La Toque (September 5, 2002)

Rutherford, CA

Chris and Yuan join us for this meal; Kim couldn't make it due to a last-minute emergency. So it goes.

La Toque is known for pairing a wine specifically for each course.  It's a five course meal, and you choose between two options for each course. I'm pretty sure that between the four of us, we ended up getting all ten dishes.

Seared Sonoma Foie Gras with Mango and Asian Pear
(1999 Domaine Weinbach Riesling, Schlossberg, Grand Cru, L'Inedit!
OR
Shrimp with Tomato Confit on a Phyllo Parmesan Crisp
(2001 Araujo Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley)

I opted for the foie gras after not doing it last night for some unknown reason. Good choice, it's seared properly, crisp on the outside, and molten and soft on the inside. Chris and Stacey both loved their shrimp dish. In fact, Chris claimed it was one of the best shrimp he had ever eaten.

Spotted Skate Wing with Candied Eggplant and Toasted Pine Nuts
(2000 Ramey Chardonnay, Carneros)
OR
North Sea Turbot with Braised Lobster Mushrooms and Toasted Leeks
(2000 Patz & Hall Chardonnay, Dutton Ranch)

I've had lobster mushrooms on the brain now, so of course I had to get the turbot. Really flavorful, and the fish is again prepared just perfectly; crisp on the outside while staying flaky, juicy, and tender on the inside.

Here's where we started having some problems. For whatever reason, the staff seemed to be having difficulty keeping track of who ordered which dish, and it seemed like we had to straighten them out two or three times. The confusion carried over to the sommelier, who brought the wrong wines for the course, and then corrected that mistake, but didn't clear the wrong wines from the table. Huge mistakes, no, but at these prices, mistakes like this stand out like a sore thumb.

Pan Roasted Squab with Huckleberries and Duck Fried Potatoes
(1998 Chateau Potelle Zinfandel, VGS, Mt. Veeder)
OR
Rabbit Tenderloin with Mousserons, English Peas and Amontillado
(1999 Dehlinger Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley)

How can you go wrong with duck fried potatoes? The squab was great, sure, but duck fried potatoes. C'mon. I'm pretty sure Yuan had the rabbit, and I'm pretty sure he really liked it, I think because of the Amontillado sauce.

Wild Striped Bass with Giant Peruvian Lima Beans and Pesto
(2000 Treana White, Santa Lucia Highlands)
OR
Veal Tenderloin with a Marmalade of Red Onions and Portobello Mushrooms
(1999 Parador Red Blend, Napa Valley)

I got into a discussion with the sommelier about the Parador, which was a pretty interesting red wine with a pronounced note of rosemary.  However, I guess I sounded too much like a wine dork, because Chris was snickering at me during most of this discussion and making masturbatory motions with his hand. You try to bring people culture, and this is what you get. Sigh.

Ripe Cheese with Walnut Bread (Tete de Moine, Reblochon, Tomme de Savoie, Cow Girl Creamery Red Hawk, and Everona)
(2000 Gigondas, Domaine Les Goubert, Rhone Valley)

There was the option for a cheese plate before dessert, and so we opted.  Chris really got into this; he's a cheese lover, in particular cheeses with character.

Fig Tart with Balsamic Ice Cream
OR
Chocolate Feuilletine with Blackberry Ice Cream

I went with the feuilletine, primarily because I wanted the blackberry ice cream, and it was super-fruity, just what I was hoping for. But the fig tart was the more interesting dessert; I wouldn't have thought balsamic would work as an ice cream flavor, but with the figs, it worked.  I'm not sure this would work on its own.

Coffee, Friandises and Mignardises

We all concluded that this was a very good meal, maybe even great, but that the service flaws were unfortunate, and that they didn't seem to be in a rush to correct them. I wouldn't care as much at a cheaper venue, but in this setting, it's not acceptable.  Yes, I'm pretty sure we were the loudest table there, possibly the youngest, and certainly the least reverent. But still...