During our "meetiversary" weekend, we arranged to have dinner with friends who now live up in Vermont. I used meetways.com to find a halfway point between our two homes and the town of Millbrook, NY popped up. A decent 86 miles from my home, I decided to scan Yelp and Trip Advisor for restaurants in the area. My eyes scanned over Les Baux, and as a fan of French cuisine, it was on my list. My friend later told me SHE discovered it as well, so we took it as a sign and made a reservation for the first sitting of the evening. That would allow us to drive there and back in the same day, while enjoying a meal in between.
The restaurant is located in the downtown area of Millbrook and there is on-street parking. We were there just as they opened for dinner service, 5pm. I perused the menu before we left and I knew I wanted French onion soup. I am a seafood lover, so I planned to order the filet of sole prepared meuniere style. The venue is small, serving about 40 people at a time. We were seated off to the right and it was a really cozy room. There was ample space for the six of us to sit comfortably yet not be on top of nearby tables. There was a sign on the door that said "wear mask upon entering", and I wasn't sure if we still needed to. Luckily all of us had a mask on us. All of the waitstaff and hostess were wearing masks when we walked in, so I was glad I read the signage on the door.
We were offered tap or sparkling water. Our glasses were filled promptly. We were told about some wine specials and some of us opted for a glass of their house wine. Our server read off the specials from a chalkboard that she carried to the table. Once I heard that whole trout was offered, I changed my entree order I had pre-planned.
THE GROWS: We were told upon booking about the 2 hour limit at our table. This needs to be in place because the venue is not large--quite understandable. We were politely asked to leave the table since our check was settled. My "grow" is because there is no area for the next round of diners to wait, and as we walked out, the patron who was among the party about to use our table said something nasty to us. THIS IS NOT THE RESTAURANT'S FAULT--sometimes there are cranky people having a bad day who do not have the class to keep their comments to themselves. I'd suggest a bench out front for people to sit in while waiting for their table to be cleaned.
THE GLOWS: For appetizers, we stared with the French onion soup, escargot, ouffes mayonaise, asparagus soup (special that day) and mushroom soup (special that day). I sampled my friend's escargot, which were aromatic with garlic and seasoning and cooked to perfection. My French onion soup had onions that were super thinly sliced--outrageous! TONS of cheese in the steaming hot crock. The baguette they served with fresh butter was homemade and warmed. Our bread basket was refilled without asking. My entree special, the trout prepared almondine, was covered in toasted and seasoned almonds. A vegetable medley and rice adorned the plate. My portion was huge so I shared the remainder with someone so as not to waste it. For dessert, we had the mini Madelines which came with warm chocolate sauce, creme brulee and the tarte a tatin. I enjoyed the cafe liegeois, which was three generous scoops of coffee ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a small pitcher of coffee to pour over the top. For coffee lovers like me, this was pure heaven and the perfect ending to a memorable meal. They have at least 8-10 (maybe more) dessert options. The dessert menu is not visible on their website, but they hand you a copy when preparing for that course.
Les Baux is definitely a shining star not far from the Taconic, and worth the detour if you are passing through the area. I'd even say it's a good idea to plan a day trip just to see this town and dine at this venue read more