I'd read about Chez Dumonet in the blog I've been referring to and Grace and I decided to check it out. We wanted to go for dinner, but decided not to risk going without a reservation, so instead we went for lunch. Not taking any chances!!
We arrived five minutes after they opened for lunch (of course) and got a table! I had heard amazing things about their boeuf bourguignon and duck confit, so I ordered the duck and Grace got the beef. Before our dishes arrived, the server brought out an amuse bouche of creamy gazpacho. Oh my gosh it was so good. I could have eaten a tub of that and been happy. It was creamier than most gazpachos I'd ever had and not totally overpowered by raw garlic. It tasted like a giant puréed tomato, with maybe some jalapeno added for a little heat and something else that made it slightly sweet. It made me a total gazpacho fan.
Next, our dishes. The chef himself brought my duck confit out!! He's a third generation Dumonet and has been cooking there for 28 years. The duck was AMAZING. I'd never had duck confit before, and I don't think I'll ever have it this good again. The skin was crispy and crackly and the duck itself was so tender. The potatoes on the side had a sprinkling of fleur de sel on top (I'm totally stealing that idea), and it made them even more delicious. Even the side salad was awesome. It had three different kinds of lettuce with just a bit of red wine vinegar, but what really made it was the chopped up parsley on top. Stealing that idea too.
Grace's boeuf bourguignon was to die for too. They braise theirs for 24 hours here...literally, I would put the beef in my mouth and wouldn't get the chance to chew because it would melt in my mouth too quickly. And the sauce...oh my gosh the sauce. I wanted to pour it over everything in sight. It made my boeuf bourguignon sauce look like brown water compared to it. Imagine the thickest gravy ever, and then multiply it by a billion. It was the richest sauce I've ever had too. It was served with buttered (and I mean BUTTERED) tagliatelle, which I had never thought to do, but I will definitely do from now on. It was heaven.
So at the end of the meal, we've managed to make it through without totally embarrassing ourselves in front of the very Parisian clientele. Grace was on the lookout for me and every time the waiter left the room I would whip out my camera and snap a shot really quick. I didn't want to be THAT guy. ;-)
Grace's boeuf bourguignon was to die for too. They braise theirs for 24 hours here...literally, I would put the beef in my mouth and wouldn't get the chance to chew because it would melt in my mouth too quickly. And the sauce...oh my gosh the sauce. I wanted to pour it over everything in sight. It made my boeuf bourguignon sauce look like brown water compared to it. Imagine the thickest gravy ever, and then multiply it by a billion. It was the richest sauce I've ever had too. It was served with buttered (and I mean BUTTERED) tagliatelle, which I had never thought to do, but I will definitely do from now on. It was heaven.
So at the end of the meal, we've managed to make it through without totally embarrassing ourselves in front of the very Parisian clientele. Grace was on the lookout for me and every time the waiter left the room I would whip out my camera and snap a shot really quick. I didn't want to be THAT guy. ;-)
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