Frances

I just celebrated a special occasion at Frances, but to be honest, eating at Frances is cause enough for celebration!  For me, it is the perfect blend of sophistication and accessibility, in terms of the food, service, and ambiance.  I also love the small intimate environment, the focus on local and seasonal produce ... and of course the house wine paid by the ounce!

To maximize our coverage of the menu, we ordered three of the bouchees, a gem salad, two entrees... and a dessert.  Yes, that was certainly overdoing it, but I don't know what I would have skipped! 

The hands down favorite for both of us was the Panisses Frites, a plate of chickpea croquettes with the most amazing and creamy consistency inside, crispy crust outside, and served with a lemon and black olive aioli.  Also in the bouchee category, we enjoyed an onion dip with a black sesame lavash cracker, and the bacon beignets with maple creme fraiche.   A gem salad with roasted beets, blue cheese, and hazelnuts gave us a little bite of something fresh before we dove into our entrees.

While Lafe's bavette steak with bordelaise sauce was faultless, we both practically screamed over my delicious salmon.  Served over a creamy polenta with a Meyer lemon gremolata and roasted root vegetables, there was an amazing range of texture on the plate and a very happy synthesis of flavor.  We both agreed it was the best salmon dish we have EVER tasted.

And, we couldn't refuse a taste of their highly regarded lumberjack cake, a ginger-molasses apple date cake with maple walnut ice cream that somehow managed to show great refinement of flavor despite its country leanings. 

I hesitate to tell you all how good this meal really was, because it was hard enough to get a seat there!  But for me, I want every special occasion to involve a meal at Frances.