized onions with a little balsamic, orange juice, and a few morsels of foie gras.  Yeah, it was good. Really, really good. Decorating the plate were delicate lines of orange reduction and you guessed it, more lemon olive oil. Order some online and you'll know why we use it all the time!

For our final plate (yes, there's more), we had silky fettuccini tossed with finely chopped parsley, olive oil, and garlic. Floating in the ribbon of noodles were little shrimps, scallops, and tiny octopi. The taste was simple, straight-forward, and perfectly sublime.

Accompanying our meal we drank a lightly chilled Muscat from 2002. The sweetness of the wine enhanced the flavors in each dish.

After scraping each plate clean, I wondered what I had done to deserve such wonderful treatment. I must have been a very, very good girl!

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Reader Comments (2)

Indeed, a good girl you must be! Sounds like a divine meal and a truly divine guy.
May 28, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterJessica
Having just met Fabrice, I can attest that he is a really great guy. When he joined Tselani, her brother and I for dinner at Gaya, he patiently translated everything on the menu for us (and the American couple at the adjacent table). Consequently, we had a fabulous meal with his help!
May 28, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterPaula

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