Saint-Jacques' spring menu delights

As I've written many times in the past, when you're in the mood for classic French food, you can't go wrong by heading to Raleigh's Saint-Jacques French Cuisine restaurant.  Don't let the North Raleigh strip-mall location put you off; inside you will find an oasis of fine French dining.

On a recent visit to sample the spring menu, our amuse bouche was an unusual but tasty start to the meal:  a French meatball with onion.

Click an image to see a larger version.

Dense and flavorful, it set the tone for an evening of strong, delicious flavors.

I began my meal proper with a classic, the brie en croute.

The dish was everything one could hope for in this timeless concoction, rich and cheesy and possessing just a hint of sweetness from the apricot inside.

Next up for me was the foie gras.

A perfectly prepared slice of foie sat atop a delightful tart. Adding the sauces brightened the flavors.

To cleanse our palates, they offered a small rosemary granite, which did its job perfectly.

For my main, I chose what is rapidly becoming a staple of the menu, a small filet mignon with fried asparagus and a bacon and potato tower.

The meat was perfectly medium rare, covered in a thin layer of lobster and lobster butter.  The asparagus and potato tower served as excellent complements to the flavorful piece of beef.

I finished my meal with a simple peach cobbler that included lavender honey and a scoop of house-made vanilla ice cream.

Lil and Lori Lacassagne, the owners, are good people who run a good business.  Though I think of them as at least casual friends, I recommend Saint-Jacques entirely because the food is so good that you'll be glad you went.

If you've never gone, do yourself a favor:  book a table, and then relax and enjoy a good French meal.

Saint-Jacques takes a step up

As regular readers know, I've been a fan of Raleigh's Saint-Jacques French Cuisine restaurant for quite some time now. The other night, a group of us went to check out its new summer menu, which featured some interesting dishes we'd not seen before.  I'm pleased to report that owner Lil Lacassagne and the chef team have added to their strengths in traditional French dishes a bit of welcome--and well-executed--new touches.

My steak tartare appetizer, for example, came topped with a single salt-heavy, thick, waffle-style chip that was a perfect complement to the meat.

Two of our group tried the tomato basil bread salad, which featured delicious heirloom tomato dices, garlic croutons, a dressing, and house-made mozzarella in what amounted to a chopped up bruschetta.

Most interesting was the Lobster and Scallop Duet, which in addition to being beautiful, as you can see here,

was an amazing combination of tender lobster and spicy scallops in a shell sitting on a salad of chilled lobster, strawberry chunks, and cucumber pasta. Lil said a friend's experimentation with lobster and strawberries had encouraged him to try the combination, and the result was certainly a win. 

Lil and his chefs didn't stray far from their French roots, and all the dishes clearly came in the French style, but the small experiments they tried were all both delicious and lovely.  I look forward to them continuing to expand their culinary range while maintaining their French roots.

If you haven't eaten at Saint-Jacques, you should.  If you have, go back and check out the summer menu.  

Nina's Ristorante: Don't go

Enough folks have praised this North Raleigh restaurant that we decided to try it last night. Its Web site certainly makes some of the kinds of claims that entice me: innovative menu, focus on service, etc. I was hoping that it, like the wonderful Saint Jacques, would rise above its strip-mall location and showcase the food of a chef steeped in a country's tradition.

Nina's did none of that. Instead, it provided one of the more frustrating meals I've eaten lately.

I asked if the bar could make me something non-alcoholic featuring fruit juices. After a dumbstruck look and several questions from our server, I suggested they could start with orange and pineapple juices. They poured some of each from a can into a glass.

Our server's stellar behavior continued throughout the evening, running the gamut from mush-mouthed and surly to downright rude.

I opted to try classic basics: Caesar salad and penne alla vodka with chicken. The salad was basically bag romaine lettuce, four store-bought croutons, and some lemon juice. The pasta was, after a dose of Parmesan, serviceable and pleasant, though the cream that should have been the basis of the sauce was either missing entirely or so faint as not to matter. The chicken in it, like the salad, was of the quality of something you buy in bulk in a bag.

Our server was clearly annoyed that we skipped the dessert and coffee stages of the meal, but after the salads and mains, we were all ready to be out of there.

