A dining destination - full review in the blog.
Approximately one month prior to our visit to Falling Water I'd heard about Lautrec-it was recommended by the Maitre D' at The Inn At Little Washington. Seemingly unrelated to the outsider it turns out that the suggestion was prompted because Chef Kristin Butterworth had recently graduated from her job at The Inn to the position of Chef de Cuisine at Lautrec, a AAA and Forbes 5-Star dining destination.
After a brief introduction from my waiter the first thing to arrive at my table was the champagne carte-Cristal, Krug, Dom, and others all well represented. Declining the champagne (and 10 types of Caviar offered on the same menu) but taking the cocktail list I opted for the Passenger 54 Martini-Grey Goose, Kahlua, Bailey's, Espresso, and Chocolate Shavings. It was excellent and quite potent.
Following the amuse my server arrived with the house-baked bread selections and two butters, a goat butter from England paired with Maldon Sea Salt and a cow's butter from Vermont paired with Atlantic Tangerine Salt. Selecting amongst the five breads-Sourdough, Olive Sourdough, Sweet Pumpernickel, Nine Grain, and Baguette...well, I selected one of each and had quite a few refills during the meal. Particularly impressive I truly enjoyed the Olive Sourdough and the Pumpernickel. In terms of the butter-the cow's milk was mild and tasty, but the goat's milk...I went through two plates of the grassy and nearly cheese-like spread.
Peeky Toe with local Compressed Melon, Crème Fraiche, Chive, Mint Jus was delightful. Featuring sweet crab wrapped in cantaloupe and cryo-vac compressed honeydew the dish was finished with a combination of chive, dehydrated crème fraiche, vanilla oil, and mint. While not entirely molecular gastronomy there were clearly modern elements at play in this dish, but all of them were quite functional and all worked quite nicely to form an attractive and light opening plate
Butter Poached Halibut Cheeks, Black Quinoa, Pioppini, Grilled Ramp Vinaigrette the dish was fantastic and I'd later find out that it actually wasn't Chef Butterworth who was responsible, but rather another young female chef working the fish station. Pairing the flawless and mild fish with toothsome and nutty quinoa the dish was finished with a dusting of pepper, crispy mushrooms, and a pungent yet tamed ramp puree-the presentation was clean, simple, and elegant.
Foie Gras Trio - Hazelnut Pain Perdu, Local Blueberries, Lemon, Aged Balsamic. Arriving in three forms - seared hot, bruleed warm, and chilled puree, each was better than the next when progressing from left to right. Leftmost on the plate, a seared section simply seasoned and perched atop hazelnut bread with ample notes of rum, honey, and paired with a blueberry balsamic reduction. Central a baked custard of foie gras, egg, cream, and maple syrup - nicely caramelized and matched with a lemon infused greek yogurt. Finally, and most impressive of all, a lolli-pop of foie gras, port, and gelatin paired elegantly with a white peach puree, honey comb and honey granules.
Quail - Bacon, Asparagus, Morels, Fried Egg the dish featured Quail in four forms. Beginning first by brining the legs in myriad spices including cherry wood, rosemary, and bay leaf and subsequently rendering a confit utilizing duck fat. Drained, the confit was then packed into the breast of the bird and subsequently wrapped in quail bacon prior to pan searing-on its own this elaborate presentation would have been heavenly. Adding another layer of depth, however, were aromatic butter roasted Morels and snappy asparagus which added a vegetal component to the heavy proteins. Completing the dish-a deep fried quail egg, runny and creamy.
Dessert proper would follow coffee-along with a second and third press later. Dubbed "Chocolate-Virginia Peanuts in Many Forms, Bruleed Banana" this dish, like the Foie Gras, actually featured three separate dishes united by a common ingredient. Starting left, a Banana Macaron with traditional almond cookies filled with banana custard and sitting atop Peanut butter powder with bruleed bananas along side. Central, a simple peanut butter ice cream, melting and smooth atop crumbled candied peanuts. To the right, the highlight of the dish, a flexible dark chocolate ganache-light and airy-topped with crispy chocolate mousse and crumbled raw Hubb's Northern Virginia Peanuts. Chocolate, peanut butter, bananas-really, this dish had no chance at failing and the varying flavors and textures spread linearly kept it from being monotonous.
Driving away from Nemacolin all I could think about was the meal that had just happened-pure magic from start to finish, not a single dish ranking below very good and service that was so effusive it bordered on perfection. Located in the middle of the woods Lautrec is not the place you just happen upon, it is like Yountville or Washington VA-a destination worth the effort. read more