I had coordinated with Jasmine, special events manager, for my company's private dinner in their Stone Room. She was very detail-oriented and accommodating.
I had pre-ordered the following for our "Bohemien" style dinner:
Wine Selection:
- 206 Schlumberger "Princes Abbes" Riesling 2018
First Course:
- La Charcuterie: house-made duck pâté, pork terrine de campagne, jambon de Bayonne, garlic sausage, Rosette de Lyon, Spanish chorizo, coppa sausage, pickled vegetables, croûtons, olives, Dijon mustard
- Sadie Rose French Country Sourdough Loaves with Sweet Butter
Second Course:
- Croquette de Crabe: crab croquettes, jicama remoulade, tomato-rocket salad, saffron aioli
- Crêpe au Homard: lobster crêpe, marscarpone cheese, jicama remoulade, white truffle-carrot sauce
- Poulpe Rôti: seared Spanish octopus, Portuguese linguica, creamy polenta, roasted chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, sauce verte
Third Course:
- Salade Maison: butter leaf lettuce, basil/shallot vinaigrette, tapenade croûton, Roquefort blue cheese, apples, almonds, market beets
Fourth Course:
- Mediterranean Mussels prepared Marinière style: parsley, tomatoes, white wine, garlic, shallots, thyme, butter; served with Pommes Frites
Fifth Course:
- Coq au Vin: red-wine braised chicken thighs, smoked bacon, carrots, pearl onions, cremini mushrooms, fresh herbs, baguette
- Saumon Oscar: Faroe Island salmon filet crusted with crab, pommes purée, fresh asparagus, sauce Béarnaise
Sixth Course:
- Mousse au Chocolat: dark Callebaut chocolate mousse, seasonal berries
One of our guests was vegan, and the chef prepared a roasted vegetable entree for her that was very satisfying.
Our server, Gina, took excellent care of us and was always mindful that our water and wine glasses were promptly refilled.
The restaurant was very cozy and our private room was separated from the main dining room by a thick velvet curtain. The room itself was nicely set up with a long table for our party of 12, with aged candles that had the wax build-up to give it a medieval appearance. Our pre-selected courses were pre-printed on a custom menu so the guests would know what courses to expect for this unique dining experience.
As it turns out, some members of our party were unable to attend due to the unavailability of Uber and Lyft drivers from downtown to this venue. Apparently, it was a busy weekend with the tree lighting ceremonies at Balboa Park and other locations.
We had so much food leftover and Gina graciously packed and labeled all of them, which was very much appreciated.
For the Charcuterie, what really stood out to me was the house-made duck pâté. It had a rich smoky flavor that was notably the best pâté I've ever had. I've dined at Michelin star restaurants domestically and in Europe, and Bleu Boheme notably has the best duck pâté in my opinion.
I enjoyed all 3 items from the Second Course, although I felt the crab croquettes would have been better served with the saffron aioli on the side, as to opposed to on top of the croquettes. Also, the jicama remoulade was a bit too heavy on the cream for me. For a deep fried appetizer like this, a light and citrusy jicama salad would have balanced the flavors and elevated the dish.
I had a similar issue with the lobster crêpe. There was already marscarpone cheese inside the crêpe with the lobster, so the jicama remoulade and white truffle-carrot sauce made this dish too rich for my taste. Like the crab croquettes, I would've enjoyed these crêpes more if they were served with something light and citrusy to balance the heaviness of the marscapone cheese.
The Salade Maison was the crowd favorite. With all the other heavy dishes, we were craving for something that would cleanse our palette, and this was it. My only complaint was that I had specifically requested blue cheese and dressing on the side while I was planning the menu and it was noted on the contract. All but one of the salads had the blue cheese, anchovies, and dressing mixed in, which I did not care for. The one salad that was sparred was for our vegan guest. I was particularly disappointed since this was the one dish that I was looking forward to the most.
The Coq au Vin and Mediterranean Mussels were my 2 least favorite dishes. For both of these, the wine was not reduced so it left a very over-powering wine taste that was a bit too strong to enjoy. The Pomme Frites were also overly salty. They were thin and crispy but were drenched in salt.
The salmon was perfectly cooked, and the pommes purée (mashed potatoes) were delish. I wasn't a huge fan of the asparagus, which I thought were over-cooked and the Béarnaise sauce was too creamy and buttery.
The Mousse au Chocolat was devine and tasted heavenly. The fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries) helped cut the richness of the dark chocolate mousse, so this dessert was very well executed and well balanced.
Overall, we had a very pleasant evening! read more