The host that greeted us at the front was in a full length black apron, very professional. All of the waiters were very professional, and a shout out to the awkward water boy that dropped by a few times. Billy was the name of our server, a very personable young man who very much deserves a raise.
Okay, so maybe this place is a bit better than a Jack Astor's. We're seated in the window, and are tended to quite regularly. The bread basket that we received was quite small, but after a few times filling it, they figured out that we're bread-eaters. It began to come back full to the brim. The white baguette wasn't sliced all the way through, the outside was crusty, the crumb was perfect, and it was slightly warmed. No wonder I ate so much of it. The whole grain roll was great as well. I'm not a big fan of birdseed bread, but it was quite exceptional. Over dinner, I get more of a background on this place. It was apparently an offshoot of a bunch of chefs that went to school together. So far, this is the best example of everything I learned in school, they're doing everything right.
Eventually our meals came, a risotto and my chicken fillet in pink peppercorn sauce. His plate of risotto was filled with mushrooms and looked quite appetizing. My meal was a full one. The plate was stylized, and for the better. Two large chicken breasts that were cooked to perfection. Perfectly moist coated in a pink peppercorn cream sauce. Oh, it was heavenly. To add to this, tasty roasted potatoes, a carrot with the green top, three asparagus, and some shredded gourd of some kind. It was very delicious.
I only have one negative aspect of this dish. Not that there wasn't enough food, because I had to have Uncle Larito help me finish it, but that the peppercorns were overpowering. I understand that it's a pink peppercorn sauce, but the same powerful taste could have come from some crushed peppercorns rather than a bunch of whole ones. While whole peppercorns are nice, there were so many that I had to scrape them off of my chicken and I found it quite unpleasant to bite into them. Every bite had at least five whole peppercorns if I had not scraped them off. It really put me off trying to finish my dish.
Larito's risotto was exceptional. I am not a pasta fan, but this was perfectly spiced and had very full flavours. Good job!
Over coffees, which were fine, we ordered dessert. I ordered the carrot cake and Larito decided to talk to Billy about which of the desserts came recommended. The carrot cake and chocolate mousse were at the top, next down was the crème caramel and the crème brulee, and finally, the cheesecake.
Larito decided to go with the brulee. It was quite well done, and was house-made. The sugar was torched perfectly and was made with the richness of extra yolks. It was a little less sweet than I would have liked, but Uncle Larito was satisfied with it. I am sceptical about the cake slice that I received. I adore carrot cake. The cream cheese icing, the moist carrot cake with the abundance of spices that float about the cake is like heaven on Earth. Alas, this cake was not satisfactory. The plating was quite nice, it came with a treble clef drawn on the plate in crème anglaise with the slice next to it.
The carrot cake consisted of four thin layers of orange cake that were surrounded by a unicorn mayonnaise icing of some kind. There was no cream cheese flavour, not even the acidity to suggest that it had once been cream cheese. The orange cake had no spices, it was just masquerading as carrot cake. If I had to guess, I would assume that this is a LaRocca cake or something similar.
I would recommend investing in a better bakery to supply your desserts or at least try to make them in house. If this cannot be done, please remove the cake out of the fridge before service. Also, plating with crème anglaise wasn't beneficial to the plate. While the colours matched, this is only half of the battle. Please, choose something that isn't creamy, even a nice tangerine sauce, a spiced brandy sauce would have been wonderful, or even some spice to your crème anglaise would have been quite nice. I was also a little worried as to if the sauce was really a crème anglaise, or if it was the uncooked remnants from the crème brulee. In which case, if it was, I do hope that the eggs were pasteurized in some way. I actually didn't eat the sauce due to the fact that it might not have been safe for me to eat.
All in all, I had a wonderful experience. I would return, and I do hope that this chain makes its way to Ontario. The decor was fabulous, the menu was well planned, and the staff was amazing. It was a little too expensive for my taste, even though what we did get (minus the dessert) was well worth the price. Great job, L'Academie. You've impressed me. read more