Steak tartare
Foie gras terrine with red onion jam
Lobster ravioli with beurre blanc
Smoked salmon with horseradish foam
Duck two ways: Seared breast and braised leg
Sorbet tasting
Chocolate-raspberry cake
Hey everyone, sorry I have not posted in a while but I have been really sick. In honor of how great my mom took care of me I decided to take her out to dinner at one of the best French restaurants in Boulder, L'Atelier. The environment at L'Atelier is great. It is very peaceful and the colors of the restaurant really make for a relaxed dining experience. We started the meal off with a lovely filet mignon tartare. The flavors of the tartare were very clean, with a delectable richness from the meat cut by the tart capers that were mixed in the tartare, and it was all settled by the smooth, creamy egg yolk. The tabasco really accentuated all the flavors of the beef and capers with a mellow but yet pungent kick of heat. Next we enjoyed a terrine of foie gras with red onion jam. Now, my mom is totally against foie gras because of the way that it is made. She vowed she would never eat foie gras, until tonight. The moment this delectable creamy terrine hit her mouth she was converted. She thought it was the best thing we ate all night. I agree with her on this one. The terrine was perfectly made and the onion jam was a perfect counterpoint for the decadence of the foie. The onion jam brought a much-enjoyed acidity to cut the richness of the terrine. For me, it was one of the best foie gras preparations I have ever had. The next thing we had was lobster ravioli with beurre blanc and infused oils. For me, and I think my mom as well, the beurre blanc needed a bit more salt. The pasta was very well made and the three infused oils added nice subtle vegetable flavors to the dish. I had one slight problem with the dish; I could not taste the flavor of the lobster. The oils, the beurre blanc and the other vegetables in the ravioli just over powered the flavors of the lobster. The next dish we had was a cold smoked salmon with crispy potato "leafs", horseradish foam, and capers. I am Jewish, so the flavors of smoked salmon, potatoes, horseradish and capers are all very familiar to me. Chef Radek presents it in a much more modern way than what I am used to. The horseradish foam was very creamy but still held the heat of horseradish. The potatoes were great, they were very crispy and salty, but they were not greasy which made them seem very light. When I eat smoked salmon it is usually very hard to bite through but this was very soft and the flavors were spot on. Not too smoky, so I got a smoky flavor but still tasted the beautiful salmon. All in all, it was like bagels, lox and cream cheese meets fine dining and that made a very happy Jew. I may be a Jew, but I do not keep Kosher just so you know, I love pork and shellfish. Any way that was off topic, back to the meal. Our Main course was a duo of duck: pan seared duck breast and port braised duck leg with cherry infused farro and sauteed spinach. Chef Radek is truly a master chef because this dish had every component perfect. The duck breast had a perfect crispy skin that was fatty and buttery, and underneath that perfect skin was a perfectly cooked duck breast. I have had lots of duck and I have to say, this duck breast is the best I ever had. The duck leg was tender and moist. It had great fruity flavors from the wine braise but still had a good duck flavor. The spinach was very good, lots of garlic in it, just the way I like it. The farro was perfectly cooked. Not mushy and not under cooked. Out palate cleanser/ first dessert was a great sorbet tasting. Lychee, lemon, blueberry, strawberry, and banana. The strawberry sorbet was great, essence of fresh strawberries. The blueberry sorbet was the same; it tasted of the berry at its best time and like nothing else. To me that is how sorbet should be. The lemon sorbet was my least favorite. It was just a bit too sour and in fact it was almost bitter. I always complain that lemon sorbet are too sweet but in this case it was too sour. Now on to my favorite sorbets. The banana sorbet was amazing and I hate bananas. I think the reason it was one of my favorites is because it was something with bananas that I actually liked. Then I tasted the lychee sorbet. If anyone has had fresh lychee nuts they know it is a treat. A fresh lychee has a very unique flavor that can almost never be matched. This sorbet matched the flavor of fresh lychees perfectly. Our finale dessert was a chocolate-raspberry miroir with smooth chocolate mousse, raspberries, and a soft almond meringue. This dessert blew my mind. It was a layer cake from the magical land of amazing. The cake on the bottom was very moist and then the chocolate mousse on top was perfect. It was smooth, it was rich, it was everything that a chocolate mousse should be. Then there was a layer of almond meringue, which added a nice nuttiness and slight earthiness. On the very top was a raspberry glaze. It was raspberry flavor to the max. When I looked at it I thought I would taste only chocolate because the layers of chocolate were so thick, but one of the biggest tastes I got was the taste of raspberry. L'Atelier is a great restaurant and if you live in Boulder go there or if you are coming through on vacation make L'Atelier one of your stops!