I almost never write negative reviews. I generally feel that praising the good places (or books or whatever) is enough, and I should leave the weak ones alone. Nina's, however, sufficiently annoyed me and is so far from what it claims to be that I am making a rare exception with this post.

Definitely give this place a wide pass.

Saint Jacques does it again

I've sung the praises of Saint Jacques, a Raleigh French restaurant, here before. After dinner there last night, I must once again declare this fine place one of the very best in the Triangle area.

Because our group had sampled almost everything on the standard menu, I asked if the chef would be willing to come up with a few new things for us. He was, and every single one we tried was excellent. Many took advantage of some summer truffles that they had just received. I ordered three of the specials, none of which were on the menu--and all of which should be.

My first course was steak tartare, which came with some delicate toasted baguette slices and a small side salad. It was rich and flavorful and generally a fine implementation of the dish.

My second was stronger: a house-made pasta with a sauce of mushrooms, peas, and bacon. Wow, was it great! These folks excel at sauces, as any great French place should.

My main course was every bit as strong: four perfectly cooked scallops, each capped with a truffle slice, that surrounded a Parmesan and asparagus risotto. As good as the scallops were, the risotto was better; it was as perfectly prepared and delicious as any I've ever tasted.

Several of us went for the same dessert, the night's feature: profiteroles stuffed with dark chocolate truffled ice cream. Mixing truffles with ice cream sounded like a risky move, but it was also too interesting a dish to resist. I am so glad I ordered it. The chocolate and the truffle went together perfectly, with neither overwhelming the other. Wow.

If you live anywhere near Raleigh, rush to Saint Jacques while the summer truffles are still available. You'll be very happy you did.

Saint Jacques, take two

I gave this restaurant a rave review a while back, but a single meal can often be deceiving. So, both to get a second take on the place and because it was so good, a group of us headed back there last night. I'd talked with the owner beforehand, so he had made a special menu for us--not a tasting menu, but a new, one-night-only menu from which we could order.

We tried almost everything on that menu.

It was all great.

Amazingly, this meal was even better than the first one we'd eaten there. Not a single dish any of us had was less than excellent. I started with sweetbreads with a truffled potato, and they were the best sweetbreads I've ever tasted. The truffled potato croquettes were exquisite. My second course, a foie gras pasta with two perfectly prepared scallops atop the thin and wide noodles, contained possibly the best pasta sauce I've ever had. It was amazing. I hope no one noticed me wiping the bowl with my finger. The main course was a beef tenderloin done in a classic French sauce and with bacon, and again the sauce was wonderful, the meat perfectly prepared, and the accompanying potato delicious.

I've eaten at Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy in Las Vegas, two of the best French restaurants in America, and I would rank this guy's sauces alongside theirs.

We will definitely eat there again. If you live in Raleigh, do not miss this place.

Another excellent Raleigh restaurant: Saint-Jacques

As I've noted before, the Triangle area has developed into a small-scale foodie paradise. With lots of very good restaurants, a few top-drawer ones, and a wide selection of wonderful locally grown and raised food, this small part of North Carolina has become a great place to go out to eat. I'm now happy to add another name to the list of top-drawer local dining establishments: Saint-Jacques French Cuisine.

Saint-Jacques has been around for several years, so I'm not sure why I took so long to try it. Maybe it was the strip-mall location, or the fact that a far less interesting French restaurant once occupied the same spot. Regardless of the reason, I was wrong to wait. Saint-Jacques is pricey for the area but worth every penny. The food is classic French, with all the wonderful sauces you'd expect, but it's never too heavy. Chef/owner Lil Lacassagne keeps dishes from his childhood on the menu, and both it and the more traditional ones that we sampled were superb.

Lest I mislead anyone, I should note that Saint-Jacques is never going to win three Michelin stars, because neither the dining room nor the service could meet those exacting standards. The two rooms are pleasant enough, but a little decorating help would go a long way to improving them. The service was good and friendly, but aside from the sommelier, no one else seemed fully aware of what it would take to serve as well as the kitchen cooked.

Those are nits, though, and I do not want to stress them. Six of us had a wonderful meal, and over five courses--yes, we were oinking piggies by the end--only one part of one dish (a risotto that had turned the sad corner to gummy) was anything less than excellent.

If you live in this area, you owe it to yourself to save up and catch a great meal at Saint-Jacques.