Aix (November 8, 2003)

New York, NY

On relatively short notice, we arrange to have a late dinner in the city with Denis and Juliana at Aix, a restaurant on the Upper West Side known for its modern interpretation of French cuisine, run by Didier Virot, formerly of the Jean-Georges stable.  Because we've waited until the last minute to organize this, the best we can do is a 10:30pm reservation for four.  Not a problem; it just means I'll be hungrier when we get there.  We walk from their apartment to do the deed; it's a chilly night.

Of course, I've already been scheming.  From reviewing the web site, I notice the option of a tasting menu, and barring any surprises, that's what I expect to do.  However, no sooner have I started salivating over the menu when our server informs us that the tasting menu is no longer available this evening.  Why?  Apparently the kitchen stops offering it after 10:15.  I'm mildly annoyed this wasn't mentioned earlier, when we were making reservations, but what can you do.  While we're discussing complaints, let me get my only other one out of the way now.  We asked for bottled water, and received it; but somewhere along the way, a server refilled our glasses with tap water.  Again, mildly annoying, but so it goes.

We're first served fresh, warm bread, which is always a good thing, but particularly so on a cold evening.  Denis and I scan the wine list, and since I'm the wine geek, I'm asked to do the honors.  I control my impulse to order the La Mouline or any number of other outrageously expensive Cote Roties and instead go for the 1993 Cos d'Estournel as a compromise (expensive, yes, insane, no).  It's a straightforward Bordeaux, with elements of fruit and currants, and a moderate finish.

Denis: Pistou with sardine tartar
Juliana: Tomato tart with green basil and parmesan coulis, yellow tomato sauce with green olives
Stacey: Squid sauteed with ginger and red onion, warm parsley fettuccine salad, bouillabaisse emulsion
Jeff: Foie gras sauteed with spice crust and green asparagus, honey-citrus sauce

The presentation of Denis' pistou (vegetable soup) is nice; the bowl is presented with the sardine tartar in the center, and then piping hot soup is poured from a pitcher around the tartar.  The soup has a deep, rich, and satisfying tomato and vegetable flavor, and the sardines (which we couldn't identify at first) provided a funky cheese-like texture and briny bite.  Juliana's tart combined buttery, flaky crust with a sharp tomato and olive tang.  I'm afraid I just don't like squid much, so I can't sell you on Stacey's dish, but I can certainly sell mine, which I thought was the best of the four appetizers.  The foie's crust provided a slight hint of spice and just enough crunch to offset the richness of the foie, which was probably the best sauteed foie I've ever had.  Almost as smooth as a good torchon preparation.  The honey-citrus sauce was light on the honey and heavy on the citrus, with a strong tang, but it just managed to stay inside the bounds.

Denis, Stacey: Lamb rack roasted, with Moroccan couscous and spinach, braised lamb shank sauce
Juliana: Chicken cured and baked crispy with star anise and honey, mixed mushrooms, artichoke, roasted fingerling potato
Jeff: Rouget broiled crispy with fine herb parmesan crust, zucchini Tian, tomato anchovy compote, broken rosemary sauce

My dish, which was quite good, was probably the weakest of the three, primarily because its flavors were mild by comparison to the other dishes.  Four small fillets of red mullet were covered with a thin parmesan crust, broiled just to the point of browning but not quite, with a line of tomato compote in which the anchovies tasted much more like kalamata olives.  The sauce had a slight hint of rosemary, but I got more of a fennel taste which complemented the fish nicely.  Juliana's chicken was incredibly tender and moist, with just the right amount of spice, paired with excellent cubes of mushroom and potato.  The lamb dish, which both Denis and Stacey ordered, was also excellent.  The rack was cooked medium-rare, and the lamb shank "sauce" was much closer to a stew, with chunks of meat arranged in a small pile next to the couscous.

Denis: Chocolate banana tart with banana flan and walnut ice cream
Juliana: Hazelnut souffle with peanut butter ice cream
Stacey: Cardamom sable with figs, coffee nutmeg ice cream
Jeff: Rosemary apple brioche with citrus ice cream

I like chocolate, but I think it's boring to see the same old chocolate-based dessert choices on every restaurant's menu.  This was not the case here; these desserts are best described as challenging, and not necessarily geared towards diners with an eye for sweets.  Denis' dessert was the most conventional, but even then, the walnut ice cream provided an interesting nutty flavor to offset the sweetness of the tart.  Juliana's souffle was done perfectly; I found the combination of hazelnut and peanut butter a little jarring, however.  The cardamom and fig mixture in Stacey's dessert was mild in flavor, but the coffee nutmeg ice cream was a jolt.  To me, it tasted like a double-espresso transmuted into ice cream, with the accompanying caffeine kick.  If there was any nutmeg in it, it was overpowered by the coffee.  I really liked this, although I may have been the only one.  Finally, my rosemary apple brioche was aromatic and feathery, but the citrus ice cream was more interesting; I couldn't identify which fruits had gone into it, but it had the acidic bite of a citrus fruit, and was not particularly sweet.  It was a nice counter to the buttery brioche.

Madeleines, mignardise

Madeleines covered loosely in linen were provided towards the end of the desserts, but I think I was the only one to make a serious dent in these.  The portion sizes for all of the dishes were reasonably large, and the cumulative effect was taking its toll on everyone, except yours truly, the glutton.  Finally, to finish, we were presented with small open-faced chocolate cubes, filled with a mango sauce.  These were very nice; biting into them, you received a quick burst of chocolate flavor, which was then flooded with concentrated mango flavor.  They were complemented by caramelized fennel seeds, seemingly to emphasize that, hey, these desserts are out there.

Overall, the execution of the dishes was solid; I think it's really just a question of whether you like bold and sometimes unconventional flavors in your food.  I'd go back.